Ask Lemmy

Yeah, and they are actually a lot more resistant than you think. The technology came a long way.

I'm dying for a pixel flip so that I can finally have the ultimate phone:

• Clam shape - the superior phone shape
• FOSS OS - GrapheneOS

My partner had one until about a year ago when it broke irreversibly.

They're still making payments on it and the thing was already on its third screen when it died. They're cool and I think the idea is good, but I think the whole "bendable screen" idea is fundamentally flawed for smartphones.

I've been using a Flip 4 for the past 2 years now. It's great having a phone that can easily fit in my pants' pockets. The fragility thing is overblown IMO. I take it with me on hikes and mountainbike tours. The screen is still pristine. Only the factory-installed screen protector started showing some hairline cracks along the crease a few months ago, so I just replaced it. Not getting a slab phone again if I can help it.

My tech-normie co worker has it and loves it, it's over a year old and the screen is in great shape to even my annoyingly issue-finding-prone eyes

If she can manage that with a slightly older one I can only assume the tech is improving quite rapidly

I got a fold6 from my work. Its nice having the big screen to load desktop sites/play games/do anything that needs seeing. The front screen is handy for doom scrolling, texting, and taking phone calls. It sucks ass being Samsung tho. grapheneOS apparently supports google folds. That might be cool but I haven't seen it.

My Razr fucks

I have a Pixel Pro 9 fold and the original Pixel Fold before it. Frankly, for me, it's like going multi-monitor for the first time. I can't go back.

It fills all my tablet use cases while also being a tablet that I actually have on me whenever I need it. I've had so many tablets over the years, in all manner of sizes. They all collected dust in a matter of a couple weeks because I would always forget them or forget to charge it or it just wasn't near me when I wanted it.

My biggest use case is remoting into desktops on the go, a boon for WFH though it isn't perfect because I have yet to find an remote desktop app that fully takes advantage of the split screen functionality.

Though it's not Samsung with their fancy productivity focused features, I still find having 1 app on each side to be very useful, especially when I'm on a Lemmy posting binge LMAO

I also play !runescape@lemmy.world and !2007scape@lemmy.world from time to time and I love the extra space

Movies and shows are a meh, the aspect ratios are...weird and you don't gain as much size as you think because of the resulting black bars. But I've never been one to watch TV and movies on my phone like that, except on a plane

Have one now, and had one before.

Don't bother, unless you're crazy.

I like it because I basically can build a terminal and ssh back home with my bluetooth keyboard in my bag, but otherwise it's basically useless, except for watching youtube sometimes.

When the trifold come out they might be worth it, that's a proper tablet really.

edit: Ok, 1 killer use-case: When your eyes start going, they're a godsend.

I have a friend who's had a foldable one for a couple months. She likes the big screen, it's probably too soon for durability issues.

Durability is definitely the down side. I had the 2019 Razr and it was perfect because it folded down into a pocketable size but the interior screen stopped responding to touch after about 6 months

My friend has the galaxy fold. He likes it because he has a tablet with him everywhere.

I personally don’t want a tablet with me everywhere so I don’t want them. But that said I’m not at all worried about the screens durability. Foldable phones aren’t new at this point, they’ve worked the kinks out 🥁 Only long long term (10+ years) durability is my concern. I like playing with old devices and I’m sure they won’t age well in that regard.

For what it's worth, the screen durability has gotten a lot better with recent phones. Some of the early models were way too easily damaged, but the current ones can withstand being treated like a normal phone.

That said, I still won't buy one until the price comes down. I think it's cool tech and I wouldn't mind having it, but it's nothing I need, especially not for the current prices.

I have a Galaxy Fold 2, had it for 5 years, and just this month, something happened to the hinge and it no longer opens flat. I have no idea what caused it, nothing visibly wrong with it, it just stopped opening all the way. Now the inner screen protector is bubbling at the center because it won't open properly. I'm debating getting a new one, I really like it, it's like having a tablet in your pocket. But they are expensive as hell and I'm gonna be unemployed here pretty soon, so I'm not sure if I'll get another.

My aunt does. It's so she can squint less at the phone screen, and have bigger buttons on the touchscreen. She's not old, and she wears contacts, but she likes the extra screen real estate.

I absolutely love my fold 5! I read alot on my phone, and always having what is basically a tablet on you at all times is awesome for that. I do everything on the large screen, other than maybe a quick check of the lockscreen for notifications.

two of my good friends use them... idk if they are totally happy but we've been around the block a few times with technology, so idk

I've seen the earlier iterations have problem, but also seen the newer ones are a lot better. Of course being newer means they still have their mettle to be tested in the real world.

I also have a friend who gave his wife and children the Galaxy flip phones. Don't know which one. But from what I could see, they're holding up fine. I'd have to ask him about them next time I meet.

And don't talk to me about giving expensive phones to children. They're teenaged enough by my reckon, and it's his responsibility.

New guy at work has one. I saw him pull it out and flip to check then closed it and i immediately said what the fuck you got a flip phone, thinking an old one. Nope its a newer one, with a very noticeable line in the middle of the screen. Seems so dumb.

My friend actually has 2 (and 1 regular smartphone) and dailies the Galaxy Z Fold 6. She uses it for work and media consumption and loves it so much she's mentioned wanting the Huawei Mate XT.

I see the appeal for people who wants/needs the screen real-estate but it isn't required for regular users. Ultra/Pro models of phones being in a similar position of irrelevancy for people not obsessed with having the best camera.

My eyesight is bad so a foldable works great for me when someone needs me to review a contract or documentation ASAP and it's not convenient to open my laptop right then.

I have one of the Galaxy Flip phones.

I really hate the idea of my phone just being a glass rectangle touch screen. I don't like the current options for physical keyboards, so flip is at least some weird tactile hardware gimmick I can go for.

I have a friend with one but haven’t talked with her about it much.

I think a strong use case you may not have considered is women’s tiny or nonexistent pockets. Having a phone small enough to securely fit in a pocket while still having a large screen phone definitely has its appeal.

I’ll be honest. I think the people who want phones that fold out into even larger phones are completely unhinged. Phones are already way too big. My iPhone mini is about the maximum size I’d want a phone to be.

What even is the use-case for these, anyways?

A larger screen than you can get on a non-foldable phone without creating carrying issues.

My cousin got one some time back, said that she liked it at that point.

I think that it'd be preferable to just carry a 5G-capable tablet in a satchel or something.

Some years back, I got an underarm money belt

very thin so it can be worn under clothing. I didn't wind up using it for my wallet much, but it did work well to carry a small tablet.

EDIT: This is the closest thing I can find on Amazon quickly to said belt. Very similar, though it's not the same.

I saw a smart flip phone once. Small smart screen on the outside, small smart screen on the inside, and a keypad that you could use to type with, using the forgotten skill.

I would love one of those.

The only person I know who has had one is a tech enthusiast / early adopter. He changes phones multiple times per year anyway so a short-lived screen while they work out design improvements probably isn't much of a concern for him.

Best use case I saw was multitasking. He could be writing or drawing on one half while reading from a reference on the other.

I have a friend who likes his because he can have it halfway open or clip it to his shirt pocket to use it as a hands free work light.

Depending on what kind of clothes you wear they can also carry better in your packet. (Assuming clamshell folding and not a folding tablet)

I wouldnt use it personally. I dont like moving parts in my phone. I even avoid pressing the power, volume button needlessly.