Android

Huh... the folding. I'm already mad that I can't get a solid 5 years out of a $1200 phone, there's no way I'm shelling out for a first wave foldy.

Their poll doesn't have the option of "I already have one"

Talk about selection bias.

Simple: price. I think that is true for the majority of users. When there's a $200 foldable out there, people will try it just to see what the fuss is about. But that's not even on the horizon.

For me personally, they need to come wayyyy down. Like 1/3 of the current price. That would put them in competition with budget flagships like the Pixel 7.

doesn't provide a benefit for me for the tradeoffs in smaller battery size, screen size, lower water resistence, lower durability, no open source documentation/parts to enable comsumer repairability

The crease is still far too noticable for me. That and the outrageous price that some of these things close when they eventually make it to the shelves with the "Australia tax" applied to it.

There is no way a folding screen phone would survive my job.

When they have a phone that opens like scroll that I can put in a gasket sealed tube, I will consider it.

Price and durability concerns

To contrast some of the comments here from people who've clearly never used one of these foldables outside of a display case, I've had my Fold 3 (the larger folding tablet style) for two years. I came from the Note and S lines, Windows Phone, and have bounced between iPhones. My Fold 3 is in great shape and has survived many falls. It's definitely durable enough for me. I take care of it, but I get that some people don't desire to take care of their devices and expect them to be exceedingly durable. Never had anything under the screen. Never take it to the beach unless it's in a sealed ziplock. I take care not to put it in dusty environments or let sawdust or shavings get into it (hobbies).

Unfolded, it's better than any other phone out there. Viewing videos enlarged or widescreen is great depending on video and application. During normal usage, the crease is not noticable enough to be a distraction unless viewed from a severe angle (think the person sitting next to you). Unfolded scrolling of Lemmy, the internet, and reading is a better experience than anything else out there - bar none, no argument. The screen is just huge and viewing websites in mobile or desktop is fantastic. It makes the web actually useable from a mobile device. I never use my Galaxy Tab anymore. Samsung does a pretty good job software-wise adapting apps to fit the foldable aspect ratio if a guveb app doesn't officially support it. More apps are supporting foldables every day.

I would agree with the sentiment that the Z Flip line likely has a more gimmicky purpose. At least the Fold line functions as a tablet and is a decent phone folded up. At least, that is my experience with a Z Flip 3 before swapping for a Fold 3. But I'll be buying foldables exclusively from here on out. After using the Fold 3 for two years, I can say it's folding screen is definitely NOT a gimmick.

Money

Nothing is. I'm currently writing this post on one. I will consider that weight is a big issue, one I wish was spoken of more than the plethora of reporters and journalists upset that Instagram, famously known for not having an iPad app, also doesn't have foldable support. I really like my Pixel Fold regardless.

The price, obviously. However, I'd also worry about the screen cracking where it folds.

It's way too expensive for what I want.

I actually just want a very small but very functional smartphone since I currently don't have a phone at all.

I just use my Tab S7+5G as a phone, been doing that since the S6. I've just recently ran into some issues where I might need a smaller device, e.g. to use some store app QR codes or similar stuff where you'd have to present your phone. Well... I can actually do that just fine, but pulling out a 12inch tablet makes you look like a dork.

To be honest, I'd wish someone made a non-folding phone with a the height of a folded folding phone lmao

I want a phone that lasts at least 5 years

Too fragile. Too expensive.

I really just cant stand the weird plastic-looking screens they all have on the inside.

Also yeah being anywhere from double to triple the price for something that I think looks objectively worse than a regular glass phone screen is just... not gonna happen.

Lack of interest in the form factor. Too thick when folded. Folds are too large for one hand when open. Cost is high for the chip sets and memory.

My phone hasn't died yet, so I can't justify buying a new one.

I'm also afraid if my phone is too good, I'll stop using my computer as much where I'm more productive

Edit: wow, looking at the poll results, this is definitely a minority opinion. Most people are about price/durability

I actually had a z fold 3. I absolutely loved it! Battery life was great for my usage and the extra screen space was wonderful. You don’t notice the crease when your actually using it. You only notice it when your actually looking for it.

What stopped me from getting the next one was because on my device I saw what I assumed were hair line cracks that were developing at the crease. At first I thought it was scratches but eventually more showed up. As a former technician I knew my screen was going to fail soon. The unfortunate part was I had the phone financed through my carrier and these started to develop well before my upgrade period. It made it just a little over a year when this started to happen. This prompted me to pay it off the rest of the way and trade it in for a more conventional phone.

Again I loved it. But I think it’s too soon for me to fully commit to foldables. At least I actually tried it.

I don't like them (as they're now). Price.

As someone who just got the pixel fold, it is pointless.

I don't see myself folding a foldable. Why would I want that?

My clothes have pockets

They're way too expensive. Moving parts such as the folding screen are just a focal point for stress, which is unacceptable given how expensive they are. I hate hearing that people can get dust in the hinge without anyway to clean it out.

You're also paying for extra screens such as the one on the outside and the folding inner screen. This is just added unnecessary cost when you'll never use both at the same time. I'm guessing the outer screens were added to reduce the number of times people unfold the phone over its lifetime, which gets back to my other point that adding moving parts just adds more issues than it solves.

Overall, I see it as a novelty at best. From the prices I've seen them sold at for the phones that turn into a tablet like device when unfolded, you can just buy a phone and a tablet separately for less. I think their purpose is to create a product more expensive than what the current flagship phones run, giving rich people something to spend additional money on to to show they have a lot of money and enough novelty for tech reviewers to discuss during reviews.

Nobody's mentioned it, but the main thing for me is that the screen aspect ratio isn't any good.

I've always preferred bigger screens and bigger phones and willing to pay a bit extra for a foldable screen now they've been on the market for a while. I doubt they'll last as long as a normal phone screen, but they generally review well and I get they impression they are more durable than most people expect.

But.. the main benefit of a big screen (for me) is for watching videos. If it's not 16:9 (or close to it) then what's the point? I don't need to multitask on my phone, I'll switch to a laptop for that - I've had phones that do split screen for years and it was a cool gimmick for a while, but I've never really made good use of it.

If anyone can tell me of a phone with a big screen and 16:9 aspect ratio then I'd be willing to reconsider...

I got a new screen for my ol' trusty Poco F1, from AliExpress, for 20€, and spent an hour to install it.

Why is the question about "stopping me" - there's nothing here to motivate me to get one, so by default I won't.

Aside from price, the fact that they are twice as thicker as a regular phone make them pointless for me. When we have the technology to make them 8-12mm thickness I might be interested.

I took the dive, got one and it's awesome. I browse Lemmy 95% of the time on my outer screen. I went with Motorola Razor+ because I'm not the biggest Samsung fan and I totally impulse bought it. Unless it's something that demands I open my phone, I don't really, and that was what got me to get it. Without the outside screen I probably wouldn't have gotten it, but totally glad I did.

Until they make the protective screen durable up to lvl 5 scratches without dmg, ip 68 protection, flat front side without slightly risen bezels so I can comfortably use gestures, even the battery size and camera capabilities with normal flagships and the price of course, it's a nono for me. 🤔 Otherwise overpriced gimmick..

Hmmm... I think our weekly discussion thread this week had everyone gave their inputs on foldable, go check it out before we switch it out tomorrow.

https://lemmy.world/post/2436246

Although I don't think our sticky posts on this comm are working correctly for our friends at lemmy.ml, so please take a note of that.

Maturity, I would consider the Pixel Fold 2

Bulky, expensive, unneeded

I don't see a point.

I prefer the standard chocolate bar style it's less likely to break and it fits fine in my hand