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I disagree that it's a fringe of consumers, it's just that the foldable paradigm isn't at the same level as a regular phone/tablet, and I've never denied that. You are back tracking in your breakdown, singling out today's Galaxy Fold when your original statement alluded to the entire paradigm of having a larger screen with a smaller footprint. But it's quite apparent consumers want larger phones seeing how the phablet has taken off in today's larger phones. It's one thing to say today's foldables are not durable enough for yourself, that's completely fair, but it's quite another to say that it's a solution in search of a problem.

Again I don't disagree with the durability issue, although the earlier Folds have been tested to be able to withstand hundreds of thousands of folds, I did the math a while ago and I don't fully recall but I think it was like 50 folds/day for 10 years (and that was 2 generations ago!). I've had iPhones with hardware failures WELL before that time, but that doesn't make me question the paradigm of a smartphone. Hardware is hardware, never perfect and prone to malfunction occasionally. If there was a widespread problem with the Folds, now in its 4th generation and 10 million sold, you would think it would be in the news. No I don't mean the occasional Reddit post or youtube video of a screen failure, I mean a bona fide news story with facts. So all that "Fold phones are not durable" crap is just FUD and nothing else with no proof to back it up.

So again, you are not willing to live with the risks of a today's folding phones, nothing wrong with that decision in the least. But again, extrapolating your fear of your phone breaking to saying the Fold is a solution in search of a problem are two quite different things and highly disingenuous.
To elaborate on my point about the hinge (all parts of it) being a failure point, I’m not saying this is an issue only related to Samsung. It’s simply a reality of the mechanics of any hinge. And as far as their specific testing goes, no doubt they’ve overbuilt the hinge mechanism itself to take the abuse. But the stretching and compressing of the components within the screen itself cannot be overbuilt as it’s just an issue of material physics. Plastic is plastic and laminations are laminations and the physical stretching and compressing of both results in failures. And I can guarantee you that Samsung didn’t take into account the variability of temperature and moisture content of the environments in which the devices will actually operate, and both issues will have an effect on the components of the screen as well as the hinge components. Again, what I’m talking about here is how a flat slab that doesn’t have to fold will not suffer the same failure points as a foldable device. You can argue I’m wrong, but I’ve got the reality of physics backing me up.

In regards to the idea that consumers wanting and buying larger screened phones equates to a problem where the answer is a device that has both small and large screens on it doesn’t make sense [to me]. They can be completely separate things - I use a Pro Max and do not want it to be bigger. I’m actually more likely to go down in size when I next upgrade, as I personally don’t need my device to act as my only computer and switch to either my iPad Pro 12.9” or my Surface when I need a larger screen. But I understand that I, like you, are single points of use-case examples, so neither are indicative of what the mass population wants or needs.

The other thing I think needs to be pointed out, at least as far as any of the current phone/phablet foldables go, is that it’s not being honest to say that they’re a single device that goes from a small screen to a larger screen. In reality, they’re two devices connected together that share a single internal screen. So you’re really carrying around a device that is two phones thick, in that effort to provide the larger screen.

From a nostalgic point of view, I appreciate the smaller folding devices that are a take on the original Razr. But your trading height of the device for thickness, whereas the originals typically had a super-thin (razor thin) top screen, with the bottom base unit carrying the battery and keyboard, which allowed for a very thin overall device. No one has figured out how to recreate that, given the need for larger batteries and a folding mechanism that isn’t flat.
 
I’ve yet to actually see anyone actually owning a folding phone.
I've seen one or two in the wild, and from what I observed the screens should be described as 'creased', not 'folding'. Flexing electrical circuits is a terrible idea, and honestly while I think the idea of a folding phone has merit, folding the screen is lunacy. Better to have to separate screens and a precision hinge.
 
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To elaborate on my point about the hinge (all parts of it) being a failure point, I’m not saying this is an issue only related to Samsung. It’s simply a reality of the mechanics of any hinge. And as far as their specific testing goes, no doubt they’ve overbuilt the hinge mechanism itself to take the abuse. But the stretching and compressing of the components within the screen itself cannot be overbuilt as it’s just an issue of material physics. Plastic is plastic and laminations are laminations and the physical stretching and compressing of both results in failures. And I can guarantee you that Samsung didn’t take into account the variability of temperature and moisture content of the environments in which the devices will actually operate, and both issues will have an effect on the components of the screen as well as the hinge components. Again, what I’m talking about here is how a flat slab that doesn’t have to fold will not suffer the same failure points as a foldable device. You can argue I’m wrong, but I’ve got the reality of physics backing me up.

In regards to the idea that consumers wanting and buying larger screened phones equates to a problem where the answer is a device that has both small and large screens on it doesn’t make sense [to me]. They can be completely separate things - I use a Pro Max and do not want it to be bigger. I’m actually more likely to go down in size when I next upgrade, as I personally don’t need my device to act as my only computer and switch to either my iPad Pro 12.9” or my Surface when I need a larger screen. But I understand that I, like you, are single points of use-case examples, so neither are indicative of what the mass population wants or needs.

The other thing I think needs to be pointed out, at least as far as any of the current phone/phablet foldables go, is that it’s not being honest to say that they’re a single device that goes from a small screen to a larger screen. In reality, they’re two devices connected together that share a single internal screen. So you’re really carrying around a device that is two phones thick, in that effort to provide the larger screen.

From a nostalgic point of view, I appreciate the smaller folding devices that are a take on the original Razr. But your trading height of the device for thickness, whereas the originals typically had a super-thin (razor thin) top screen, with the bottom base unit carrying the battery and keyboard, which allowed for a very thin overall device. No one has figured out how to recreate that, given the need for larger batteries and a folding mechanism that isn’t flat.
In reality I like UX on Fold. I don't need separate tablet device, this way I have phone and small tablet in one device. Also, things break, but it's all about how given company handles support and warranty.
 
For me, any company to publicly put down another in their marketing just shows insecurity and a lack of confidence in their own product. Those confident in their products concentrate on and promote the qualities of it and let that do the talking.
 
I've been super happy carrying the Flip 4 on a daily basis. The pocket-ability is absolutely supreme. The only real downside is the main camera, which doesn't have the quality or versatility of the 13 Pro, S22 Ultra or Pixel 7 Pro, but for day-to-day use the trade-off is well worth it.
 
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I think people are missing Samsung's point. Apple have both past and present have either boasted, made claims and advertised themselves as a forward thinking, always on the edge of todays technology, a technical powerhouse company and yet they do not have a folding iphone product, a product (folding mobile phone) that whilst still in it's infancy is at the cutting edge of today's technology where other manufacturers who do not go around making the same high level boasts that Apple does, do have folding mobile phone products. The issue of their reliabilty is for a different discussion but the fact remains that non-boasting companies have folding mobile phone products and a company does like to go around boasting of their achievements (Apple) does not.
What this ultimately boils down to is a differing interpretation of "innovation" between the 2 companies.

For Samsung, innovation is often conflated with being first.

For Apple, innovation is about making great product experiences.

Samsung urgently wants foldable to be the next big thing, both to recreate the "we were right about phablets" moment, and because there is money to be made from selling panels to other manufacturers. It's not going to happen. Folding smartphones continue to be flawed from both a design and usability viewpoint, and I believe that when Apple eventually releases their AR glasses, it will become painfully clear that Samsung bet on the wrong horse all this while.
 
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Promoting your products by mocking others is just so distasteful imo. I’ve never understood brands that do this, and Samsung seems bent on doing it with Apple right now. If anything it makes me NOT want your products even more…
Apple had a similar campaign targeting Microsoft/Windows. Also look at the network PC icon on macOS: a old style beige CRT monitor showing a Windows 98 blue screen of death.
 
For what it's worth, I have a coworker who owned a galaxy flip phone. I saw him use it a couple times and it did sorta look cool. But guess what? The phone broke and he ended up trading for something else... he's now an iPhone user...:rolleyes:
 
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OK so you were talking about the Flip and not the Fold, completely different then and I understand your post.

I had a look at the Fold4 specs too, for ***** and giggles, and concluded it is practically the size of two sandwiched iPhones. Do you lug that thing around everywhere, or do you have a smaller phone for when you don't anticipate having to need an iPad mini with the bottom fourth lopped off on the go?

It just seems like such an awkward size (a quality shared by the Max iPhones and the iPad mini, IMHO) since practically anything I would want to do on a computing device could either be done on a screen that is smaller than 6", one that is about 12" or one that is at least 27".
 
Seriously, what is the advantage of a folding phone? Folding just makes it thicker, one of the reasons the industry went away from flip phones. A folding tablet, something you are not trying to put in a pocket, might be interesting.
 
I’ve yet to actually see anyone actually owning a folding phone.
I had the Fold 3 for less then a year and lost my a$$ trading it in on the 14 pro max. Couldnt wait to get rid of that joke of a phone. Just the weight alone made me hate it but when the inner screen peeled.....I was done.
 
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Curious: is it the hardware, OS or both that you find great?
For me I like the hardware and OS except, "Oh where oh where has Android 13 gone; oh where oh where can it be.' Think it might be hiding on the Apple side of that fence somewhere
 
After owning the original iPhone at launch and all the phones up to the iPhone 6. It was starting to get stale, I was on the fence because I was so used to iOS and afraid of change but after the release of the same ol design in iPhone 7. I made the jump to a Samsung S8. Ever since then I feel Apple has been lagging in design and features.

I see a lot of people here dismissing folding phones but after owning a Z Fold 3 for a yr, I'm convinced this is the future. The crease is a non issue when you look at is straight on. look at is as the notch introduced in the iPhone X.

I know change is scary and iPhones are made for the average basic person who could care less about new tech and features. I look at is as iPhones are like a Mercedes C class, good build quality and features at an affordable price while Samsung Fold is a S class that has all the new bells and whistles that appeals to enthusiasts which will eventually make it down to the C class. Not to mention S class costs 3x more than a C class. 🤣🤣
 
What can one expect here, but blind but blind Apple fanboy-ism?.
Just accept it. Innovation at Apple is dead.
After a couple of years of reluctance I am sold on foldable phones. They are epic with 3 screens!!.
iPhone cameras for photos are not bad but not great, they are plain boring and mediocre for the price range (zoom, noise, sharpness, etc. are OK, but not great).
Exactly I agree about the different part, but I couldn't care less if anyone knows what phone I use. It's just nice to try something else than the same candybar device over and over and over..........
 
As an iPhone user I gave the Flip 4 a try, but gave it back and returned to my iPhone 12 mini.
The idea is great, form factor also great, the crease is not that noticeable. What drove me crazy, that the thing had to install 5 updates just to start using it. UI was laggy and riddled with bugs, camera was OK, nothing bad or nothing to write home about. App crashes were frequent, specially with Google Maps.

I really like the idea of the Flip phones, had high hopes both for Motorola and for Samsungs, but the experience is not there yet.
Yea what's up with GM lately. It's been great for months, and then two days in a ro, I had to clear data to stop launch crashes. But I can't recall other apps crashing. And I didn't need updates to start using. The worst part was using a lightning cable to transfer data from my iPhone. :)
 
Unpopular comment coming....
While the ad it cringey and meh, the message of "we're waiting" is 1000000000% true.

Apple Fanboys: "We don't need that.... iPhone is so great...."
Four Years Later: "Apple is genius with this always on display (10 year old feature on Android)" "Wow, cut and paste!" "Wow, an app drawer!" "Wow, wireless charging!" "Wow, lock screen widgets!" - claps like a bunch of donkey's.

Comments: "I never see anyone with folding phones.... Folding phones are dumb"
Two years from now: "iPhone Fold is the most amazing thing.... how did we ever live without a folding phone....." will clap like donkey's.

Expected Rebuttal: "But Apple does it with finesse and refinement.... their way is always better...." It should be considering they had years to copy cat someone else's innovation and improve upon it.

Dynamic Island is probably the first thing to hit an iPhone since the 3G that was an original innovation.
 
Whilst I'm not convinced by Samsung's folding phones (I don't think the technology is quite there yet - the visible seam etc), I get the sentiment.

Apple needs to catch up with innovation on the hardware front when it comes to iPhone - 120hz panels, AOD etc are years behind. The buzz of iPhone is a fraction of what it was a decade ago and people are hungry for 'new', not just trivial updates (iPhone 14 I'm looking at you). Imagine the buzz for a foldable iPhone.

But that's just Apple catching up with Samsung - Apple needs to lead the way and introduce new tech before their rivals.

Dynamic Island is the one real software/hardware innovation Apple has introduced to iPhone in recent years, and it's already a forgettable feature.

If you don't have a lasting enthusiasm for new things, you forget about every innovation during its first perception. The iPhone is still experiencing dramatic improvements in photo hardware and software, battery control, processor efficiency and much more.

Many people, staggering through the world in a hurry, don't even notice. Of course, new is great, but a new color or a foldable screen with all the operating ineptitude is new and inept.

Apple holds back with unsuitability, but that doesn't make Apple less innovative, but it usually has tougher criteria for evaluating something as useful. Just like adults do.

If you want to act like an angry innovation lover, you can demand UltraRetina displays, 100xTele, night vision function and the like, but it is stupid stuff. Being able to differentiate between these things means being technically mature.

If you sell an electric car only with different housing, you are not innovative with it, but you are perceived innovative by some. And Samsung seems to be able to do that for some people.
 
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As an iPhone user I gave the Flip 4 a try, but gave it back and returned to my iPhone 12 mini.
The idea is great, form factor also great, the crease is not that noticeable. What drove me crazy, that the thing had to install 5 updates just to start using it. UI was laggy and riddled with bugs, camera was OK, nothing bad or nothing to write home about. App crashes were frequent, specially with Google Maps.
I have always hated Samsung's UI--love their hardware though--ever since the S2 days. Too bad Sammy makes it unlocking the bootloader on their new phone neigh impossible. The S7 is the last Samsung I'll ever use until they unlock the bootloader again.

Seriously, what is the advantage of a folding phone?
No butt dialing.😁

On a side note: I have an acquaintance who speaks broken English and has an especially hard time grasping slang. Because of the similarity in wording, he often makes mistake. Liev, buddy, butt dialing is not the same as booty call.🤭
 
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