Ask Lemmy

you’re not going to care about the type of core, or the screen resolution when you make a phone call...

It's not really a phone anymore. It's a portable pocket computer. Being able to unfold a larger screen makes sense for a portable pocket computer.

No point.

We basically hit the ceiling with phones ten years ago.

There's no way to improve them without a massive shift in technology [think the shift from prop planes to jets]

Now they have to come up with new gimmicks to convince people to upgrade.

It's like 1950's Detroit putting bigger and bigger fins on cars that were basically the same as the 1930's technology.

It's a full color tablet that fits in your pocket. That comes with huge quality of life improvements displaying PDFs, e-books, comics, spreadsheets, charts, diagrams, videos, etc. Have you ever tried reading a PDF on a phone screen? It sucks.

I've had a fold for a couple years now, and I use the inner screen constantly. If you don't read as much as I do it's probably just a gimmick, but it's great for me.

This is middle tech. It is like walking is to speed walking then running. One fold is proof of concept when we get to 3 or 4 folds that's where the magic happens. People watching a video without headphones out in public on a tiny screen, pretty annoying. We are three folds away from someone unfolding a 32" screen to watch their content anywhere also without headphones.

As the owner of a fold6 I can tell you that one of the reasons I got it is that it could replace the occasional tablet use when you need more space eg maps and pictures.

In that, it succeeded quite well. However, everything is now optimized toward the standard phone format so it's nice but not really that important.

Would I buy a phone with a foldable display again? No, because after 22 months with like 1 fold a day the protection already comes off (replacing it is only 20€ if paid but I have to go on a field trip to get it made) and the price for the device is just not worth it.

So next time standard format again.

I wish they'd bring back slider phones with physical keyboards. Pre-smartphone days I used to have a phone (I don't remember what it was) that was a full touch screen with a physical home and back button on the front and then you flipped it sideways and the back slid down and there was an entire physical keyboard for easy typing/texting. I'm not interested in a folding smartphone, but if they released a slider with an actual keyboard I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I loved that phone and I loved being able to type on the screen with a digital keyboard for quick stuff or flip the keyboard out and use actual keys when I wanted to type a novel of a text message.

Bigger screen, smaller pocket size.

They also break easier so you have to buy more phones.

The functionality of a tablet with the portability of a phone. Seems straightforward and practical to me idk

My motorola razr 2025 is a flip smart phone, and as a lady, it actually fits in the pockets of all my pants. My old non-flip phone did not fit in my pockets. It is common for ladies pockets (if pants even have them) to be less than 1/2 the size of pockets found in mens pants.

Well, if you're my friend's kid, the point is to make it super easy to accidentally shatter the screen when you close it.

My (adult) son has had a Samsung Fold for several years now and really likes it.

For him, it's basically a phone and tablet combined, and he no longer uses a separate tablet.

It's also good for running two apps side by side, and I see him doing that a lot (you can setup app groups that automatically launch together on each half of the inside screen).

I don't understand. Do you not see that the screen doubles in size? It's like a 2 in 1 phone/tablet. That's the benefit.

I often switch to my tablet for reading something on a bigger screen

If I wouldn't have a tablet, a folding phone would be able to provide the bigger screen.

First off, hardly anyone under 50 uses a phone for calling any longer. It’s now a portable computer. I want a device in my pocket with a small footprint most of the time, but when I need a big screen for getting work done, I no longer need to carry around a tablet too. I can just unfold my phone and see a spreadsheet. Or take notes with a stylus. Or make some doodles. Or share a video with my wife or parents more easily that they can actually see.

So, it’s one device that has multiple functions in different forms. It also means I no longer need to have a ~$1200 phone and a ~$900 iPad mini, I can get both in a single $2000 device.

There are some companies making flip phones for the disconnected folks, if your primary need is a phone, go for it. The commodore one actually looks pretty cool.

Untill the tech improves, nothing.

I've seen three foldey phones in the wild, and they all had a smattering of problems; dead pixels along the foldey bits, cracked plastic along the foldey bits, scratches on the non-foldey bits because shrapnel gets in between the screens, ect...

If we had just kept working on the keyboard slidey phones, we'd have pocket terminals by now, but the keyboard died and was replaced with software...

Edit: typos

Novelty.

They break faster than non-folding phones, giving manufacturers an endless source of new revenue.

I own a Motorola razer 2020, absolutely love this phone! It's five years old. Love that it folds and fits in my hand, pockets, cup holders and the like. When I'm ready I will most definitely get the new Razor.

I have a new motorola razr.

Mainly I just think it is neat, but I do like the little screen on the outside. Ive actually noticed my screentime has decreased a lot. Its something about that extra step of opening it up and being able to handle little things on the small exterior screen.

I like how it fits in my pocket when folded compared to a normal phone

Another small thing is that I can set it up half folded to hold my flashlight while working or act as a camera tripod.

Battery is really good too. I'm not sure if it can just fit more battery or if the small exterior screen limits battery usage when closed, or both.

Back in the day, flip phones were nice as they fit in your pocket.

Sometimes you want a larger screen for media or multitasking.

Or in the case of the flip-phone form factor, you want a phone that you can put away or fit in a smaller pocket/purse.

Fidget toy

Remember before everyone had a smartphone, boomers would sometimes bring a 10 inch tablet to your kids ballet recital and hold it up obnoxiously above everyone's heads to record? We all want to relive that.

More seriously, it's for people who want the portability of a phone with the size of a tablet. Not something I want, but to each their own.