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samsung's approach is like "do anything you can and may be someone will buy it. and then if someone makes anything usefull with it then you'll claim you did it first."
 
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Samsung at this point still feels like they have a technology they want to sell desperately searching for a reason people might want it.

But at least showing a preview is better than putting an extremely expensive tech-preview device on the open market that is almost certainly doomed to fail. People see a demo like this, they say "Oh, cool, maybe some day." People read stories about an awkward, $2000 phone that breaks after two days, and you get so much more bad press than good it's baffling that they even made the attempt.

The flip-phone thing could actually work. If it really did feel exactly like the flip phones of old, it might be appealing: you yank it out of your pocket and pop it open with a satisfying snap with your thumb, and are suddenly holding a phone the size of a modern regular or jumbo-phone. Not much need for a case--screen is automatically protected--and if it were iPhone 7 levels of thickness it wouldn't be too bulky in your pocket when folded.

But that's a lot of ifs, the technology is clearly not at that point yet on multiple fronts, and if you put that hypothetical device in front of me and asked me to buy it instead of a current phone and the leather wallet case I use today... I would probably still pick the regular phone.
 
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yawn, another future failed project by Samsung. In my opinion, foldable phones will never be accepted. It's like the sony DAT tape which seemed like it had promise but crashed and burned badly. This will follow the same path to death.
DAT at least had quite a career in the professional studio / TV business..
 
samsung's approach is like "do anything you can and maybe someone will buy it. and then if someone makes anything useful with it then you'll claim you did it first."
Does anyone really care who did it first?
I mean when I was young and a "fanboy" (back then were called "evangelist") I cared who did it first, then I grew out of this and really I buy what fits my needs, no matter what brand and no matter who "did it first".
 
Well it looks better than the Fold, but it has the same issue. No real value proposition. These devices are just for show and don’t really add much value over what we have today. If people really wanted flip phones again, that’s what would be on the market. Samsung continues to search for a bit to counter the iPhone, but it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.
 
The hardware looks the same as Motorola's concept. HOWEVER, the approach to the software is interesting to me.
The fact they are thinking of how to use it when folded, and not just "fold to close" is great. You can station it somewhere and have the controls facing up, while having a view of the main screen in front. Good idea.
 
I saw someone using the current generation Samsung fold on a plane last week. It looked remarkably odd in the "flesh" with neither screen form factor - opened or closed - looking particularly nice to my eyes. I'm sure someone will get it right sometime and I know this is a generation one device but it still has a way to go...
 



At the Samsung Developer Conference this week, Samsung showed off a new conceptual design for a foldable smartphone, which could be technology that the company works on after the Galaxy Fold.

Rather than folding from tablet sized to smartphone sized like the Galaxy Fold, the design Samsung showed off today features a smartphone-sized device that folds in half much like a flip phone, collapsing down into a smaller size.


The device is also pictured folded in half in a way that would allow one half of it to serve as a stand for the other half, with a cooking video used as an example of a use case.

Samsung says that it plans to continue to explore a "range of new form factors" in the foldable category following the launch of the Galaxy Fold.

The Galaxy Fold finally debuted in September, months after its early 2019 unveiling. Samsung initially planned to launch the device earlier, but had to shelve it due to major issues that impacted the durability and performance of the device.

Samsung has since fixed those early problems, though the Galaxy Fold still seems to be a niche, high-cost device that's prone to damage and rather delicate, as we discovered in our hands-on.


There are rumors that Apple is exploring foldable display technology for the iPhone, but so far, we've seen no concrete evidence that Apple is seriously pursuing a foldable design at this point in time.

Article Link: Samsung Shows Off New Foldable Smartphone Concept
Do people really want this??? I love the latest and greatest and yet I still cant seem to convince myself in the slightest to want a foldable phone lol Am I alone???
 
Cuz, when I use my iPhone, my thought has always been, "how can I fold this." Not.

Remember there was a time when the computer industry was waining and they desperately needed a way to spark sales.
 
The awe of a soft keyboard was lost on Microsoft's Balmer, and RIM's (Blackberry) two CEO's, too, and look what happened.

The world evolves. You may not see it today, but everything needs to start somewhere. I applaud Samsung for pushing the boundaries, even if the tech is ahead of its time.

True, but for every tech that picks up and works, there are 10 that fail.

won't claim i even remotely presume what will happen with foldables, after all, the awe of phablet skipped me as well
 
Until the soft plastic display issue is solved, folding displays are going to be worthless.
 
Does anyone actually want a foldable phone? I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘gee, I wish I could bend my smartphone in half!’
 
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Does anyone actually want a foldable phone? I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘gee, I wish I could bend my smartphone in half!’
Well taking in consideration the fact that Samsung is able to sell every single unit they can manufacture the obvious answer to your question is YES.
 
Does anyone actually want a foldable phone? I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘gee, I wish I could bend my smartphone in half!’

:rolleyes:

How about "Gee, I wish my 6.5 inch phone was smaller so it can fit in my pants pocket"?

A clamshell foldable will be a smash hit when done right.
 
:rolleyes:

How about "Gee, I wish my 6.5 inch phone was smaller so it can fit in my pants pocket"?

A clamshell foldable will be a smash hit when done right.
How about just make a smaller phone? The logic is lost somewhere....
 
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