Samsung Announces the Galaxy Fold, a Phone That Opens Into a Tablet (venturebeat.com) 95
At an event today, Samsung unveiled its foldable smartphone. It's called the Galaxy Fold, and it sports dual screens: one that folds in half like a notebook, and another that works just like any other. From a report: The roughly 200-gram Galaxy Fold flips open in portrait orientation, and the inside is coated with a film that gives it a photopaper-like appearance. It's got a protective polymer consisting of a cover window, a shock-absorbent film, and a polarizer that's 45 percent slimmer than the company's previous thinnest, along with a flexible layer and backplane. Samsung says the tech -- dubbed Infinity Flex Display -- took seven years to develop. Thanks to a highly durable adhesive, the Fold's 7.3-inch primary screen and "sophisticated" hinge system with interlocking gears can undergo "hundreds of thousands" of flexes without sustaining damage, Samsung says. The 4.6-inch secondary screen doesn't bend, and that's by design -- it puts apps at your fingertips when the Fold's folded in half. [...] It's available in both an LTE and 5G version, starting at an eye-popping $1,980. April 26 is the launch date.
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Too small when unfolded. 7.2 inches isn't really a tablet and won't be much more useful than my 6.3" galaxy 8+. This phone is what I've been waiting for and that blew it. Go big or go home.
This. I'm looking forward to this form factor of phone, but it may take a couple generations before there is one I would buy. The rumored 6.7" Galaxy S10 5g is likely my next phone. As soon as there is a 6.7" folded / 10.6" unfolded phone, or something similar, sign me up. Until then I'll be fine with the S10.
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Given that Apple's sales are way down for their high-end phones, to the point where they are openly talking about having to reduce prices, I think your information may be a little out of date.
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If Apple had made it a decade ago, when they cared about quality, it would be worth $2000. This decade... there've been so many cases where it was blatantly obvious that they didn't care about quality, that I wouldn't pay a two cent bonus for "Apple standing behind it".
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One thousand nine hundred and eighty dollars?
How about one thousand nine hundred and go f*** yourself with a retractable cattle prod.
Re: For anyone who gives a fuck about this shit (Score:4, Insightful)
Exactly what I'm waiting for. That's a real tablet. Until it's a decent size when unfolded, it's just another gimmick. Sadly, it seems they've missed their real market on this: nobody that will shell out $2k is looking for a small 4.6" phone. Big when folded, giant when unfolded is what will sell. They blew it.
Hopefully this is just an effort for them to stay on top as far as innovative phones. I just hope they don't scrap the idea if it doesn't sell well. Get it out there, get some QA help from the few early adopters, and then the Samsung Fold 3+ is an amazing phone. [crosses fingers]
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I need to see it in person, as from the video it appears to be big, heavy, and fat.
It’s over twice the thickness as a standard phone, as you’ll notice late in the video that the hinge side doesn’t fold completely flat. Guess that’s the only way to avoid a crease in the screen.
Be interesting trying to pocket this thing.
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Big when folded, giant when unfolded is what will sell.
Even better: small when folded, giant when unfolded. I'd like a phone that lets you unfold it at least 3 times, doubling the screen area with each unfold. Or maybe unroll a rolled-up screen, like this one [theverge.com].
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A trim-fold with that technology would be a brick, almost 4x the thickness of a modern slab phone.
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I guess it just goes to show preferences - I prefer smaller phones and tablets so these sizes would be about perfect for me. But there's no way in hell I'm paying $2000 for it. It's an interesting first try though.
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You're all missing the fact that the unfolded display is entirely different aspect ratio (4.2:3), so at 7.2" is a waaay bigger display than on the regular phones.
It's a bit rough (I'd definitely want a bigger outside display, slightly thinner body and no notch on the inside, cameras be damned) but for a first gen of such a device I think they did a pretty good job, hopefully it sells enough that they continue developing the concept.
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You're all missing the fact that the unfolded display is entirely different aspect ratio (4.2:3), so at 7.2" is a waaay bigger display than on the regular phones.
I don't really see anyone missing that, since when everyone is talking about the unfolded display they are comparing it to tablets which have a more similar aspect ratio. The fact remains that the 7.2" unfolded display would be a very small tablet. That doesn't make it a horrible product (mini-tablets sell) just not what I or other similar people are looking for. Hopefully in a couple more releases.
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4.2:3, why not express it as 1.4:1 if it's not integer anyway? Or will Huawei then make a twice as big 7.2" screen, because it will be 8.4:6?
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Being that it is more of a square layout, gives you more pixels to work with then with the rectangle phone layout. Part of the reason why Monitors jumped to be 16:9 vs the old 4:3 is for LCD display in particular, it is cheaper to make larger screens. Because they are less pixels per diagonal inch.
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I'd say the big reason that monitors went from 4:3 to 16:9 was because of HD tv taking over from SD. If television programing stayed in the 4:3 format then monitors would have stayed in the 4:3 format as well. No sense making two different aspect ratio LCD screens when you can just use the same panels for monitors or televisions.
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Think it would be great for reading (Score:2)
That's large enough I think it would be really nice for reading, and certainly a lot easier to carry around than a small tablet.
I could also see it being more useful for things like video/photo editing, especially if software was optimized to take advantage of both sides.
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When we look back at history we see changes in decades or centuries. The stupid ideas get forgotten, while the good ideas have been deeply understood.
We look at the 20th century we See the human race go from horses, to Autombiles, Aircraft, and Spaceships that can get to the moon. Transportation seemed to be the big thing the 20th century, Now for the 21st right now it seems like communication and computing is the big deal. We are only 1/5 threw the 21st century.
We started out with Cell phones that had Dig
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$1200? I pre-ordered one for $1980. Where did you see $1200?
Were you aware this wasn't a rotary phone before placing the order? Probably still time to cancel. :p
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Part of the problem with Tablets is that they are too big to carry with you, the problem with a Phone, is the screen size is limited. Now if this technology works really well, this could change the market. For the last 11 years everyone was making rectangular glass phones to mimic the iPhone design as much as they can get away with (sometimes crossing the line, the round cornered line). Now if this technology proves itself, now a lot of Phone Companies (including Apple) will need to play catch up. When
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The world does not need you.
Think of it as a foldable tablet that will replace your phone instead of a phone that becomes a tablet. I can see use in that. I never use my tablet because there are things a PC does better, and other things a phone is adequate for, and the phone is always charged and handy.
If my tablet folded and I could carry it around in my pocket instead of my phone... that's a good thing.
Not worth $2000 or even half that much to me- but it's still a good development. Give it a few years, apple will come out with on
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I like this way of thinking... It's a tablet that will replace my phone. The moment I saw it my Lizard Brain said "Must Have", then I saw the price and my Wallet Brain said "Wait a few years...", then my Nerd Brain asked "Can I root it and put Lineage on it?" Doing anything other than talking on the current gens of even Phablets is a pain (Im sporting a V30), they are too large to be easily portable, and too small to be useful. I think that as this type of device progress's it will be very popular.
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Think of it as a foldable tablet that will replace your phone instead of a phone that becomes a tablet. I can see use in that. I never use my tablet because there are things a PC does better, and other things a phone is adequate for, and the phone is always charged and handy.
If my tablet folded and I could carry it around in my pocket instead of my phone... that's a good thing.
Why? Even ignoring cost, the PC isn't replaced, and you still need a phone.
I see this (slightly) extending the same "luxury phone" market segment as the Galaxy Note series. The Fold's screen isn't that much bigger, and both lack a physical keyboard.
Also notable: I can't (quickly) find its weight, and it sorta looks like a Nintendo DS, but I suppose nobody remembers side-talking.
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"If my tablet folded and I could carry it around in my pocket instead of my phone... that's a good thing."
It’s over twice the thickness as a standard phone, as you’ll notice late in Samsung's video that the hinge side doesn’t fold completely flat. Guess that’s the only way to avoid a crease in the screen.
Trying to pocket it will be interesting, and there's no way I'd ever put it into a back pocket where sitting down could put significant pressure on that hinge.
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"If my tablet folded and I could carry it around in my pocket instead of my phone... that's a good thing."
It’s over twice the thickness as a standard phone, as you’ll notice late in Samsung's video that the hinge side doesn’t fold completely flat. Guess that’s the only way to avoid a crease in the screen.
Trying to pocket it will be interesting, and there's no way I'd ever put it into a back pocket where sitting down could put significant pressure on that hinge.
A phone being "too thick" has never been a concern of mine. "Normal phones" are half the thickness of the original smart phones now, and no-one ever thought they were too thick back in the day.
Thickness of a phone hasn't been a problem for over a decade.
Wow (Score:2)
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Sure we give a 2k phone from Samsung a pass, but when a year and a half ago Apple releases a 1k phone. We are are all like, Look at Apple Ripping us off again!
Actually I am giving Samsung a pass on this... Not that I am going to buy it (For one my phone is still new, and secondly it is $2k that I could put to something else, like dental surgery), but it is a novel idea, and not a copy from some other model.
Now the real question is if Samsung has made a progress, or just a quick fad.
We will need to see how w
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I'm just glad we are finally getting practical foldable phones. The tech will quickly get cheaper and we can have a phone and tablet in one. Finally a major advance in smartphone tech.
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Samsung has a world wide market, while Apple is more focused towards American sales. While most Americans make over 20k a year, other countries may only be making 5k a year. So for an American who is making 50+k a year. $1,000 for a phone may be an expensive purchase, but it will not cut into necessary needs for survival, one can save up $1,000 in a rather short amount of time, even someone at the US poverty line. If you are making $5k a year and you wan't need a Cell phone $1,000 is a luxury phone that
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It is like living in the future.
Yes, the very distant future, when I can afford $2000 for a phone.
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It is like living in the future.
Yes, the very distant future, when I can afford $2000 for a phone.
Given enough time, inflation will ensure that $2000 is the same as $200 is today. Heck, that only takes 10 days with Venezuelan money.
Seems really interesting (Score:2)
I've been looking forward to something like this for a while, will be interesting to see how well that works in person.
Seems like it will be a kind of heavy device though with batteries on each side...
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Good luck, hope they turn out well! Will look for video reviews as well, I couldn't really find anything showing it in action since it's so new...
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I won't be preordering a phone that expensive without seeing it in person, but I'm also intrigued. I think it will be too small as a phone and too small as a tablet, but I'm open to be proven wrong. I would have to be awfully convinced that the hinge is going to hold up to constant use for two years. As soon as that hinge gets even the tiniest bit wobbly it will probably be a very poor experience when unfolded.
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Well heavy is relative. We have been getting use to lighter and thinner phones, mostly because that is the only thing interesting most phone makers can do their phone. I was kinda surprised when I upgraded my iPhone 6 to the X. The X was actually thicker and heaver then the 6. In many ways I think we as consumers like a device with some weight to it. We instinctively feel better with a heavier product. We feel it is better built, and has more in it... While often it is just because such a device may be f
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I don't think it'll be a problem exactly, I was thinking maybe the weight would be about the same as an iPhone Plus.
Will also be interesting to see how apps cope with this very different kind of screen with a strange aspect ratio. Maybe they've made it easy to run side by side apps.
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Nobody asked for the breathless yet boring fangirl faggot perspective, sorry. You have no idea what interesting means. Your life is both pointless and worthless.
Unlike you, anonymous troll, whose life is so exiting that you prefer to spend it insulting strangers on the internet.
Flip phones are back! (Score:2)
No, Flip phones were small and lightweight (Score:2)
Wake me when there are actually small devices that unfold into a normal size smartphone.
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For me the normal size smartphone is both too small and too large. It's too large to fit conveniently in a pants pocket (though close) and it's too small to do much with. The question is, is this (unfolded) screen large enough. The first consensus seems to be "No, it's too small. Also too expensive."
For me it might be "slightly usable when unfolded, but by no means comfortable", but I'm a person who finds a full size keyboard slightly too small.
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I haven't seen dimensions yet, but just folding along the long edge has probably killed any chance it'll fit into a pocket.
That's all I actually need; a phone that'll fit into a pocket.
$2000? (Score:2)
Uh NO!
THERE ARE THREE SCREENS! (Score:2, Insightful)
Wow (Score:3, Insightful)
It's like someone said "Please list everything you would never want in a phone" and then priced it at "Please tell me what you would never pay for it".
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***BOOM!***
It's a good thing you ducked!
Crud / sand in the hinge? (Score:2)
Nice implementation in theory, moving parts are always a problem and dust / crud / moisture will collect in there... maybe it has a full tough gel skin that I can't see, that would allay my fears of infiltration...
Two THOUSAND bucks (Score:2)
Ummm NO (Score:3)
Yeah, sorry but no way I'm gonna spend almost $2000 on a phone.
If you want to drop that much on a phone, be my guest, but at that price the whole idea is a total no-go for me.
So many comments... So little perspective. (Score:1)
On a technology side, we should be celebrating Samsung trying to innovate.
With all new technological implementations the initial price is high. We've known this forever. Why be surprised and so hateful? Criticism is one thing, but the amount of disdain here has crossed the line from constructive criticism to ... Something approaching hate. And not just hate for Samsung or the product, but hate or disgust or disdain for those willing and able to take a chance on such 1st generation of a consumer technol
Let the early adopter testing begin (Score:2)
The foldability is the one interesting thing about this product. It will sell just because of this feature, meaning that we will quickly find out how durable this screen is in the field.
I'm confused (Score:2)
When Apple had an iPad that folded, people complained. Now that Samsung is doing it, people are cheering.