[Closed] Fold my phone in half

Yeah saw that. Very impressive, or more correctly, what it leads to will be.

I'd like some sort of scrolling out screen then then rebound into a slim tube when not lured... just as it would be cool.lol

10 years from now I get there will be some incredible tech out there that this screen starts to usher in.

I've been watching this development for a while now. Nice to see it in action finally and HOW ****ING MUCH?!

Xiaomi and few others have got them as well. Oh and theres a watch strap thing.

I cant imagine the fold will last. Interesting though.

I’d like some sort of scrolling out screen then then rebound into a slim tube when not lured… just as it would be cool.lol

I think that's already been done (well, looked at), will need to see if my Google's on point today.....

EDIT: as as starter:

I cant imagine the fold will last.

I bet people would've said the same about carrying a 6" bit of glass around in their pocket a few years ago

surfer

Member
I cant imagine the fold will last. Interesting though.

Somewhere in South Korea there will be a set of rigs that have folded the testing phones open and closed many millions of times to simulate life. Of course going from a testing batch to full production can cause issues but I reckon they have a good handle on the lifespan

The reviewer didn't seem to grasp the idea that it's a (small) tablet size phone, did he? Seemed to think the folding of it was just a novelty. I can see people wanting a bigger screen like that.
Something bigger and more annoying to hold up in front of people trying to watch live bands, for example. 😉

I think I prefer the Huawai version unless the surface is prone to scratches:

Although, I think I'll prefer them when they are smaller. The main benefit for me wouldn't be having an 8" tablet in my pocket, but I would like a 6.5" one that I can put more comfortably in my normal pockets.

having an 8″ tablet in my pocket

I thought you were just pleased to see me 😉

Is the fold still visible on the finished article? The brief demos I’ve seen have had it and it looks awful. Not that I’ll actually be buying one mind. I’d want a clear, crease free screen.

Is the fold still visible on the finished article?

The vid said it was not visible when the screen was on properly.

I bet people would’ve said the same about carrying a 6″ bit of glass around in their pocket a few years ago

Yes and its gone through many changes before we have ended up with the robust versions now.

Samsung quality testing seems to be at its normal standards.

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/17/samsung-broken-galaxy-fold-devices/

Doh!

I cant imagine the fold will last. Interesting though.

One reviewer has had the screen on his start to crack after two days.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/18411510/samsung-galaxy-fold-broken-screen-debris-dust-hinge-flexible-bulge

Can't believe no one else has mentioned this. 😁

I wonder how long before apple invent it 😉

When they can make one that lasts a bit longer?

According to the beeb, reviewers have been peeling off what they thought was the usual protective film you get on a new phone...turns out it's the top layer of the screen!

theregister says that even when the protective layer is left on there have been failures.

but I reckon they have a good handle on the lifespan

Or maybe not...

The vid said it was not visible when the screen was on properly.

Always visible, but reviewers say that you just end up ignoring it… like you do dark patches on old dead laptop screens.

Anyway, they've been holding this back for nearly three years… in the hope that they could, er, crack the durability issue. They should have waited a bit longer, it seems.

Nice R&D though… when the tech is consumer ready it will be really useful.

I've never been a early adopter, nor spent more than about £400 on a phone but this is proper innovation and I agree it's not what it is today but what it becomes. Anyone who spunks this amount of cash on something so revolutionary is taking a massive risk but that's their problem.

Orders being cancelled. Release date now indefinitely delayed, again.

Meh. Smartphones are at saturation and evolutionary end. Making them bendy doesn't do much other than allows them to charge idiots crazy money for it. Phones haven't added anything truly game changing other than style points in the last 5 years. I don't even give a crap about curved edges.

Phones haven’t added anything truly game changing other than style points in the last 5 years.

The affordable (second hand) phone I bought last year gives me a pocketable camera that is so good I haven't used my standalone camera since I bought the phone. That was a game changer for me.

Looks quite good, I'd think long term though screens will eventually dissappear. I'm still waiting on them developing a digital contact lens so I can start kicking about in minority report mode! 😆

Augmented reality is where we are headed, eventually, but we're still a good bit a way from the technology to implement it properly.

It's all about the slow integration of human and technology long term init.

Apparently the folks who make Gorilla Glass are working on a flexible form of glass, but don’t expect it to be along anytime soon!
I’m not convinced about folding phones, this Samsung fiasco is pretty much what I thought might happen; it’s almost impossible to fold a rigid material without some sort of crease forming, I can’t see how it can be otherwise. Continually folding a material will eventually work-harden it and it’ll fracture, unless it’s fairly soft, which isn’t how you want a phone screen.

And in other news today...... Google have released the Pixel 3A. Most people can't afford a top end £1k phone so the market might be more contested in the mid-range sector.

This folding business will never take off.

Just did it to my iPhone 6, now it's useless.

🙂

Meh. Smartphones are at saturation and evolutionary end. Making them bendy doesn’t do much other than allows them to charge idiots crazy money for it. Phones haven’t added anything truly game changing other than style points in the last 5 years. I don’t even give a crap about curved edges.

Agreed, I think iPhone 6 era phones (Samsung may have been sooner but we're assigned Apple devices in work) were the first that I never found frustrating to use and I can be very, very impatient. I'd say most other 'game changers' (such a loose term when it comes to smart phones) were well established with other brands.

Latest stuff seems to be invented to look good in ads but I'd waged less than 1/100 users will use it more than once.

Premium smart phone sales are in the decline which is only going to continue, right now lots of consumers are still driven by the fear of not having the latest and greatest thing, but they're in the decline.

Once the cool kids discover how much energy and resources go into something with such a short lifespan there may even be a bit of a backlash.

I'd bet they're going to get cheaper in the years to come, not better.

Folding a tablet I can sort of understand, but a phone? Having to open it, just to see what's going on - that's like going back to flip phones where they had to put a tiny screen on the outside so that you didn't have to open it all the time just to look at a message you didn't actually want.

You'll also need both hands on it to use it...not sure I see how the ergonomics work in daily life.

@Daffy - It doesn't matter, because it didn't work and they're not making them.

Having to open it, just to see what’s going on

From the review I saw, it's a fully featured normal phone when it's closed, there's a screen all over the one side.

Meh. Smartphones are at saturation and evolutionary end. Making them bendy doesn’t do much other than allows them to charge idiots crazy money for it. Phones haven’t added anything truly game changing other than style points in the last 5 years. I don’t even give a crap about curved edges.

Yep, stopped at iPhone 6s and just can't be bothered to upgrade now. Doesn't help prices have gone insane, £1000 for a latest model phone just seems like madness to me.

£1000 for a latest model phone just seems like madness to me.

But what other computer/machine/gadget do you use more?

As above, I have spent more for things I use a lot less!! iPhones seem to last a long time too. I’m also still using a 6S, would love for it to break so I can justify getting a new phone! The camera on mine is good, but the new phones are just incredible IMO.

£1000 for a latest model phone just seems like madness to me.

But what other computer/machine/gadget do you use more?

This is a dilemma I have. I have an iPhone 6 which right no, refuses to die. It can be a bit slow at times but I just can't justify spending £1k to replace it. But, but it is the devise I use more than any other. So maybe I should just stump up. Hmm.

£1000 for a latest model phone just seems like madness to me.

But what other computer/machine/gadget do you use more?

But what other computer/machine/gadget do you replace more?

Why do people keep saying £1k is expensive for a phone? It is very expensive for a phone i'll grant you but they're not just phones and used far less as a phone. they're GPS devices, decent cameras, decent video cameras, TV's MP3 players, access to the net and all the apps and capability that brings, they're games machines and a whole lot more. They're so much more than just a phone, and along with all that capability (which is what you're actually paying for) comes the price tag. How much would it cost to purchase all those devices? more than £1k i'd suggest, and then you've got to carry it all around with you.

If you think its expensive for what it is then clearly you don't have use of all the features therefore see no value in it and really don't need such a capable device. A cheaper and more basic device is what you should be looking at.

Folding screen is a good innovation...you don't have to use all the screen real state all the time, if just picking up a phone call only a small proportion of the unfolded screen has to be used to alert you and let you know who's calling, but if you're watching a movie, playing a game etc, then you can open it up and use more of the screen real estate.

But what other computer/machine/gadget do you replace more?

£1000 is expensive when the functionality of a £250 device is similar to a flagship phone. They may have the latest/fastest processor and six cameras, but they effectively do the same job in terms of music, photos, navigation etc.

Especially when a lot of people are still in the 18 months upgrade loop, I buy sim free and take care of my phones, but it's rare I get 3 years out of it. Laptops and other tech lasts much longer.

£1000 is expensive when the functionality of a £250 device is similar to a flagship phone.

I think we're at this point. They do the same thing. One costs a metric shed load more, for minimal difference other than bragging rights.

This wasn't the case a few years ago.

£1000 is expensive when the functionality of a £250 device is similar to a flagship phone.

This. If it was essential stuff and cheaper alternatives weren't available, fine. My 150 quid phone does more than I need, although I'd like a better camera so I'll probably buy one seperately one day.

wobbliscott

Member
Why do people keep saying £1k is expensive for a phone? It is very expensive for a phone i’ll grant you but they’re not just phones and used far less as a phone. they’re GPS devices, decent cameras, decent video cameras, TV’s MP3 players, access to the net and all the apps and capability that brings, they’re games machines and a whole lot more.

cause barring the gaming, you can buy a phone for £150-250 that'll do everything you mentioned.

so aye, they are expensive.

I agree with the iphone 6 comments, on that being roughly the level where phones started being something that'd I'd not bother to upgrade.

i don't use an apple, but the android equivalent was the moto g4, mines is still powering along nicely, does everything I need with lag.

When they started advertising fingerprint scanners as a must have feature was probably when they basically admitted, aye your phone is generally powerful enough.

Same with computers, unless you've got a specific purpose for an all signing dancing effort, you're just spending too much..

cause barring the gaming, you can buy a phone for £150-250 that’ll do everything you mentioned.

e.g. ?

The Huawei P20 lite I picked up for £200 a while back? GPS/Camera/Web/Video/Gaming(Just)

And only because my old 16GB P8 was out of internal storage space to the point where apps wouldn't update anymore, even with me trying to keep on top of space.

But what other computer/machine/gadget do you use more?

My work laptop is used 100x more than my phone and probably cost about the same, actually maybe a bit more; but way more powerful and versatile.

I think we’re at this point. They do the same thing. One costs a metric shed load more, for minimal difference other than bragging rights.

Pretty sure the cheap devices are cheap for very good reasons - quality of components and materials.
I’m on my fourth iPhone, starting with a 3G, then a 4G, then a 5, now on a 6+, which is five years old. All of those devices have metal and toughened glass structures, most cheap devices are plastic. Even the folding Samsung has plastic front and rear, on a £2000 device!
Looking at the end-on view of the Samsung, I’d be prepared to bet the chances of one surviving more than an hour stuffed in someone’s back pocket before it broke are somewhere between fat and slim.

Here’s a photo showing the end view of the Galaxy Fold - there’s so much to go wrong from people putting into the back pocket of a pair of tight jeans then sitting on it!