this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2023
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Smartphone manufacturers still want to make foldables a thing (arstechnica.com)
submitted 10 months ago by BrikoX to c/technology
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[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago

At this point we have practical real world foldable devices. Maybe it is different for other people but I very rarely encounter them in the real world. I cannot help but feel that the feature is essentially a gimmick:

  • The fold out screen is a secondary function. The device is invariably expected to be fully usable in folded state. This means that everything has to be usable without this secondary functionality.
  • The fold out screen feature is always going to be more expensive, complex, and more prone to failure than a candy bar device with a single screen

The result is going to be that this will be a luxury or novelty feature without a compelling use case that absolutely requires it, perhaps similar to convertible touch screen laptops that can be used as an etsatz tablet.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The tech for having screens that aren’t just flat squares is cool, opening up more possibilities for wrist wear, vr etc, but I don’t know anyone that wants this in a phone - seems like a solution in search of a problem.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I think they solve the problem of needing a tablet size to optimally do something and never having it when needed the most.

That's the problem my Pixel Fold solved for me anyway, I have lots of tablets around my house that never really got used and just collect dust. They never get used because the most optimal time I need them are times I never brought one.

But now I have one on me at all times, a phone when I need a phone and a tablet when I need it the most.

It's kind of been like switching to a multi monitor setup for the first time, you never think you'd need one or use it all that much till you have one and now you can't ever go back to a single monitor lmao

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, same for me. I'm actually on my second foldable with a Z Fold 4 and I just love the concept. Mind you, I tend to read quite a few Mangas and books on the go, so this concept is pretty much perfect for me. Combined with my glap controller it also makes for one awesome mobile retro handheld.
I have to admit that it's not all roses though. My first foldable was a Z Fold 2 and exactly one year after purchase the inner screen suddenly died on me. Started with a few dead pixels and spread out from there, til the whole screen started flickering and was unusable. Samsung refused to acknowledge it under warranty, pointing to a small dent on the hinge where I dropped it shortly after I got it, since Samsung's official case was terrible.
I vowed to never get another foldable afterwards, but I got back anyway because I just love the form factor. Still, this time I got insurance in case of any other display damage.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Every time I look at the demo devices in a shop like media market or Saturn selling foldables, the screens of most devices are damaged. There are always cracks, discolorations or some kind of screen damage to these devices. If brand new demo pieces can't last a few weeks, why would I bother to buy one, knowing it won't last the usual 3 years of smartphone use?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago

For sure those screens are more brittle, but also I can't help but think that a lot of people abuse them on purpose, to see how easily they break, thus their condition doesn't represent real-life wear and tear.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Yeah, my friend l foldable screen broke after like 3 months.

Now I just have a super bulky regular phone

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Every electric demo device is usually messed up, to be fair

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Foldables are just an expensive compromise between phones and tablets. For the same amount of money you can buy both, a phone and a tablet, which will last a lot longer.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

The thing is I don't want to carry 2 devices around and I can't fit a tablet into my trouser pockets.

I'd buy a foldable if they weren't absolute shit in the current state.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

It's not a compromise, the folding things really fall apart and look like shit. I'd love it if they worked but it's the 3d glassses tv thing except in phones

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Budy, all I want is a linux phone without a bunch of proprietary, binary blobs that aren't supported after 2 years, and a thick, replaceable battery that lasts me 3-5 days on average with daily usage.

With the amount of money they are dumping into these gimmicks, they could instead be significantly changing the market by improving ARM or RISC-V linux and making highly portable computers that fit in your pocket and that you can just plug into a screen where you go. They could merge the mobile gaming market with that of the desktop and console market that way for example. One unified OS with the same APIs and frameworks and whole host of native programming languages.

They could rival laptop manufacturers with their low-power, portable devices. Or even enter the OS market that way by providing a linux distro that they can sell and maintain.

I dunno... just anything but these damn foldables.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (2 children)

You will never get that battery if it makes the device thicker. I was in the industry, we made smartphones with a two day battery. Full on thick, in direct response to customers asking.

None sold. Period. It was something like 8-10mm thicker.

Everyone looked at the one with the thick battery then the thin and bought that.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Motorola makes phones with two day batteries (5000 mAh standard, some going up to 6000 mAh) and their market share is growing, recently reaching third place in the US behind Apple and Samsung. And it's all in the standard size, forget being 8-10mm thicker, they're 8-10mm total.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Moto all the way. Cheap and reliable.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

wait how is 5000 mAh 2 day battery? what features are the cutting? cuz my OnePlus 9 has a 4500 mAh and that lasts for like 30 hours idle or like 5 hours of use?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Purism made the Librem 5. It's a chonker and has bad battery life and they only sold a few thousand units. However, if rappers can make dumb phones and sell out 10k units in a few days, I dare say there's a market for thick phones with good batteries, it's just that rappers and celebs do better marketing and have a wider audience.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Marketing maketh the product. Absolutely true and a thick one there would sell.

If you put two devices down, one thick and one thin, all other things being equal and without an influencer hawking jt. People take the thin one.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What a poorly written article that weirdly repeats itself I wonder if it was written by an AI.

[–] BrikoX 6 points 10 months ago

It's not Ars original article, but written by Tim Bradshaw from Financial Times and seems to be a real person.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

All phones are foldable at least once

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

WHY

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I can only imagine them shrugging it off when it breaks saying you've folded and unfolded the item too many times. No thanks.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I gotta say, I actually haven't had any trouble getting my Z Fold 4 repaired/replaced under warranty. And I've had to do it twice now.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That's not the ringing endorsement that you think it is....

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Oh, no, I know exactly what I'm saying. Don't get this thing. But customer service doesn't blame you when it does break, at least.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Ah ok cool. Good to know

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

At the right price I'd definitely like a foldable. Certainly many people would prefer the smaller form factor at the right price/durability. The durability constraints are largely solved now, so the main concern is pricing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I watch a lot of video on my phone during breaks at work.

For me, that is the main usage. If I am at home, I'm using my iPad or desktop for everything else I would possibly need that larger foldable screen for.

I'm not against foldables, but price needs to be reasonable, as it solely serves to replace my normal smartphone, and it's not worth it unless it's within $100 of the equivalent phone/hardware without the foldable screen.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

I love my foldable phone. I'm never going to go back to non-folding phones. The convenience is incredible for reading; websites or books. Also, the dual app capabilities is super useful. I can have onenote open with a website open on the other side so I can take notes, etc.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Fuck no.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I was thinking gimmick for a while, but my girlfriend has a ZFold now, and it's pretty awesome. I think folds are a natural next step. If they are still alive and kicking during my next upgrade I'll be getting one.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And I want my Nokia 3330 back, yet I have serious doubts I can ever get it and that it would be useful nowadays.

[–] BrikoX 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

One thing nobody can take away from Nokia 3330 is that it can be used as a weapon.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

And hammer, meat tenderizer or brick, in a pinch.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Until we get to the point where I can completely fold my phone into a ring around one of my wrists without it breaking, I don't see a need for a folding phone. It feels more like a gimmick to sell a device more than a useful feature, to me at least

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Phones are too big. I love the idea of clamshell smartphones. But i won't buy one until it's much more reliable.