Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 is now available, but instead of doing a traditional phone review, we'll be looking at its pros and cons in terms of the device itself and using a foldable for the first time.
To Fold or Not to Fold: Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4?
- Thread starter midian182
- Start date
It's a very impressive phone, but I can't get past the fact that it costs twice as much as I spent on my phone and iPad combined.
Here's a crazy idea everyone has. Why not put two screens with no edge, side by side, perfectly aligned? You'll get rid of the crease and shave at least 500$ off the price. Is that impossible? I mean I know they'll have to be really close, so you don't notice any separation, but you can work on that, Samsung, instead of folding screens, that will never be perfect.
Uncle Al
Posts: 10,172 +9,651
I'd love to have one but buying one would ruin my reputation of being an old tightwad and we just can't have none of that!
I always tend to big phones, that's why I also had most Samsung Note or Sxx Ultra. I just pay more than the average because I value greatly having my "PC" and my camera in my pocket than pay less for a phone but then be limited.
Nevertheless, the Fold series are still too thick, too heavy, too expensive, too many compromises (no included pen, no slot for the pen). My S22 Ultra is indeed brutal and enough.
Until the Fold reaches gen 6 or 7, I'll keep my "love combo" the S22 Ultra + Tab S6 lite (as a tablet VERY recommended)
Nevertheless, the Fold series are still too thick, too heavy, too expensive, too many compromises (no included pen, no slot for the pen). My S22 Ultra is indeed brutal and enough.
Until the Fold reaches gen 6 or 7, I'll keep my "love combo" the S22 Ultra + Tab S6 lite (as a tablet VERY recommended)
PEnnn
Posts: 1,285 +1,853
The Fold's fold is a huge, nasty eyesore; and $2000 for that heavy brick?? I don't think so.
p51d007
Posts: 3,930 +3,880
When I fold it, I want both screens to touch, not have a stupid gap in the middle. Then, there is the price. Can't tell me that screen & folding mechanism is worth twice the price of a normal phone. Now, the CREASE...I've noticed on several user forums that the protective screen "wears out" about every 3-5 months, producing a bubble crease down the middle, requiring you to take it to an authorized Samsung repair depot for replacement, under warranty. If you do not have one of those around, then you have to send it in, requiring you being without the device, as long as it takes to get it back.
Some have said, that you can just remove it, but it would most likely void the warranty if something happened to the screen, and you sent it back for repair.
Until that price gets DOWN to around $1,000...forget it.
LOL, maybe if Google & Apple release a folding screen phone the competition will bring the price down. (yeah right! They'll just price their phone as much or more than the Samsung). The "double screen" idea LG had, I think was better, if it was thin enough.
Some have said, that you can just remove it, but it would most likely void the warranty if something happened to the screen, and you sent it back for repair.
Until that price gets DOWN to around $1,000...forget it.
LOL, maybe if Google & Apple release a folding screen phone the competition will bring the price down. (yeah right! They'll just price their phone as much or more than the Samsung). The "double screen" idea LG had, I think was better, if it was thin enough.
I really liked how Xiaomi foldable is much thinner than Samsung's.
I did not like that Xiaomi sacrificed water protection to achieve that
I did not like that Xiaomi sacrificed water protection to achieve that
For me, there are few reasons for not getting a foldable phone,
1. Thickness - while it is compact when folded, but it’s almost 2x thicker than a conventional smart phone. If you dump the phone in a bag, I think that’s fine. But in your pocket, it’s literally like a brick,
2. Price - it’s a “special” design, I get that. But unless you don’t use a computer and the phone replaces them, 2 grand is the ok much for a phone with a year warranty. Indeed one can buy a good smartphone with the money and still buy a good table,
3. Additional point of failure - The folding mechanism have improved over the years, but it is still another potential point of failure as compared to a conventional smart phone.
4. The last major issue for me is that Samsung always uses Exynos for their flagship phones outside the US. And I find it very annoying. The SOC have improved over the years, but I feel Samsung should let people decide if they want a Qualcomm or Samsung SOC. Again, these are flagship phones that cost a lot. I don’t see why people will want to pay for a phone with an inferior SOC knowing that there is a better version. Not for this case, but I’ve stopped looking at Samsung flagship phones for a long time as a result.
1. Thickness - while it is compact when folded, but it’s almost 2x thicker than a conventional smart phone. If you dump the phone in a bag, I think that’s fine. But in your pocket, it’s literally like a brick,
2. Price - it’s a “special” design, I get that. But unless you don’t use a computer and the phone replaces them, 2 grand is the ok much for a phone with a year warranty. Indeed one can buy a good smartphone with the money and still buy a good table,
3. Additional point of failure - The folding mechanism have improved over the years, but it is still another potential point of failure as compared to a conventional smart phone.
4. The last major issue for me is that Samsung always uses Exynos for their flagship phones outside the US. And I find it very annoying. The SOC have improved over the years, but I feel Samsung should let people decide if they want a Qualcomm or Samsung SOC. Again, these are flagship phones that cost a lot. I don’t see why people will want to pay for a phone with an inferior SOC knowing that there is a better version. Not for this case, but I’ve stopped looking at Samsung flagship phones for a long time as a result.
Last edited:
Tams80
Posts: 218 +168
Because, get this, perhaps they have thought of that? And you know, perhaps it just doesn't work well in practice.
If you have a gap, it will always be noticeable, especially if you run a pen over it.
Tams80
Posts: 218 +168
Well, lots of naysayers here it seems.
That's fine, though I'm not sure why you need to complain about the Fold when there are plenty of phones that suit you out there.
As someone who actually uses one (typing on one right now), all I can say is I've enjoyed using it for almost three years now. It's not in the best shape (some of that just my clumsiness), but it still works fine.
I will say that the 4 is disappointing compared to the 3. And I'd really wish they'd knock it off with the special S Pen frequency - just use the normal one.
That's fine, though I'm not sure why you need to complain about the Fold when there are plenty of phones that suit you out there.
As someone who actually uses one (typing on one right now), all I can say is I've enjoyed using it for almost three years now. It's not in the best shape (some of that just my clumsiness), but it still works fine.
I will say that the 4 is disappointing compared to the 3. And I'd really wish they'd knock it off with the special S Pen frequency - just use the normal one.
Last edited:
"Having seen it in the Z Fold 3, it's evident that Samsung has managed to decrease its visibility in the predecessor, slightly"
The predecessor is the Fold 3... so this sentence implies that the Fold 3 has a less visible crease than the Fold 4. I think you meant to say:
"Having seen it in the Z Fold 3, it's evident that Samsung has managed to decrease its visibility in its successor, slightly"
The predecessor is the Fold 3... so this sentence implies that the Fold 3 has a less visible crease than the Fold 4. I think you meant to say:
"Having seen it in the Z Fold 3, it's evident that Samsung has managed to decrease its visibility in its successor, slightly"
Loli Pop Carbon
Posts: 103 +120
The price is an easy and big NO for me. 2 grand and in the end it's just a smartphone. I dont see any advantage of buying Fold series instead of regular candybar S series, even from my current Note 10+.
Hey I'm using Note 10+ since 2019, this phone still rocks in 2022, still very fast, looks good, nice screen, amazing camera, and many others. I don't see any reason for upgrading in the near future.
I'll probably use it till it fails or dies, (hopefully not)
Hey I'm using Note 10+ since 2019, this phone still rocks in 2022, still very fast, looks good, nice screen, amazing camera, and many others. I don't see any reason for upgrading in the near future.
I'll probably use it till it fails or dies, (hopefully not)
That's right, they have to find a way so that it will be at most 50% more. If you add the gap, folded...it's way too much.
The targeted people ATM won't have too much issues with that, considering most use this phone as a phone, tablet and part as a PC. My family use their phones everyday for almost everything (except when working as it is required that I use my work PC) and there are months that I almost never turn my own PC on.
The structure has a lot of issues:
1) if you sit on it (on my case I forget many times the phone on the couch and my kid/ wife sits on it because they didn't noticed it), even on a soft couch, you will almost certainly damage the Fold. With standard phones, that doesn't happen.
2) not dust resistance. In a pocket it will cumulatively get dust inside and damage the mechanism.
3) as the protective film gets way too fast bad, at least in the Fold 3, you'll need to send it too often to sanding or risk damaging the screen doing it yourself...
4) no place for a pen?!
5) the crease is absolutely NOT an issue. I used several on Samsung stores and after starting using one, it doesn't bother at all.
These use just one chip: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
Nevertheless I use heavily (CPU mainly and video/ image editing) my phones with the Exynos and I never had issues with it (though I don't play heavy games, I just do heavy work). But if the SD is the superior chip and I buy the highest end, I want the highest end chip in it...
Last edited:
koblongata
Posts: 591 +341
Yes, it's a phone, a tablet, and a desktop when plugged into a monitor (DeX Mode).
But then the display wouldn't crease and break, units would last longer and profits would go down.
WhoCaresAnymore
Posts: 775 +1,223
Samsung promises lower prices in October because of oversupply. Like nVidia and AMD. Overpriced. Then they won't lower the price, but they kept you looking.
Not the same. A 83" TV is not the same as 2 smaller panels joined together. Here is even worse.
A single foldable panel means continuity, the crease is barely noticeable and two joined panels would be "sharp" noticeable. Also any minimal bending (pocket, stronger movement) would make the edges crack or split. Microsoft went that way (2 panels instead of one) and few found that interesting.
Also that helps "the cause". Samsung selling such devices means Samsung has confidence, it is researching and producing. Selling means people are supporting the decision. Else that tech would die or take many years.
The same applies to tesla: the tech is expensive, there were alternatives (but not the same and not as clean) and much cheaper but as people bought the tech, the brand went all in and saved the world from needing internal combustion engines for much longer.
No-one is saying all have to buy or support any tech. But there are some that find the concept fantastic and want to have it sooner than later. For my use case, I have neither the money or the profile for those phones; as soon as those phones get thinner, more robust and somewhat cheaper, I'll buy one.
I've had the Fold2 since it came out, typing on it right now. I suppose there are pros and cons, but I still prefer it to the Note I carried previously. I would hope that the Fold4 has improved on it, but I won't buy until I have to. The cost for all phones has gotten a little ridiculous. That being said, this phone is a couple years old and still does everything I need it to, and the large screen is so much better than every other phone I look at. When the time comes, I will most likely buy a Fold again
I own the Z Fold 3, so I can actually make real observations about current folding phones.
The crease is barely noticeable most of the time, and when it is, simply shifting the viewing angle a few degrees makes it disappear.
Samsung states that the hinges are good for 200,000 opens/closes. No worries. It feels rock solid.
Samsung has stated that removing the screen protector on both the outside and inside does not void the warranty. Pulled both of mine off.
Yeah, it's a brick, but you know that going into it when you buy it. But when you're watching a high-def video on Youtube and people get a look, they have ALL said "Holy sh*t! And this phone is awesome for multitasking.
12GB of RAM, a killer Snap Dragon CPU and 120Hz refresh rate make this an amazing performer.
It's not for everyone. That doesn't make it bad. This is definitely "new adopter" tech.
The crease is barely noticeable most of the time, and when it is, simply shifting the viewing angle a few degrees makes it disappear.
Samsung states that the hinges are good for 200,000 opens/closes. No worries. It feels rock solid.
Samsung has stated that removing the screen protector on both the outside and inside does not void the warranty. Pulled both of mine off.
Yeah, it's a brick, but you know that going into it when you buy it. But when you're watching a high-def video on Youtube and people get a look, they have ALL said "Holy sh*t! And this phone is awesome for multitasking.
12GB of RAM, a killer Snap Dragon CPU and 120Hz refresh rate make this an amazing performer.
It's not for everyone. That doesn't make it bad. This is definitely "new adopter" tech.
Exactly. This is the same as the good old Nokia 9500 Communicator. It was one of a kind, a brick that was very advanced but not for everyone.
So ATM this is new tech, it uses 2 screens, 2 selfie cameras and movable parts. Other phones don't need it. I think next year the phone will get somewhat thinner.
But I'm very glad with my combo S22 Ultra with pen + Tab S6 lite.
I think I have to give credit where it is due. The Fold to me is not a bad phone. The bigger screen and ability to multi task easier is a big win. But given the points I mentioned, I don’t see whyI want to pay more for the trouble. The crease as you mentioned is not a big issue, IF you don’t use the pen to write. In any case, I think Xiaomi Fold 2 seems to be better designed, though the software is less polished and it is not water resistant as compare to this. I feel that is what Samsung should aim to deliver.
The Fold 4 has no integrated pen because it is bad at it. That ist or of the reasons why I love my S22 Ultra and I couldn't buy a Fold without a pen (integrated...)
Similar threads
