Samsung Unveils New $1,980 Galaxy Fold Smartphone

[bobob]

Gizmodo has just posted another exposé on the Fold's butt crease...

Samsung Doing Everything It Can to Make the Galaxy Fold's Crease Invisible

...complete with new shocking photos!

 

[kdarling]

Gizmodo has just posted another exposé on the Fold's butt crease...

Samsung Doing Everything It Can to Make the Galaxy Fold's Crease Invisible

...complete with new shocking photos!

Not too shocking, as the article concludes:

"It’s clear that Samsung doesn’t want people obsessing over the furrow in the middle of the Galaxy Fold, which could give potential customers the impression that it will display a distorted picture. However, the Fold seen by Gizmodo at MWC 2019 looked perfectly fine when viewed directly—it’s only from acute angles (or perhaps when the light catches it) that the crease becomes obvious."

Btw, the article also linked to an "exposé" of how Apple carefully chose wallpapers to hide the notch on photos of some of their new iPhones. "Shocking!"

Huawei has announced their own folding phone as well (not sure if I missed the announcement here). Seems a bit more elegant than Samsung’s own design.

I like the Huawei bigger single screen when closed, and the flatter closed profile. Not sure about exposing that much screen to the elements, tho we do it all the time with regular smartphones (albeit often with protective case edges or screen protector).

 

[bobob]

You can't say that the MacRumors resident anti-Apple squad isn't diligent. Even in week old threads, they're ready 24 hours a day to defend Apple's competitors and to turn every thread back into an attack on Apple. As a long time Apple fan, I can't imagine myself prowling the Samsung or Huawei Rumors forums to do the same, but I do admire their dedication.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

And the Apple Chin is a brilliant design choice? Both designs are not CHOICES, they are designed that way because they HAD to.

You can't condemn one without condemning the other.

False equivalences make weak arguments. Phones with a butt crease down the middle of the screen will end up in the back of a drawer or on eBay.

 

[kis]

Oh, and your HomePod example, that’s really _not_ necessarily a product I think that is trying to compete with the aspect of these other voice assistants from Google and Amazon, being that the HomePod is really more trying to produce quality sound as Music player over anything else, anyone that has owned or uses a HomePod, knows exactly what they’re purchasing.

Sure, then it'll compete with the Sonos One - and still loses by a gigantic margin, both in price and performance.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Wait until they're released. The product video can be good as god, but the reality may not live up to it.
Can you tell that it's 17mm thick, for example?

As a photographer, I'd love a screen that size (prefer it to be 16:9 of course), but I seriously doubt it's a 'good' screen, just bigger.

As for Apple making a folder… I hope not.

I'd be happier if Apple went back to decent LCD screen. The OLED screens are not as bright (that's how you get better blacks, reduce the brightness, nothing magic there), and the only LCD screen they make now has less pixels than my 4 year old Plus phone (and a bigger surface area), and so it doesn't show up the OLEDs, it's half as bright as my 4 year old phone.

No reason to update my phone, Tim Cook. Fix your screens - everything on them is displayed smaller than my 4 year old phone, they're not as bright, and the phones are thicker and heavier than my 4 year old Plus. People will pay for an inspiring phone - these do not, at the most basic level. Speed alone is not enough. And nobody wants wireless charging, nor faceID. A glass back?? Really?

Let Samsung float aspirational ideas. Apple give me good honest value.
[doublepost=1550932229][/doublepost]

Come to Australia, it's $2369… then you add AppleCare+

You’ve got it easy. In Hong Kong it’s $12,499!

But you do understand that the A$2,369 includes your 10% GST, and that the Australian dollar is only worth US$0.71, right?

After subtracting GST and converting for foreign currency exchange rates, the maxed out XS Max that costs $1,449 here in the US costs $1,537 in Australia. The additional $88 may be entirely attributable to the extra consumer guarantees provided to you by the Australian Consumer Law, not sure.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Yeah. It’s an ugly first generation 2019 device in that could look a lot better without massive 1989 bezels on the outer screen and a butt crease on the inner screen.
[doublepost=1550893423][/doublepost]

Samsung Fold. From now on known as the Samsung Butt Crease.

Looks like a decent pair of kit to be honest.

 

[DNichter]

Just watched a hands on from the Verge. Wow, this thing looks even worse than I imagined. The materials, the front screen, the crease, the notch, the software, it all looks terrible. It reminds me of the phones from the early 2000’s, definitely not premium at all. I don’t think this thing will sell at all, it looks horrible.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Just watched a hands on from the Verge. Wow, this thing looks even worse than I imagined. The materials, the front screen, the crease, the notch, the software, it all looks terrible. It reminds me of the phones from the early 2000’s, definitely not premium at all. I don’t think this thing will sell at all, it looks horrible.

Most reviews seem very positive considering this is a gen 1 product. I'm excited for the future of this form factor.

 

[DNichter]

Most reviews seem very positive considering this is a gen 1 product. I'm excited for the future of this form factor.

Yea I am not sure of the validity to that. If anything, it's an "I was expecting a lot worse" type of response. I can't see how anyone could see the value in such a product. A small tablet that isn't a good phone that can barely fit in your pocket. Cool concept, but that's all it is. I am not sure why anyone would buy it.

 

[carlsson]

I'm with you on this one DNichter!

But there's at least some people that finds this interesting: https://gizmodo.com/damn-could-the-samsung-galaxy-fold-be-worth-it-1834052626

 

[Tech198]

Apple will have no problem selling an iPhone at $2,000+

 

[JD2015]

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/...roken-screen-debris-dust-hinge-flexible-bulge


Already one unit screen has broken after 1 day with normal use. Others now reporting issues in the article above..

After so many positive reviews yesterday, within 24 hours people are coming across lots of problems.

 

[smirking]

Already one unit screen has broken after 1 day with normal use. Others now reporting issues in the article above..

I think Apple was right to sit this one out. The tech will get there eventually, but probably not anytime soon.

Apple probably already has done test with their own folding screens. Hell, Microsoft probably has done tests with their own folding screens even though they're not in the device market anymore.

I remember walking through the airport in Minneapolis and being approached by someone from Microsoft with a prototype Microsoft Windows tablet around the year 2000. Yeah, such a thing existed. They let me handle it for a few minutes. It was a laptop in tablet form. It was a prototype, it was heavy, and it was glitchy, but still impressive. I told them I liked it and wanted to know when it'd be coming out.

"Next year" was the answer.

 

[narcolpetic-haze]

I'm sure it's one of those things that you don't really 'get' by looking at photos or seeing videos but I'm sure the sheer 'magic' of folding up and unfolding a digital device would be much more impressive once you're actually holding it in your own hands.

 

[kdarling]

Already one unit screen has broken after 1 day with normal use.

Yeah, after the user got something caught in the hinge mechanism.

The other problems were caused by users peeling away a critical protective screen layer.

Should the phone have more dirt protection and an idiot user warning label? Yes. Would I still like one? Double yes!

 

[Shanghaichica]

Yeah, after the user got something caught in the hinge mechanism.

The other problems were caused by users peeling away a critical protective screen layer.

Should the phone have more dirt protection and an idiot user warning label? Yes. Would I still like one? Double yes!

Let’s ignore that. This is a victory for all the keyboard warriors out there who knew that this was such a dumb idea. I mean clearly these armchair product designers know more about what is and isn’t possible than real engineers.

 

[Abazigal]

Yeah, after the user got something caught in the hinge mechanism.

The other problems were caused by users peeling away a critical protective screen layer.

Should the phone have more dirt protection and an idiot user warning label? Yes. Would I still like one? Double yes!

There are reports of phones with problems despite their protective layer being left on.

And the reason is dumb. Even if I left the protective layer on, how long do you think it would have stayed on by itself in the course of normal usage?

The galaxy fold should not need a protective layer to begin with. If this Samsung Fold hardware issue happened to a new Apple product, people would be calling for Jony’s and Tim’s head. Apple’s culture would also be questioned. Happens to Samsung, collective reaction is “Crazy stuff. Wow.” Yet, Samsung is viewed as a HW leader. Double Standard.

 

[roar08]

DOA....The only way this could have a greater assurance of an early death is if Essential had launched it.

Aaaand ... told you so.

 

[twistedpixel8]

Aaaand ... told you so.

It would indeed appear they’ve folded.

 

[oldmacs]

Looks like I was wrong.

I didn't mind the other flaws because as I said, Samsung clearly said it was for early adopters. But I hadn't realised it was this badly flawed.

How on earth did it get past testing?

 

[Michael Scrip]

Looks like I was wrong.

I didn't mind the other flaws because as I said, Samsung clearly said it was for early adopters. But I hadn't realised it was this badly flawed.

How on earth did it get past testing?

That's what I'm wondering too.

Either they didn't test it enough... which makes them incompetent...

Or they were aware of the problems and were selling it anyway... which makes them jerks.

I guess we should be thankful that the media's response to the reviews was as big as it was. It was better to fail in the hands of a dozen reviewers than in the hands of a hundreds (thousands?) of actual paying customers.

Though it still worries me that they were preparing to ship this thing just a week after the review units were sent out.

I wonder who at Samsung gave the final OK... "Yep, it's ready! Ship it!"