Never used a foldable before, though I did own the Asus Padfone S (it still works, but way too slow to use nowadays) a long time ago. Since then always standard candy bar phones. Currently using Note 20 Ultra, but the battery is getting short and there's some other minor issues which mean I should start looking for my next "use-for-four-years" device.

Already went to Samsung shop to look-see the Fold 6 as well as reading up on the improvements (or lack thereoff) for last 2 generation of Fold devices from Samsung. The front screen really feels narrow to me coming from candybar, and I have some doubts on battery life. The pen is a huge plus as a Note user. But I'm not 100% convinced (especially for the price). And from reviews, some devices like Vivo X Fold 3 Pro seem to have less 'sacrifices' to the form factor.

So my question is - for those who tried to use foldables, what really annoyed you about them? What was your regrets when using a foldable?

Fold 5 here. Hard to hold with one hand. Fon feels like dropping when holding with one hand. Fingerprint scanner on the side is difficult to reach when your phone is laying flat on table. Within 3 months SP got bubbles cos I charge the Fon when it's folded, the heat from the battery cause bubbles to form at the crease. SP need to wait 2 weeks cos no ready stock. Applying the SP takes about 1 hour. Just like sliding Fon like Nokia N80, the ribbon will eventually fail. Charging damn slow from 30% to 100% need more than an hour. Pinky finger pain cos Fon heavy when using one hand. Need to use cursor to reach top left screen. If add casing, Fon looks even bulkier & bigger & heavy. Camera sucks. The foto & 4K recording is bad. I'm using it as an alarm clock now with AOD always on, no sim card inside. Sometimes connect to WiFi only. Only buy foldable if you can find one brand new at shocking discounts. Don't buy when it's freshly launched at high RRP. Wait for 11.11 or 12.12 or 3.3 shocking sales only buy. The OLED quality not same level with candy bar Fon OLED which is way better.

The above is about my Fold 5. I'm not sure about other foldable from Honor or Oppo, vivo, tecno, Xiaomi.

Thanks for the details! SP replacement was covered by Samsung?

Yes. Fold 5 comes with free 3x SP replacement at Samsung SC

Foldable is fun to use & watch at first but after a while it become a hassle cos screen too big finger can't reach everywhere of the screen using single hand.

Not sure how Chinese foldable implement one hand mode on their Fon. In Samsung need to use the cursor which is slow & terrible.

One hand mode is referring to unfolded use?

Yes. Use it with one hand. On Samsung need to use the cursor that looks like a mouse cursor to move around the screen. Not sure how other brands implement one hand mode on their own Fold

The biggest regret for most foldable phone users is the durability. The screen can be a bit fragile, especially the crease area. Some also feel like the battery life doesn’t last as long because of the dual displays. And yeah, the price—it’s not cheap, so if you’re not fully using the foldable feature, it might not feel worth it.

Thanks for chiming in! Would like to ask for clarity, which foldable did you use, and for how long? Cost is definitely a huge barrier =(.

screen durability ..was using a fold 3 and the inner (folding screen)screen killed itself .. luckily was under warranty at the time, so it was free replcament screen ,else it was rm2k+(at the time la) for the screen ... .now the factory screen protector starting to come off already ..also have the razr 5g .. that has no issues till now , the externalt cover screen much more useful then the samsung z-flips .. though more worried if anything breaks , since motorola is like a dead brand here

Ooh flip rather than fold. The external screen is an actual screen rather than a notification bar that the Samsung Flip has?

yup ,can even play games it , but the small screen might be an issue for some apps ..at the time when got the razr , the samsung flips still had small outer screen , but the zflip 5/6 have bigge outer screens now


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Another regret is trade in value. Compasia trade in price around RM 2.4K only. Which is ridiculously low. For such a fragile Fon, foldable should come with at least 2 years warranty. Price also sky high when freshly launched. Look at Honor Magic V2 enough. RRP 6999. Now become RM 3999. Fold 5 few weeks ago 1TB version also RM 3999. Really crazy the foldable price point from sky high to rock bottom.

Samsung Flip screen is bigger now but... from testing in the shop I don't think it can run arbitrary apps? Look like blown up notification/AOD screen only.

Oof big diff. But I guess if just coming in.... can jump in later with the not-so-latest phone and have it a bit more affordable? Cannot brain 7k for a phone, that's my gaming laptop spend wei....

You still thinking to buy a foldable or already u turn

Still considering. Not in a rush, waiting good deals. One forumer selling Vivo X Fold 3 Pro for decent price (for foldable) but still too pricey for 'test' phone for me. If can grab 12/12 deal etc then maybe think hard (but if think long then the voucher will disappear so... maybe not la).

Doesn't seem to have any clearly improved foldable compared to (for example) Galaxy S24U which is what I would generally get to replace my Note 20 Ultra 5G. Samsung options the front screen narrowness I have tested in hand and feels so weird, plus battery life worries, china options have poor or no stylus support and software bugs but their camera/screen/thinness so much better. So if not a clear improvement, how to justify spending more money? S24U if I buy today with trade-in is much less than 5k, maybe can get less than 4k see luck. Foldable with all the compromises is also around that price even for second hand.

Maybe see whether got luck to win lucky draw =p applied some credit card where got small chance to win Fold 6.

This post has been edited by LostAndFound: Nov 27 2024, 08:59 AM

tumpang ts thread
eyeing for samsung flip,
any current user can share its downside?

from what i read , on the z-flip need to download an app from the samsung galaxy store store and and manually configure some settings there , while on the razr , just need to add the app shortcut to the outer screen( got built in menu to do that )then again , its an old 2020/21 model(razr) https://www.techadvisor.com/article/2421800...ver-screen.html

actually i dont feel any regret to use folding phone. only 99% is using outside that small 6.43" screen. just feel a little waste on that. by the way, my honor v3 work perfectly.

But... Wouldn't a normal slab phone be more suitable then if you're not using the inside screen? But yah I tried holding honor V3 and it feels like... Normal phone. But the price so much more for the folding feature, if you don't use it feel like throw money only.

stronger agreed, i am throwing money.. now i wish to sell it. but with that price not many people can affort now these day.

i just want to sell 5k for v3
and honor magic 6 pro 2.5K

anyone want it ?