Man I'm a techie through and through and have been so excited for some true innovation in phones.
But there's NO way I'm paying close to $2k for a phone. That's the shittiest cost-benefit ratio I've seen in a long time.
this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2023
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I can get a Galaxy Fold 4 512GB for US$1.1k or thereabouts now, I'd say that's a good price for a foldable.
I want a flip phone so bad. But I'm going to give them a few more years. I also like phones that last more than 2 years.
I'm with you. I'm waiting for these companies to flesh out the kinks and hope Google makes a Pixel flip in the near future.
Yeah that's my issue these phones are really expensive to repair and then even if you have the money sometimes the parts aren't available. You go to the Samsung or folding subreddits and it's filled with people that are having major frustrations.
That enough the phones have become so burdened by planned obsolescence and repair issues.
I actually like what LG was doing with the dual screen case. Obviously that's not an option going forward but the v60 is still a great bargain today at like 200 bucks. It's on Android 13, worth it alone as standalone music player
The new razr+ good a good review from android police a couple of days ago.
I had the ZF3 for a year. The crease doesn't bother you after a little while you get use to it.
The reasons why I traded it for the s23 ultra is because I HATED THE TINY FRONT SCREEN AND NO SPEN SLOT
I personally feel a true foldable phone should have an outside screen the size of a galaxy note and that folding it into a tablet is a complimentary addition
Also couldn't stand that I couldn't use the spen on the front screen.
Like why am I paying for a limited experience?
Fwiw the front screen is a lot better on the fold 4
I feel like the pixel fold got pretty close to the mark for what I want in terms of screen ratios... But of course they're not releasing it here in little old Australia smh...
I've been using a Z Fold 4 since launch and I love it.
You really don't notice the crease unless the light is shining/reflecting off it.
I love the extra screen real estate and multi tasking that I can accomplish with the Fold. They're expensive phones, but if you're interested in a foldable, odds are you'll get good use out of it.
Rumor is that the Fold 5, which should be announced in July, will use a new teardrop hinge which will significantly reduce the prevalence of the crease and allow for it to fold flat.
You also have the Pixel Fold, but I'd be hesitant since Google has a bad track record with buggy software.
The new Moto Razr Plus has gotten pretty good reviews, haven't seen many sustained bend test yet, if you are OK with the typical Lenovorola experience (clean software, slow updates, mediocre cameras) then that should be worth considering.
I wasn't aware that Lenovo bought Motorola.
Google really bought Motorola. They kept the patents, and then resold off the actual mobile phone business to Lenovo.
I have a Z Fold 4 and I like it a lot for the screen size. Like others have said, the crease isn't noticeable once you're used to it. It's not all great though. I had the first one replaced under warranty because it stopped working correctly when a cable in the hinge must have snapped. I would be concerned using this phone without a warranty.
Is there a reason why the Z Flip is half the price of the fold besides the difference in screen size?
I'm guessing like you said screen size is the defining difference here (thats a lot more screen to bend), along with camera quality being a bit better, and also they want to encourage the perception that the Z Fold is the more premium product.
The Z Fold also has s-pen support and hdmi out (over usb c) which the flip does not have. My be some other hardware based things too, not sure.
I have a Samsung Flip 3 for about a year now and for me it looks fine. While using my phone I don't even see dent in the middle of the screen. The only downside is, that I have to get a new screen protector regularly because it quickly forms bubbles around the hinge. But thats something that probably is a problem of most folding phones.
My screen protector fell off a while back on my Flip 3, so I've been rocking the factory installed one only. Which replacement do you recommend? I bought one off Amazon and botched the install. Haven't tried again since. Trying to hold out for the Flip 5 at this point.
I actually got one from Amazon but I don't remember the name. I think it wasn't something special. Applied it three months ago and there are already a few small bubbled but so far it's not super noticeable. I tried to get a replacement from Samsung but they only offer that service in their own Samsung stores and the closest store is 3 hours away. Applied it three months ago and there are already a few small bubbled but so far it's not super noticeable.
They all scratch at level two with deeper grooves at 3.
It's effectively plastic. If I ever did decide to get one I would probably prioritize something razr since it has an external display that's usable that actually has proper gorilla glass.
My work phone is a z Fold 4 and it's been holding up well over the last year (?) ish that it's been used. I agree with the other commenter here though that the front screen is just too damn narrow and tall. I'd rather have a normal width phone that folds out to an even bigger tablet. The unfolded screen still leaves something to be desired size-wise and the dip in the middle is weird. App compatibility is hit or miss and sometimes even compatible apps glitch out, for example Outlook - if you tap on an opened email, the controls will change to the email buttons, and getting back to the inbox buttons can be a pain.
I just got the Razr 2022 and it's a big upgrade from the razr2019 with the screen being bigger and stronger feeling
I tend to fold down the middle.
I'm in the same boat, I've been interested in the folding phone concept for years, but I've been waiting for them to get slimmer, have less of a crease, and have a better front screen for journal quick use. I was tempted to wait and buy the new Galaxy Fold 5 when it comes out. It's supposed to have the new teardrop design hinge that immensely helps out with the crease. But then it looks like they still aren't going to do anything with the front screen from the Fold 4, which I don't like, so I just bought the Galaxy S23 Note (let's face it, that's what the Ultra is) instead. Hopefully by the time the Fold 7 comes out they'll have made some changes.
My Z Flip 4 that I got about 5 months ago has been holding rather well. The hinge took a little to get used to, but I don't really notice it during use anymore.
Of course 5 months isn't quite the 2+ years I'd ask out of a phone, so I'll just have to wait and see :)