6 ms·
I think folding phones will remain a small niche unless someone figures out how to make a foldable screen that doesn't get permanently scratched by your fingern
by ndiddy 1y ago
I think folding phones will remain a small niche unless someone figures out how to make a foldable screen that doesn't get permanently scratched by your fingernails.
- Theodores 1y agoIt is a feature, not a bug. For those that are not chronically online, a mobile phone from a decade ago has everything they need. If you only have to phone the family, WhatsApp your neighbours, get the map out, use a search engine and do your online banking, then a flagship phone is a bit over the top. If anything, the old phone is preferable since its loss would not be the end of the world. I have seen a few elderly neighbours rocking Samsung Galaxy S7s with no need to upgrade. Although the S7 isn't quite a decade old, the apps that are actually used (WhatsApp, online banking) will be working with the S7 for many years to come since there is this demographic of active users. Now, what if we could get these people to upgrade every three years with a feature that the 'elderly neighbour' would want? Eyesight isn't what it used to be in old age, so how about a nice big screen? You can't deliberately hobble the phone with poor battery life or programme it to go slow in an update because we know that isn't going to win the customer over, but a screen that gets tatty after three years? Sounds good to me.
- epolanski 1y ago> the apps that are actually used (WhatsApp, online banking) will be working with the S7 for many years to come I have several apps that no longer work on my otherwise good phone bought in 2018 because I can no longer update the OS that they require.
- bayindirh 1y agoCan you give any examples? My apps only stop upgrading, not stop working out of the blue. Edit: This is a honest question.
- epolanski 1y agoBanking apps are a common example that requires you to be on latest, yet my phone is stuck in Android 10 land. Whatsapp also no longer works on it, thus the phone is useless. Which is sad, as it has a great camera, battery life and is very light.
- YeahThisIsMe 1y agoThat sounds like LG. Amazing camera and audio and I'm never buying one again.
- scheeseman486 1y agoShould be easy given they haven't made them for over 4 years.
- epolanski 1y agoXiaomi Redmi Note 8. https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_8-9814.php https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_8-9814.php
- somewhereoutth 1y agoSamsung Galaxy A40 checking in. It's small, has dual sim card sockets, and a headphone jack. I'm not sure how I'd replace it to be honest.
- autoexec 1y agoI'm still want a phone with expandable storage and a headphone jack. Sony had one, but I don't know if they're selling them and I've heard they have their own issues too.
- Nursie 1y agoHonest question here - is there a situation where you need to be able to use the headphone jack and USB-C at the same time? Because there are very cheap, lightweight adaptors to headphone jack from USB-C.
- smelendez 1y agoNot OP but my concern is putting strain on the charging port by walking with headphones while my phone is in my pocket. Wireless chargers are pretty good but it’s still a pain to wear out your port.
- Nursie 1y agoThere are some 90-degree adapters that would probably minimise that. I can dual-SIM my iphone by using one e-Sim and one physical. The only thing it is not, is small...
- somewhereoutth 1y agoOne extra 'thing' to need - at the moment I know that I can play music through anything that has a line-in, with just a cable. However Bluetooth seems to work ok - for devices that support it.
- ta1243 1y agoIt's the software updates that's the problem. Apple aren't too bad, but their hardware support only seems to last 7 years. The S7 you mention lasted 4 years, and received the last patch in 2020. Not convinced that doing online banking on a phone that hasn't had software updates for 5 years is a good idea.
- pdimitar 1y agoIt's definitely a bad idea but people hate being coerced into spending $500+ just to continue doing what they already do. A lot of us the techies can be strong-armed via FOMO and other tropes but good luck convincing the elderly neighbors.
- ugh123 1y agoThe "unless" argument is where apple has done well: - mobile mp3 player sales are low unless disk and battery life are greatly improved - large display touch screen phone market is small unless someone solves the "app problem" - smart watch market is tiny if exists at all unless someone makes one that is useful and has improved battery life
- blobbers 1y agoTo be fair, Apple Watch battery life is atrocious compared to competing models. Their marketing and ecosystem is better.
- wahnfrieden 1y agoNew one is 24 hours is that still atrocious
- klardotsh 1y agoYes. My Pebble Steel got over a week of battery in 2015, had physical, tactile buttons that worked even wearing thick winter gloves, and had an always-on-no-matter-what screen that was clearly readable in full sunlight. Every smartwatch that hasn't met that bar, which is almost all of them ever made, is a joke to me. I'd have ordered a RePebble had I not moved back to analogue dumbwatches instead just before they were announced (and were iOS not actively hostile to competing watch implementations).
- wahnfrieden 1y agoIsn’t that a laggy b&w screen, with no ability to respond to notifs, no cellular. I guess those are ok for some users
- qwezxcrty 1y agoIf you are okay with less smart smart watches, and okay with no hackability, Garmin should have a few with black and white display and >1 week battery life (even indefinite with sufficient solar).
- criley2 1y agoIs this a thing? I've been using a Pixel 9 Pro Fold for one full year now and my inner screen looks pretty flawless. I don't see a single scratch, and I've never used any kind of protector on the inside. This kind of sounds like a "sour grapes" excuse where a really good thing is presumed to suck only because you can't have it. Personally, as someone who isn't really interested in a full tablet, the foldable is really really nice.
- ndiddy 1y ago> Is this a thing? From Google's official Pixel 9 Pro Fold handling instructions: (https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15090466?hl=en#proper_handling https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15090466?hl=en#...) > Flexible screens are softer than traditional phone screens, so avoid contact with sand, crumbs, *fingernails* and sharp objects.
- fumar 1y agoI have an OG Pixel Fold and the inner screen is flawless. My iPhone 14 Pro screen is visibly scratched. The Fold replaced tablets and e readers for me.
- amelius 1y ago-> sour apple I'm sure that if Apple invented the exact same thing in the exact same way, it would have been the "greatest thing since sliced bread".
- dankwizard 1y agoOr an actual seemless hinge. My god are they ugly down the bend.
- baby 1y agoit's invisible if you look straight at your phone, never bothered me
- dankwizard 1y agoUnfortunately my eyes can see it.
- baby 1y agoLook at the latest model, your eyes won't see it. Stop spreading FUD
- dankwizard 1y agoI don't know what to tell you - I don't want to brag about my eyesight, but it's pretty good - No matter what angle, no matter what phone, the crease is visible. What would I have to gain lying about this? I could say the same thing - Stop trying to copium your purchase? The tech isn't there yet.
- baby 1y agoExcept it is, just try the new models