Ask Lemmy

I am far more interested in folding phones that have a horizontal fold rather than a vertical one and even then I am not totally sold. I would like to see a 2027 Razr with Graphene and a Clicks keyboard then I might actually want a foldable phone.

The folding phone comes in the flip phone version to make it smaller. Or the mini tablet version. The mini tablet version is super useful for showing off pictures to the elderly or for using a remote GUI or for consuming video on the phone when stuck on a flight. Those are my main uses for the larger inner screen. It is a niche product a very nice niche but one not necessary for most. I have found it to be very reliable thus far.

edit some people use side by side apps often I figured I might going in so far I have not

If I had one, I'd use the larger screen area as an e-reader.

I think the point is to make them bigger so they can start selling smaller ones in the hear future and keep the endless cycle of "New" phones going on forever, like a subscription but with extra steps.

Flip phones were great!

The form factor itself isn't bad, it's just pretty unusable with all the durability issues. It's also too large, until they are thinner, they are more cumbersome to use as a phone.

Once they are durable, thinner and much cheaper, they will probably become very popular.

The iPhone Duo (pictured above) makes a good case. It's a 5.4" phone and iPhone users have been calling for a sub-6" phone for years. Now they can get one, albeit at $1999 to start. Then it opens up to a tablet-sized device for media consumption. So it's convenient.

I think there's a greater point to be made here, and it's the folding screen itself. I think it's a modern marvel of technology, and it would not advance like it has without mass adoption. Folding phones are pushing that, so the tech is getting better. I don't really see much of a point for it, but I'm glad it exists and a mass market product is driving costs down, and R&D up.

There are a lot of neat things the Duo does, but none of them are essential to what I do, and certainly not for the cost. For example, I do use StandBy, the iPhone feature where if it's charging and it's on its side, it turns into a clock. The Duo does it in "tent" mode, which means it's open halfway and it's standing on its sides, with its hinge up in the air. The outer screen displays the clock face. Problem is, a regular iPhone can do the same thing with a FlyGrip, a PopSocket, or a $1 picture frame or plate holder you got at Goodwill. I have a $9 phone stand I use at my bedside.

I think it's funny that Samsung and other Android OEMs have been making them for years, but now that Apple is also making them, people are starting to ask questions. Maybe they had the questions before, but they weren't worth the time to ask when their brand wasn't making them. And that's fair. Unlike Android, iOS doesn't exist to vacuum up all your personal data and sell it to advertisers. So it's perfectly reasonable to be skeeved out by the advertising company that makes phones and the phone OS everyone else uses. Samsung isn't an ad company, but they have to include all the data collecting bits. Gods forbid they make their own OS. Oh wait, they did, it was called Tizen and nobody wanted it.

I agree that I don't see a point. I do want to say, phone is a legacy term though. They aren't used to make phone calls often.

The advantage I could see would be to use desktop-ratio content on a mobile device. Smart phone resolution has become so common this isn't an issue though. In fact the wider content is far less supported for phones specifically. There's probably a handful of jobs where that format is better, but I don't see the advantage for consumers.

My brother had a foldable Samsung years ago, and it's the only foldable phone he's had, which should tell you something. There's really no advantage and several disadvantages. It's a gimmick and that's it.

It is a consumer good. If people consume it, the point is to fulfill that demand. To them it probably seems useful to have a phone and a tablet in one device. The unfolded screen size simply doesn’t fit in one’s pocket.

Doesn’t suit me; sounds like it doesn’t suit you either, but the point isn’t a mystery, I believe.

The main issue I had with folding phones beside the screens being permanently damaged by fingernails is that they aren't that much better with the big black sections of the screens, so the 1.4:1 ratio screens like the duo are the first step in the right direction the original folding phones imo.

I've had one of the smaller Samsung foldables for almost 2 years now. I hate Samsung's software experience, but the hardware is actually pretty great due to the half size in the pocket. Im having issues with my screen protector now right at the hinge now and need to see about getting it replaced and I used the phone on a river in a dry bag once and ended up getting a piece of sand in it early on so there is an annoying little spot on the screen protector from that too so I avoid putting the phone in more rugged environments now.

TLDR: So yeah, best thing is a smaller device to carry around but other issues with them.

where is my 16:9 king? it's long gone 😔

For all the naysayers - I've wanted a fold since the S4 (2014ish) when Samsung demo'd two S4's hinged together.

Being able to double screen real-estate when needed (eg having a tablet sometimes) but carrying it in a phone-sized device makes lots of sense.

And having double the physical space inside offers an opportunity for better heat management - if only to shift the battery to the other side (also means you can fit a physically larger battery).

Lots of potential, but also lots of hurdles to overcome. Unfortunately they've all focused on making the screen seamless first, rather than making the software seamless first.

It is a gimmick. I think people just like the "wow" factor and ignore every other aspect of the phone. Some people complain about phones being too big now and so their justification is to get this phone and then... fold it.

From a practicality standpoint, makes no sense. Even more idiotic than the notch design phones had for a while. Screen protectors don't make sense for that phone. Neither do cases. From an industrial design perspective... and what people seem to ignore is that phones are just small enough computers. Try opening one and take a look... all those parts are not meant to be folded. They will have a finite limit and it will eventually cause problems.

I would much rather just get an actual flip phone.