Apple’s rumoured foldable iPhone (possibly iPhone Flip) might launch in 2026, but display crease, and design are roadblocks.

    • TORFdot0@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Bin this and bring back the mini so we can have a proper small form factor phone

        • TORFdot0@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Either is better than a 7” inch phone like the Pro Max. But I don’t know how reliable the flip form factor is yet.

          I had the first gen razer before my current mini and it stopped working after about 6 months of use. It just stopped reading touch input after flipping it shut one day.

    • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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      3 months ago

      Speak for yourself… I’m hoping google comes out with a flip phone Pixel. If I was an iPhone person this is exactly what I’d be hoping for.

      I want a phone that folds up to be smaller than a normal phone so I don’t have to have giant bricks in my pocket.

      • Louisoix@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        I’d gladly trade-in my 8pro for a foldable pixel, even though I don’t want to change phones often…

        • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          As an iPhone user anything Apple comes up with you will shove in your mouth and say “thank you can I have more, Apple is the best”.

          • AlphaAutist@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            No? I have an iPhone because Apple is definitely more trustworthy with my data than Google. The only other Apple product I have is an Apple Watch because I like the integration. Other than that every computer I have runs Linux.

            You Google simps need to grow up and stop acting like Tesla fanboys lol

      • BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Same. I like the smaller form factor but don’t want to ditch screen space like the SE. And I prefer this style of flip over the giant tablet that folds down to a skinny screen.

    • miss phant@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      I love the idea of it but I have to agree, it’s just less repairable and causes even more e-waste. Smartphone advancement is at a point where we could easily be using the same device for at least 8 years, but not if they come with planned obsolescence as a feature.

      • FiveMacs@lemmy.ca
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        3 months ago

        Let us change the battery…it’s the major reason why phones feel ‘slow’ as they age.

    • Xatolos@reddthat.com
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      3 months ago

      People said the same thing about the notch in iPhone screens, and the removal of the head phone jack. They even said it about larger iPhones. And just like all these other “ideas” that should be skipped, people will buy it.

      • frog_brawler@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        I still think the removal of the headphone jack was a very anti-customer move. It only benefited them to try to sell more earbuds.

        I’ve known people that purchased the foldable android when it came out, they got rid of it.

    • unalivejoy@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      I have the Samsung foldable (flip 4). It’s a nice gimmic, but does apple really want to force app developers to support yet another form factor? That’s supposedly one of the draws of apple development: you don’t have to support every random screen size made by some third party.

  • ian@feddit.uk
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    3 months ago

    Great. Now everyone will be copying Apple’s foldable idea.

  • CoolMatt@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    Okay so since we’re going back to flip phones, can we just get a frickin phone with a button keyboard again??

    • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      God yes.

      I was looking at phones yesterday and thinking: do they make an actual, premium flip phone with keyboard a la the old Motorola Razr? It appears nobody does. All I could find were cheap shitty Chinese plasticky trash or phones made for the elderly.

      I want something with a nice metal/titanium case, premium keyboard, decent oled screen, 10+ megapixel camera on it… and something that I can snap shut like it owes me money. Don’t make it too small; I want a week’s battery life at least and swappable battery.

      And I would - and I’m not joking here - pay 600-800 euros for that, depending on how premium the experience is.

      I think there’s absolutely a market for that.

        • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Back in the ‘sweet spot’ of cellphone use, the late ‘90’s, you could get several days of use out of a battery. Some only needed a weekly charge. I also don’t need or want a flip phone to do everything that a smartphone does.

          I’m a big proponent of making phones bigger with bigger batteries. I’ve got huge hands and most phones feel dainty and fragile. Give me a house brick with a week long battery and I’d be perfectly happy. Making phones slimmer is just silly.

          • EngineerGaming@feddit.nl
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            3 months ago

            I don’t mind phones being chonky, I mind them being large in other dimensions. I have small hands and my Pixel 7a is on the edge of what I can use comfortably with one hand.

        • nexas_XIII@lemm.ee
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          3 months ago

          I get about a weeks battery out of my Punkt, but I don’t use it for much besides the occasional text or call. I suspect if I used it more I’d wager I’d get 4 days out of it.

      • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Look at Kyocera Digno 903KC, Sharp Aquos K3 or Freetel Mode 1 Retro II. Their idea is retro design with somewhat modern OS. It’s still Android but very old one. None the less you can run WhatsApp, Signal and the like.

        • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I’ll look into those. That Sharp looks ancient though? I’m seeing videos on it from 6 years ago, assuming it’s the correct one.

          • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            It’s likely my memory is out of date, but at least you have a starting point for search. They make those kinds of phones. I know Samsung has Galaxy Folder. Not to be mistaken with Fold. Only thing am aware of that was released recently is Cat S22 Flip, in 2021.

  • gwilikers@lemmy.ml
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    3 months ago

    They wanted to make the IFlip but instead its an IFlop.

    I’ll see myself out.

    • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Larger display but still compact in your pocket. It’s just a competitor to the Samsung flip phone

      • PeroBasta@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Yes, but you can rig the screen with a fingernail if you push hard enough. Tested it in store…

        • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          You can mess up your screen if you slam your phone on the ground or if you press it with a nail. Your point being? Just don’t do that.

          • EddoWagt@feddit.nl
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            3 months ago

            Scratching your phone with a really soft material is a very different situation than smashing it into the ground…

            • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              If it’s easily avoidable then it’s not. I have a foldable for years now and haven’t damaged inner screen once. You normally don’t use nails on your regular phone with glass screen, why would you here?

              • EddoWagt@feddit.nl
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                3 months ago

                There are other things which might touch your screen like dust, which are much harder than a fingernail and thus will be able to scratch it. Just because it hasn’t happened to you yet doesn’t mean it’s not possible.

                At the end of the day a glass screen will always be more scratch resistant than a plastic screen

                • lorty@lemmy.ml
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                  3 months ago

                  I’ve had my foldable for a couple of years and even after removing the factory screen protection I’ve had 0 scratches on it.

                  If you are a careful person with your phone, they are fine. If you are the type to crack your screen after a week of use, then they are even more of a headache.

                • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  See, this tells me you are talking out of your ass and just assuming things without actually owning foldable screen. Under normal use conditions devices are perfectly fine. They don’t scratch. If anything they are more protected than a regular phone’s screen because they are closed. Besides you use screen protector like you’d use on any device.

      • dubyakay@lemmy.ca
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        3 months ago

        Do those phones sell that well? I held one recently and it doesn’t seem very practical for someone that keeps taking their phone out back into their pocket often.

        • weew@lemmy.ca
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          3 months ago

          It has its niche. Those who like it, really like it. My friend is basically only going to go with flip phones from now on because it fits completely inside his pockets and that it can act as its own tripod.

          • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            It’s a tradeoff game. On one side it’s really practical to have essentially laptop with you all the time. But on the other it’s heavy and bulky. There are no car or motorcycle mounts for it, etc. I still love and use my Fold4, two years now. Fold6 is significantly better designed and made. Samsung is making big strides in this direction.

        • MeanEYE@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          That’s because you are thinking about it only as a phone. I got Fold4 in attempt to replace my laptop which I have to carry around almost 24/7 due to work. Fold4 has been successful in doing so 95%. It’s still no replacement for laptop, but paired with comfortable bluetooth keyboard it’s more than adequate for a quick fix or slight bit of work.

          This is the second year I’ve had it and I am yet to run into problems. I do have original Samsung’s case for it because that was the only way to get a pen for the phone. I played with new Fold6 and I can tell you it’s far more robust and better made, so I’d expect even fewer issues with it. Fold4 without case is a bit slipper and entirely too heavy. Something new version addresses very well.

        • jenny_ball@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          this is my thought too. i take my phone out hundreds of times a day and wonder how this would affect me if i had to unfold that much.

        • lorty@lemmy.ml
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          3 months ago

          I’m the sort of person that takes it out of my pocket and puts it back a lot. It’s not a big deal honestly, it feels good to open and close it.

    • Artyom@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      I’m actually greatful for foldable phones. When they started actually coming out, I was certain that smartphones were feature-complete and my phone would never become obsolete again. If that weren’t true, they would have put a new real feature in the phone instead.

  • Deceptichum@quokk.au
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    3 months ago

    Of all the foldable clamshell is the worst, doubling the width of your phone to save a few cm of height is so useless.

    If it’s gotta be a folding phone make it fold out into an iPad.

    • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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      3 months ago

      “a few” … it literally cuts the length in half. For me personally, something like this is much desired. Having a 3x3x.5" block vs a 6x3x.25" block would be a major improvement.

        • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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          3 months ago

          Which I’m totally okay with. In some of my clothes my pockets are doing gymnastics to try and fit the giant brick (because the phone is a long as the full length of my pocket). If you don’t have/like baggy pockets, these huge screen, long phones are a huge pain.

          Having it be “twice as thick” means it’s about as thick as my wallet (and I have no complaints with that).

        • jaschen@lemm.ee
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          3 months ago

          Been using the fold from 2-6. While this statement is true from 2-4, def untrue for 5 and 6.

          iPhone pro max weight 7.81oz. Fold 6: 8.43 oz

          7% more weight

          iPhone pro max: 8.25mm Fold 6: 12.1mm folded

          So about 30% thicker and 7% more weight for essentials double the real estate. Seems like a no brainer for me.

          • finley@lemm.ee
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            3 months ago

            I didn’t say the Fold was twice as thick as an iPhone. Any phone that you fold becomes twice as thick when you fold it.

            It’s not a competition.

            • jaschen@lemm.ee
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              3 months ago

              What? That’s the dumbest thing. Of course it’s going to be twice as thick if you fold it. Everything is. Water is wet and the sky is blue. No shit.

              If they made a 6mm folded iPhone and the current iPhone is 8.5mm. that’s actually an improvement over a previous gen iPhone and that is actually useful information.

              • finley@lemm.ee
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                3 months ago

                Lol, you call what I said “the dumbest thing” then immediately agree with me.

                And then you try to win your pretend competition we weren’t having with a fantasy iPhone you just made up so you could be right, lmao

                Ok…

    • jaschen@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      Been using the fold from 2-6. While this statement is true from 2-4, def untrue for 5 and 6.

      iPhone pro max weight 7.81oz. Fold 6: 8.43 oz

      7% more weight

      iPhone pro max: 8.25mm Fold 6: 12.1mm folded

      So about 30% thicker and 7% more weight for essentials double the real estate. Seems like a no brainer for me.

    • whynotzoidberg@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      My thoughts exactly. I gain almost nothing with this design change, as compared to keeping the current or similar-to “bar” form and folding out from there.

      I’m starting to have visions of Zoolander and his ridiculously small cell phone…