Android

What is the benefit? What improvement does it offer? What is the point of introducing a weakness and simultaneous single point failure in exchange for a phone with a smaller, less durable screen, has a fatter form factor, and makes it more difficult to use to do all the things I actually use my phone for?

Flip phones existed as a way to easily answer and end calls. They went away when touch screens became a more convenient and versatile means of using a device. Nobody talks on the phone anymore. I don't even have my phone app on my home screen.

A device that can inevitably fail as soon a week after purchase, and will likely fail within the first year, is just not for me. Not to mention the price, and poor software support for most apps

too thick

I've had my Galaxy zflip 3 for about 2 years now. Lots of comments here are saying they are too fragile or poorly made but that has not been my experience:

• the battery is fine
• the screen hasn't scratched
• it flips open fine with a one handed flick of the wrist
• I've dropped it several times without damage
• it has been used in the rain and snow
• I've replaced the screen protector once myself due to it peeling at the fold. Having to change screen protectors happens on every phone I've owned due to peeling somewhere
• I can drop it in my pocket folded without worrying about keys, coins, or whatever else scratching up the screen
• being able to use the phone as it's own tripod is nice for photos
• flipping it shut to end phonecalls is satisfying
• price is about the same as any other new Samsung phone (I got mine close to free trading in a Galaxy s10e)

The new flip 5 looks really nice with the bigger cover screen but I don't plan to upgrade anytime soon since this phone is working well for me.

They can't run GrapheneOS, and I like smaller phones (rocking a p4a). But maybe if Google release a flip-like phone I might be interested.

Camera. If I'm buying something that expensive, it better have a great camera.

Durability concerns. If a little speck can ruin the screen, then it's not ready to be a daily driver for me.

Owned one, went back to pixel 7 pro afterwards. I liked it a lot and really loved the screen size.

But the screen is really, really fragile and the phone is heavy enough that it's hard to hold when You're surfing for more than an hour.

So I could surf on my phone less... Or I could grab a phone that isn't 450g

Nothing at all, I've had two of them =]

I don't see a point.

Exclusively price. I want a Fold very bad but, too much $

The purpose of folding a phone is carrying it in a more pocketable form.

I don't need that because I'm a man always with regular pockets which are fine for carrying a Pixel 6 Pro screen.

If I wanted a bigger screen, I would also want a keyboard and a mouse. So you could say that I'm freaking hyped for the upcoming DEX-like desktop mode coming to AOSP. Video-out on a Pixel, fucking finally.

I want a screen protector

I prefer the standard chocolate bar style it's less likely to break and it fits fine in my hand

Since getting a wearable display, screens are no longer a priority.

I simply don't need it.
In fact, if there was a 4" phone that is supported by LineageOS, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
I carry my phone in my front pants pocket, and thickness is a lot more noticeable there than the size of the screen.

Generally, I love mine, I like reading the paper on mine. No issues with durability, I take mine downhill mountain biking in the PNW, skiing in Canada, the works. The only issue I have with mine is that the made for foldable apps suck ass and you must avoid them like the plague. Who wants a permanent hamburger menu that takes up half the screen permanently while the other half of the screen (which is smaller than a normal phone) is used to display content, messages, and pictures?

Imagine the ribbon at the top of microsoft word taking up 50% of your monitor, lmao.

The high price also has to go. I'd like to see foldables for $750, though I know that's a pipe dream.

Paying more for a less durable device is not what I prefer to do.

First, the price point is stupid

Second, I don't trust a folding monitor to last

Third, every other time I've gone to a platform that's different from what 99% of apps are written for, I've felt frustrated because the apps didn't take advantage of that and here I was with support for that but no benefit to me.

I love my fold 4, and as long as I can afford them, will never go back to a normal phone. I believe in holding onto phones as long as possible, and won't be getting a fold5 or fold6 if my screen holds out becsuse that's just silly. This one works.

I mmade the jump based on the following argument: People agree to pay $1200 for an XL model phone every year but why. 6.X inches has been the standard since like...the pixel 2. 5 years now? People keep buying phones every year for what? There was nothing new. It's marginally, unnoticeablely faster. The screen wasnt getting bigger. The pixel 3xl was just a pixel 2xl but newer. (I bought my 3xl when 5s had been announced so I wasn't paying full retail) There was no reason to buy new phones every year and stay paying money to my telecom. The features just did not add up year over year and felt stagnant. I bought a pixel3 only because the pixel2 battery started inflating.

If you own a budget model phone, a flagship is worth that cost. If you hang onto your phone for 3+ years, a new flagship is worth the cost. But if you have a flagship, made last year, why would you sign a lease every year, what does perpetually paying $50 a month actually do for you? Phones are stagnant. You're just paying to not have an old phone, or you're paying because you want the ego of having a new phone. (No judgement just how people are, being the first person with a noticably new phone and getting complements feels good, I would know lol)

So I said fuck it and got a Fold2 right as price dropped, when fold3s dropped. I signed for 900, and had it a year. People complain about size, the crease, the weight. But ultimately these are petty whines. You stop noticing it. Hold your iPhone Max. Hold your Galaxy Ultra. Now go pick up a tiny flip phone from 2005. Go pick up an iPhone 4, or a galaxy 4. Your phone now is huge and heavy. You didn't notice it because you got used to it. Folds are the same way. I traded my fold 2 for a fold 4 because burgundy and camera bump was much better. Cases for the fold2 were hard to find and fold4 came with one. Otherwise I would still have the fold2.

Fragility. Treat your $2000 phone with respect. Based on some peoples screens you'd swear they use it as a fucking hammer in their spare time. I understand here is where people have issues. The plastic screen is a dealbreaker I get it. If you drop it, caseless, onto concrete yes you do run the risk of breaking it. People wanting a more durable screen is fair. Hard agree. Samsung is the leader in this field and noone is challenging it yet, so they're slacking. I pay $8 a month for asurion insurance through my provider. For $150 if I total the screen I get a new phone no questions asked. I really can't ask for a better deal than that. If you're on the fence, and the fragile screen scares you, get insurance. I don't blame people too much for being afraid of breaking it, but there's options now, where there wasn't with the fold 1 and 2.

And no, I'm not a samsung mouthpiece. The repairability on folds is fucking ass. If you dont have insurance, the big screen is like $700. On top of that, battery replacements are total wash because Samsung doesn't believe in pulltabs. If fragility is your issue, I get it. Anything else? Nah you will be ok you just gotta get used to it.

The flips smaller size is awesome, but I think that positive is offset by the annoyance of having to open the phone the every time.

The fold I could see myself buying in a later gen. Once the hinge and screen are through a few more iterations I think I'll buy one. The huge screen is just so nice. But folded up it shouldn't be much heavier, larger, thicker than a normal phone, I already think modern phones are way too big as it is.

I typically buy last generation refurbished. I was able to get the Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra for sub $800. The last generation Fold is still over $1000. I need the cool-factor to calm down so the old ones are cheaper.

I mean they cost at least a grand.

Mix of cost and it doesn't actually benefit me at all. I buy a cheap phone and it does everything it needs to, i don't need to add a 0 to the cost to get no actual benefit for me.

Probably makes more sense for people that actually use their phones for work or something.

I've had the Fold 2 for about 3 years now and it works like a charm. No issues with battery or folding issues. I would never go back to a non-folding phone.

I'm a fan of small phones and as such been waiting for the fold-tech to lead to smaller devices.

Therefore the Razr+ (40 Ultra) and the Flip5 are the first phones to raise my interest since I got my Pixel 5.

I really like the way Moto implemented the external Display but the Flip seems to win in almost any other category.

After reading/watching a lot of reviews I came to the conclusion that (for now) I'll still be better off with a Galaxy S23. Maybe next year...

I actually used to have one, but even though I was very careful with it, the screen kept breaking from normal everyday use. Eventually, my phone insurance decided they'd no longer cover this type of phone due to it being too fragile, so I went back to using a regular phone.

I have a foldable and I hate my foldable. I am literally counting down the days until I can get rid of it.

In the beginning, it was fine but I didn't use the tablet mode as much as I thought I would. It was mostly just videos and manga. Then the hinge started to get dust or debris under it and wouldn't open all the way. This has slowly gotten worse and worse and I don't even want to open it even if I have a good use case now.

The outer screen is too thin but it does make it easy to hold and type one-handed at least.

The device is also bulky obviously which is fine but with a case, it's about an inch thick which is a bit unwieldy.

The battery life is awful, even without using the main screen. I usually have to charge once a day and overnight.

I just miss my Note. Nice big wide screen, comfortable to hold. Massive battery. Nice stylus. :(

Of course durability is the main issue here but now that you have mentioned it the water resistance too.

My Fold 2 held up 2.5 years but the screen is starting to develop cracks at the hinge.
Still works, but I can see the cracks growing weekly, only a matter of time until they're too visible.
Replacing the screen is just too expensive, together with a new battery I'd look at the price of a new decent normal phone.

The huge screen is nice every once in a while, but I don't do enough with my phone to justify the price.
Was a neat experience of the "future", but the next phone is going to be a normal smartphone. Better battery life, will do the job just fine, lasts longer and cheaper.

No hard feeling towards foldables either, I knew they were expensive.
Also no surprise that folding something 10.000 times (conservative 10x a day for 1000 days) isn't going to last forever.
Maybe they'll find some magical solution for that, but I don't think they will anytime soon.

Well I have one already, I don't need another one

I love my Fold 3. Only real complaints are how many apps are not built to support the front screen's thinness. It was the most expensive phone I've ever purchased even at 50% off used (around $900), but for the amount of hours I use it, it seems justified. For maps, photos, and reading, the inner screens are awesome. I mostly use the outer because most things do not need the full size. Can't imagine it without the outer screen. Durability not an issue so far, whether that's waterproofness, sand in the fold, or the crease.

Maybe battery life, and I don't want to give up my headphone jack and memory card slot. :(

Cost isn't a real concern for me; Samsung has very aggressieve discount pricing where I am, I could get a Z Fold 4 with the same RAM/memory for about 10% more than the S23 Ultra, so I effectively see it as a freebie small tablet with an expensive phone.

I hated the idea until I bought a Fold4. I'm always careful with my electronics, even so, I've dropped it several times on accident and had zero issues. I can't imagine going back to a slab phone, the flexibility of the extra screen real estate is something I use so often that it really would be a significant disruption to my everyday to go back to a slab.

Reliability is a reasonable concern, but the benefits far outweigh the potential risks for me. If you're breaking phones all the time, they probably aren't a good fit for you. I don't bring my phone to beach so maybe I'm more careful than the average user - regardless, I guess that's why I have a smartwatch.