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macgician

macrumors regular
Oct 22, 2015
105
118
My wife asked me what I thought of the Samsung folding phone after the commercial was on. I said it looks great, but as I said to her - the plastic screen is going to be an issue, just as they were back when devices like Palm Pilots and various early touch screen phones all had them. And back then, the plastic screens weren’t getting the same type of use as devices today get, yet you couldn’t get through a year without scratches and marks showing up.

I also think that the hinge is going to be another weak point. Again, I remember friends and colleagues who had Razors back in the day, and the thing that always seemed to break first was the hinge. And much like the plastic screen issues, hinge issues are likely to manifest themselves much quicker, given how many times people will be opening and closing the device daily.

Just think about it - if, and it’s a big if, people only checked their folding phone 4 times an hour, for 16 hours a day, 365 days a year. That’s 23,360 open-close events annually. Factor in that the devices will live in our pockets, with the lint and dirt and other things we carry that will more than likely find their way into the hinge mechanism (not to mention behind the screen) and further cause issues to occur.

It’s a big ask for any manufacturer to get past all the issues that daily life of an internet device faces without failing - even in a non-folding device.
It is believed to be a more durable "glass" display, let's wait and see as the wait time is less than 24 hours!
 

Zito Abroad

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2019
535
1,218
Quick, let's hate everything not Apple, especially, if it's Samsung. The same way we got together to make fun of the first big screen of the Galaxy Note that we said was way too big to use, the 2K amoled screen that we said was overkill and inferior to LCD, the original smartwatch we said we'd never wear because our phones already had the time, etc... Hahahaaa, absolutely love the bitterness in this thread from the loyalists.
 

JM1

macrumors newbie
Nov 25, 2019
9
20
I find that quite interesting. Back in the "good old days", phones like the Motorola RAZR were what everybody wanted to have. And back then, John Gruber didn't post such nonsense about the RAZR.

Maybe, just maybe, some people still just want... a phone in their pockets? And maybe, just maybe, there are still people out there who use their phone like... a phone? Could this MAYBE be the target audience for such a device?


Maybe ... but are those people willing to pay twice as much as a smart phone for "just a phone" that folds in half???
 
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JBGoode

macrumors 65816
Jun 16, 2018
1,360
1,922
This doesn’t really solve any every day problems. „Normal“ 6.2 phone = too tall for regular pants. Folded phone = too fat to fit into regular pants
It doesn’t look any fatter than yesteryear’s flip or candy bar phones and those weren’t too fat for pants.
 

MrMetro

macrumors newbie
Sep 13, 2009
25
47
And just like that, flip phone repairs hit an all time high again! Guess everyone forgot about those days.
 

jmgregory1

macrumors 68040
It is believed to be a more durable "glass" display, let's wait and see as the wait time is less than 24 hours!

I don't think it's going to have a glass screen. I thought I read that even in the commercial there was some fine print noting that a crease is to be considered normal. If that is true, then the screen will have a plastic film surface.

I do think a folding device like this or the Motorola version make a lot of sense in that they offer the large screen that fits in a small space, which I know I am interested in. And frankly companies need to be taking chances on products like this to help move the market forward. You can't solve problems if you don't experience the problem in the first place.

You know that Apple is working on folding iPhones, iPad and MacBooks, but they just won't see the light of day until they get past the flaws that Apple isn't willing to live with.
 

Alan Wynn

macrumors 68020
Sep 13, 2017
2,385
2,408
It doesn’t look any fatter than yesteryear’s flip or candy bar phones and those weren’t too fat for pants.
Unless they have developed some revolutionary new battery technology (or just do not care about how long it lasts), if the screen is about the size of a current phone unfolded, it needs to be (at a minimum) twice as thick as a current phone. I am pretty sure that makes it thicker than a Razr.
 

JBGoode

macrumors 65816
Jun 16, 2018
1,360
1,922
Unless they have developed some revolutionary new battery technology (or just do not care about how long it lasts), if the screen is about the size of a current phone unfolded, it needs to be (at a minimum) twice as thick as a current phone. I am pretty sure that makes it thicker than a Razr.
Regardless, it’s still not too thick for pockets and I find that complaint to be silly at best. A lot of people carry wallets that are thicker.
 
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SteveJUAE

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2015
4,506
4,742
Land of Smiles
I have never heard so many daft points on what people can and cannot fit in to trouser/pants pockets

If anything sitting down most front pockets are better with a slightly narrower, yet thicker object opposed to thin but wider as it less likely to be squeezed by your groin and pocket edge

It's like no one here has ever rolled up a document and stuffed it in to your pocket, because keeping it flat is so much a better fit :rolleyes:

Lets move on with some more constructive critique than guessing on pocket sizes and object aspect ratios
 
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Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,724
13,244
UK
My wife asked me what I thought of the Samsung folding phone after the commercial was on. I said it looks great, but as I said to her - the plastic screen is going to be an issue, just as they were back when devices like Palm Pilots and various early touch screen phones all had them. And back then, the plastic screens weren’t getting the same type of use as devices today get, yet you couldn’t get through a year without scratches and marks showing up.

I also think that the hinge is going to be another weak point. Again, I remember friends and colleagues who had Razors back in the day, and the thing that always seemed to break first was the hinge. And much like the plastic screen issues, hinge issues are likely to manifest themselves much quicker, given how many times people will be opening and closing the device daily.

Just think about it - if, and it’s a big if, people only checked their folding phone 4 times an hour, for 16 hours a day, 365 days a year. That’s 23,360 open-close events annually. Factor in that the devices will live in our pockets, with the lint and dirt and other things we carry that will more than likely find their way into the hinge mechanism (not to mention behind the screen) and further cause issues to occur.

It’s a big ask for any manufacturer to get past all the issues that daily life of an internet device faces without failing - even in a non-folding device.
It’s actually micro glass on this phone.
 

Jefe's MacAir

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2010
557
524
In for pictures of the two piece screen protector that you must have since dust will get clamped against the glass every time you close the phone.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,724
13,244
UK
It might not solve anything. Judging from that ad, the intended target segment is someone in their teens to twenties. Possibly they're hoping to sell them on the novelty of a folding phone. If the tactile experience of opening it is really slick, it might make it attractive to some people who want a different experience.

I was tempted by the RAZR back in the day, but not just because it was so thin. I loved the tactility. It just had such a satisfying snap to it when you flipped it open or closed.

Along the similar lines, I ended up getting an early edition T-Mobile Sidekick. I sort of regret that decision. It sucked, but it was so much fun to flip that screen up. I should have just bought myself a fidget toy and an actual phone (like a RAZR).

The later edition Sidekicks were much more capable, but lost the fun swiveling screen that snapped to attention with a slight nudge. I wasn't at all tempted to try those.
There is a certain satisfaction to flip phones. Now that I remember it, I had no less than 4 different flip phones including a razor. They bring back good memories.

I remember the first sidekick. My ex-boyfriend had one. He went to other side of London to get it and was pleased with it. I think he just liked getting the keyboard out to be honest. My husband had the G1 and he seemed to be fascinated with sliding the keyboard in and out.
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Poor Samsung… copying everyone and throwing everything at the wall... yet nothing sticks.
Who have they copied with this phone or with the galaxy fold? Or with their OLED displays or large screens?
 

ghanwani

macrumors 601
Dec 8, 2008
4,821
6,142
oh no, the resurrection of the flip phone! never a fan of the first gen, not a fan of this one either. prefer candy bar design all the way. as always, pretty sure i'm going to be in the minority.
 
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DNichter

macrumors G3
Apr 27, 2015
9,385
11,184
Philadelphia, PA
Another pointless use of the technology. This isn't better than what we have today and really doesn't add any value. Samsung is desperate at this point, so I get it to a degree, but they should have waited to utilize this technology in a product that actually provided value. This will just be another miss.
 

cpnotebook80

macrumors 65816
Feb 4, 2007
1,228
550
Toronto
The only good thing about Samsung - atleast they are breaking the mold and innovating and creating new ideas for their products that get ppl and industry leaders taking note and excited for new things to come. Apple is just a follower in this group unfortunately these days.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,724
13,244
UK
As a software developer, I'd hate to spend extra hours developing for new form factors only to find that the company will cut the support for the new device early because either they didn't sell enough or they thought of a new idea.

As a user, imagine only getting 1 year of updates for your phone.

Take a look at the 4 smart watches Samsung made in the span of 1 year before the Apple Watch was released. Some of them only got the initial release of Android and was never updated to the next major version of Android. What do you tell the developers of that device and as well as the users of that device?

With the first Apple Watch, correct me if I'm wrong but it got 4 years of support. I'm a satisfied customer and developer of said device.
None of Samsung’s smart watches ran ‘android’. Those watches you’re referring to ran Tizen OS Which Samsung still use on their current smart watches. Tizen is Samsung’s own operating system. Also Samsung rebased their first smartwatche almost 2 years before the first Apple Watch was released


Maybe you’re referring to the Samsung gear Live which Samsung made for google as a launch device for the wear OS platform. Which is a completely separate platform.

As for software support for these phones. Google have already implemented support for foldable devices into the current version of android and have spoken about their intentions for continued support in upcoming releases. Also Samsung have their own software which will no doubt continue to support foldable devices.
 
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Darth Tulhu

macrumors 68020
Here we go again.

A device like this is not for me (in its current form), but I'm all for it existing, because it may be the bees knees for someone out there. If Samsung wants to cater to a "different" crowd with a few products, then what's it to you?!

I will NEVER understand the phone fascists that protest such devices.
 
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