Foldable phones - what's your take?

https://www.neowin.net/news/gartner-30-million-foldable-phones-will-be-sold-in-2023

Gartner is expecting to see 30 million foldable phones sold in 2023. Now that we've seen what they look like and how they work, do you think foldable phones will be the way of the future?

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DZA_

Personally, I believe it's just another reason to charge a higher price for something that we really don't need. It'll become a fad. It'll cater to the luxury users. What's the justification for a regular person who actually requires a folding feature (essentially 2 screens) for day-to-day activities? I'm just going to stick with my Note8.

mikey88

It's cool tech for sure. I have not tried the demo units yet, but personally I don't see a practical use for it. That may change in the future though, who knows.

Infosec_Sam

DZA_ said:

Personally, I believe it's just another reason to charge a higher price for something that we really don't need. It'll become a fad. It'll cater to the luxury users. What's the justification for a regular person who actually requires a folding feature (essentially 2 screens) for day-to-day activities? I'm just going to stick with my Note8.

I'm thinking the same thing here - I was looking at the lineup for foldable phones in 2019, and they're all north of $1500, with some checking in around $2500. I can't really think of a reason to spend my $2500 on a folding phone instead of a monster of a laptop. I mean, I could even buy a decent $800 phone and still be able to get a mid-high tier laptop.

They are pretty neat though, not gonna lie. If cost weren't an option, you could bet I'd be grabbing the new RAZR.

McxRisley

I'm good on the whole floding phone thing and the constant inflating prices of phones. This has all been one big experiment on how much people are willing to pay for a phone and it has gone too far. It's only a matter of time before I stop owning an actual phone.

MontagueVandervort

Yes, I saw the phones some 8+ months ago and my first thought was "That's going to break fast" (which is probably the idea).

Just something else to try to squeeze more money out of the type of people who have to keep up with the latest trends.

It will most likely just be one in a long line of products that come and go.

DZA_

The question of this thread should turn into: "Who is getting the new Matrix Banana phone?"

MontagueVandervort

DZA_ said:

The question of this thread should turn into: "Who is getting the new Matrix Banana phone?"

That looks way better than a foldable phone in terms of both style and utility... also in a much more reasonable price range.

The day I ever pay over $100 for a phone is the day I know I lost my mind completely. 🤣

ThePuterGeek

My thought is, if you need more screen real-estate buy a tablet for much cheaper. The screen is not a proven technology out in the wild.

Infosec_Sam

I'm going to be honest here. I was bashing on the foldable phone being a gimmick and being lame, but after seeing a hands-on demo of the Galaxy fold, I have to say, it's pretty neat. Not neat enough for me to spend $2k+, but it's the kind of head-turning tech that we really haven't had in a while. I just need more rich friends (or financially irresponsible ones) to let me borrow theirs.

MontagueVandervort

Yeah, it looks cool but will probably have a high failure rate because of the flexibility.

Also, not really certain who would need such a high level of flexibility in a phone?

Contortionists?

Infosec_Sam

I suppose time will tell as far as failure rate goes. I think it's neat that you can essentially fit a tablet in your pocket instead of a bag/backpack.

Totally agree with you though - I don't have any reason to use it in a half-open position. It's either full open or full closed for me.

kaiju

Prices will drop when the 2nd gen folding phone is released. I think the 1st gen Samsung folding phone will have a short lifespan since it is rated to last 5 years while being opened 10 times a day. I think the Gen2 folding phone will most likely be released in Late 2020 or early 2021.

EANx

Looks like reviewers are having issues https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47970788

anthonx

A foldable phone for $2,500. What else can you buy for that amount? I can hardly justify spending more than $1,000 for a laptop unless there is a Return on Investment. I still remember buying an expensive Nokia phone over a decade ago. Bought it for $500 and It's a waste of money. Money better invested in stocks. The stock value would probably be 10 times today.

Infosec_Sam

EANx said:

Looks like reviewers are having issues https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47970788

Yeahhh, I saw those. Not a good day for early adopters..

kaiju

Many of the early adopters are reviewers/"influencers" who make their money by being the guinea pig. The Samsung Fold really wasn't meant to be a big seller. That is the purpose of the mass market S10, Note 9 and soon to be released Note 10. If enough interest is shown in the Fold, Samsung will most likely make a phone for the masses if or when the Gen2 Fold is released.

10Linefigure

McxRisley said:

I'm good on the whole floding phone thing and the constant inflating prices of phones. This has all been one big experiment on how much people are willing to pay for a phone and it has gone too far. It's only a matter of time before I stop owning an actual phone.

Couldn't agree more. I rock the $49 cheapest smart phone from Verizon with no contract. When you see someone whip out a phone that's price tag is higher than their net worth its like... but why? If your heart skips a beat when you drop your phone, that's probably a sign.

On the plus side there are manufactures doing the opposite. Nokia offers a lineup of really good smart phones for reasonable prices. Their Nokia 6.1 is $180.

kaiju

The funny part is the Samsung Fold's official release date is April 26. Returning an item for warranty repair before it is officially released is hilarious. Is it a quality control issue or was the reviewer being extra abusive?

Edit: Just read an article on Androidheadlines that said the phones being used by the reviewers are actually media samples. Hopefully the consumer version doesn't have the same issues because it would suck to spend $2k on a folding brick.

No!! I have no plans to purchase the Samsung Fold. I am hoping my 5 year old "dying a slow death" Nexus 6 will hold out until the Note 10 is released in August.

TechGromit

I'm not the kind of guy that has to have the latest and greatest tech. I paid $250 for my current iPhone Iphone5C, and it has twice the memory then my old Iphone5 that I paid $800 for. Honestly, I would still be using my Old iPhone 4S if it supported the 4G network, the 3G was getting a little spotty with coverage. I was on call, so I had to have coverage, so I was forced to upgrade, kicking and screaming the entire way to the store. I guess eventually if the price drops low enough I'll have one of these flip phones, but I'm not going to run out and drop major $ on one. I could use phone with a larger screen, but I'm not willing to pay more than $300 or $400 for one.

Infosec_Sam

kaiju said:

The funny part is the Samsung Fold's official release date is April 26. Returning an item for warranty repair before it is officially released is hilarious. Is it a quality control issue or was the reviewer being extra abusive?

Edit: Just read an article on Androidheadlines that said the phones being used by the reviewers are actually media samples. Hopefully the consumer version doesn't have the same issues because it would suck to spend $2k on a folding brick.

No!! I have no plans to purchase the Samsung Fold. I am hoping my 5 year old "dying a slow death" Nexus 6 will hold out until the Note 10 is released in August.

I have my fingers crossed that the Note 10 won't ship with any gimmicks! I feel like every phone this year has some sort of gimmicky feature that ruins a perfectly good phone! The LG G8 has this Jedi mind trick control system and no ear speaker, the Galaxy S10 has the hole-punched camera, and the iPhone 10S costs a fortune.

I just want a solid phone with a big battery and no gimmicks!

PC509

It's extremely cool and a real neat idea. I'd love to have one. They just aren't practical with their price tag. I'll take a standard phone and a nice laptop or tablet and still have money to spare.

Can't bash the technology or anything about it. Just the price for what you get. If the price dropped to the price of a standard phone now, yea I'd go for one.

Blucodex

DZA_ said:

Personally, I believe it's just another reason to charge a higher price for something that we really don't need. It'll become a fad. It'll cater to the luxury users. What's the justification for a regular person who actually requires a folding feature (essentially 2 screens) for day-to-day activities? I'm just going to stick with my Note8.

I'm going to disagree a little. I think prices will drop and these phones will become the norm in time. I do agree a folding screen isn't a necessity but life often imitates art.

Johnhe0414

I'm still trying to get the most out of the phone i currently use...

chrisone

If you are only asking about what we think about the folding phone tech, well then from a tech perspective who can deny it is the way of the future and very cool tech. It will open up the possibilities of design that we haven't yet thought of.

If you were asking for our thoughts about the prices of today's phones....then yeah its expensive right now. However first gen new tech is always expensive and buggy.

Infosec_Sam

Infosec_Sam said:

I'm going to be honest here. I was bashing on the foldable phone being a gimmick and being lame, but after seeing a hands-on demo of the Galaxy fold, I have to say, it's pretty neat. Not neat enough for me to spend $2k+, but it's the kind of head-turning tech that we really haven't had in a while. I just need more rich friends (or financially irresponsible ones) to let me borrow theirs.

Let me be the first to admit that my comment has not aged well.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/galaxy-fold-recall,news-29918.html

scaredoftests

no way I would spend 2k for a phone, even though I used to love flip phones. Reminds me of star trek.

MontagueVandervort

Yeah, I liked those flip phones too because of Star Trek. 🤣

Though I still see a lot of people using them!

I spent $33 (after tax) on my smart phone during black friday. That's the most expensive phone I've ever bought (so far). The one I was using before that was another black friday score for $10.

Just see no reason to spend anymore than that on a phone. Not really into status symbols. If anything as time goes on, I'm finding it's better to hide my wealth.

I notice the current size and shape of phones is very inconvenient. I hope this changes over time.

Johnhe0414

MontagueVandervort said:

Yeah, I liked those flip phones too because of Star Trek. 🤣

Though I still see a lot of people using them!

I spent $33 (after tax) on my smart phone during black friday. That's the most expensive phone I've ever bought (so far). The one I was using before that was another black friday score for $10.

Just see no reason to spend anymore than that on a phone. Not really into status symbols. If anything as time goes on, I'm finding it's better to hide my wealth.

I notice the current size and shape of phones is very inconvenient. I hope this changes over time.

I agree, i'm tired of having another "car payment" for a phone that has features i will hardly use.

Swift6

Phone innovation seems to have hit a wall in recent years. The new features are not mouth watering enough to justify the investment.

Generally, people are keeping their phones longer.

Can you imagine a cracked screen on a foldable phone?

iBrokeIT

I tend to avoid purchasing the first generation of any new piece of technology due to the fact that companies rarely deliver a completely polished product without issues on its first release.