As a user of the galaxy fold 3 for almost 2 years i can say without a shadow of a doubt. Its not a gimmick. Ive genuinely had no issues with it in terms of durability or faults (i know there are some that did but i guess like many others i got lucky) I could never go back to a standard phone. Watching videos, browsing the web, playing games. Even stuff as simple as being able to see a whole picture without needing to zoom in to catch details, but still having the option to, has been brilliant.

Being able to use it closed for normal stuff and open for bigger stuff (honestly the majority of the time i have it open) is so functionally superior.

The camera options are great. I have a main set of cameras on the back, an under screen camera for the big inner screen and a front facing camera for the outer screen and if i want i can ipen the phone and use the main cameras as a selfie camera because the view finder can be displayed on the outer screen which when open is pointing towards me.

The multi tasking is pretty powerful too. I can have my budget open on sheets, my calculator open and my notepad open all together. I can have maps open along with my web browser for train times and my s pen notes app open for planning trips.

I guess it comes down to use case. If you dont use your phone the way i do then you might not get the same out of it as i do. But for those that do its a game changer.

But since you are fully entitled to yoyr opinion i wont expect you to change it because of mine. And i wont down vote your comment because im only here to offer the view point of someone who has used the phone for nearly 2 years (as i said before) as a different perspective.

Seriously i could never go back. Im sad that the pixel fold is not turning out to be as good as the galaxy because i was seriously considering making it my next phone. Guess ill be going for the next galaxy device.

Out of interest what about the tech is not all the way there yet? Im maybe not as clued in as you on that point as i felt like the fold 3 was the nail on the head for these types of devices.

why not? having a phone and tablet in one device is a godsend. if the technology is mature, that is

It’s interesting that this comment is currently very positive (10-1) because it would have been downvoted to hell on Reddit. Really makes you wonder how much corporate astroturfing was happening over there…

Have you used one as a daily driver yet? They’re great!

I started with a SD2, then moved to the ZF4. I loved the Surface, but it’s design caused some issues that the ZF4 doesn’t have. The ZF4 is great, and really shows of Samsung’s software innovations to just the screen real estate.

Not sure I’d go back to a standard slate style phone.

Eh, the tech is undeniably cool. Problem is though, as you said, the tech is nowhere near where it needs to be.

I want one that’s already ‘there’. I appreciate the work and sacrifice early adopters are doing to help me get there.

I had a Z Fold 2 for 2+ years before selling it and it was a great phone overall. Didn’t feel like the technology “wasn’t there yet” but it felt like a full fledged product and the built quality was really top notch.

What i agree with is that indeed the inner screen is a gimmick or the foldable idea itself. I found myself using the inner screen mostly for streaming and using the outer screen for literally anything else. Which meant that for 95% of the time I used the outer screen.

I think the Flip series has a way better usecase for a foldable because the fold Idea reduces the size of the “normal way of use” product.

I think the Fold expands on the “normal way of use” so it is easier put it in the gimmick territory.

I still think it is better to just get an Phone + Tablet overall if you want the best of both worlds.

But to be clear, this has been my experience as having had the Z fold 2 as a daily driver for 2+ years.

I’d really like one. The idea of a pocketable tablet sounds appealing. But the durability and expense issues leave me unwilling to take the risk

I definitely want one, my phone is currently a bit too small to watch things on, but a tablet is good for that. Reading too. I want the price to come down a bit first though.

I thought there were gimmicks too but I now think that somewhere down the line – once they’re more refined and less expensive – I’d like to get one.

I was tempted to buy the Pixel Tablet until I realized that I don’t want a second device. I’d rather like a multi-purpose device. And the Pixel Fold seems to have a great form factor to use it as a “normal” phone, and then switch to the large screen when you want to do something that you’d normally do on a tablet, just with the benefit of having all your settings, apps and recent notifications right there with you. It’s a seamless transition which is really neat.

I have the 3 and while I had it replaced once because of something similar happening as mentioned, it has been a wonderful phone. I thought about getting the 4 but couldn’t justify the cost of replacing since it’s already such an expensive phone lol.

tbh I think foldables are a bit too clunky to be the future. Rollable displays though…fuck yeah sign me up!

Let alone a first gen Google product

Samsung’S first Fold didn’t last long either, but the Fold 4 is a very usable phone!

Yeah…and how much was that phone? Like $2k USD. That’s not okay in the slightest. It’s okay to get a lemon item from amazon because we all know its cheap crap, but for a $2k phone!!? Hell no. How about google or whoever is manufacturing this thing do some proper QC and R&D and not sell shitty two thousand dollar phones??

This wasn’t a lemon. There was a specific flaw in the design that left the oled exposed to debris and it tore

The article goes into great detail to try and explain what happened and why this is very likely a design flaw.