Breaking: shitty, expensive gimmick with huge drawbacks fails to be as popular as a reliable product.
this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2024
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I have the flip 5. It's really not that expensive compared to other flagships and haven't seen any "huge drawbacks". The cameras definitely aren't as good as other phones in the same price range but it's nice that it works as it's own tripod and is pretty pocketable.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 256 GB at Verizon is $1900.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra 256 GB with somewhat better specs (considerably higher resolution, 600 mAh more battery capacity, substantially better dustproofing, better camera, newer WiFi standard, and faster charging) is $1300.
What you said just provably isn't true. Paying $600 more – 145% of the price – is a huge step up for this one gimmick. That's literally just the price of a very solid phone added on top of an already high-end phone.
I guess if you reduce my whole comment to the price point then sure, not sure why you feel the need to be combative. I got mine at the launch sale for $1000, so $300 less than the S24. I agree that the S24 has better specs. Still not sure what the "huge drawbacks" are.
Edit: prices on Amazon are $1,099 vs $1,049 for the flip and s24 respectively so 🤷♂️
I'm referring to the Fold6, the one that flips over the vertical axis instead of the horizontal. That's $1350 (down from $1900) on Amazon for the Z Fold6 versus $1080 (down from $1300) for the S24 Ultra.
This is the comparison I made because at least the Z Fold6 has a reason for existing in that it uniquely kicks the S24 Ultra's ass on screen size (even though it's still worse or the same in every respect except screen size and the fold gimmick). Thus, these two are the top of the line you can get with Samsung (albeit the 256 GB models). Even if it's a rip-off, I can at least express why someone might want a tablet screen on the go and might shell out more for that experience (not that much more, though).
The Z Flip6's selling point, meanwhile, is... It's reminiscent of the 2000s, and it has a second screen on the outside, so it's less inconvenient to have a flip phone? Yay? The Z Flip6 is $900 down from $1100 on Amazon. The best comparison here with the Z Flip6 is with the Galaxy S24+, which has extremely similar specs, but still has a considerably better resolution, better ingress protection, faster charging, a better camera (not as good as the S24U's), and higher-capacity battery. Right now, not on sale, it's $780 on Amazon. Keep in mind that the Z Flip6 without a sale retails for $1100 – $320 more than this phone that's the same or considerably superior in every aspect except for the flip (which itself is frankly a huge liability given the second screen which can break and the fold screen which is much flimsier than the S24+'s).
When both are at full price, the S24+ is 71% the price of the Z Flip6; that's not insubstantial given how much the S24+ outclasses it otherwise. The Z Flip6 has no business being as pricy as it is and is solely that way because of the flip mechanic. I can at least say you're not getting nearly as ripped off for as with the Fold6, but it's still an inferior product living solely on its gimmick. Meanwhile, if the S24 Ultra dropped the stylus, it would still be a rock-solid choice.
I haven't tried a foldable, but I have played around with it in my local Samsung store.
It's a nice concept, perhaps even the future of smartphones. It's just not there yet.
Why buy a regular phone when you can get an additional point of failure for more money?
I guess the idea is that you also get some of the capabilities of a tablet, but in a more portable format. But i've never used one or felt the need to. Mainly becaue of the reasons you mention: higher price and additional points of failure.
I'm using the z fold 4, it's great phone at the right price, $600 Amazon renewed.
$600 for foldable (even refurbished) seems like a solid deal.
I've used a Folds since 2021 and hate the idea of going back to a regular slab. But even I have to admit there's no "feature" that really entices me into upgrading into any particular model. I look at the other offerings and like the idea if getting something non-Samsung, but they're really isn't much viable compition. I stick with them mostly because Samsung offers HUGE trade-in rebates, for instance I got my current Fold5 at $750 rebate for a trade-in of my old Fold2 plus an educator discount. Another competitor would need to have an insane value add to get me away from that type of incentive 🤷♂️