Huawei has just announced a September 10 event where the company is set to launch the world’s first tri-fold smartphone which, apparently, has a 10-inch display.
Seems like a really cool idea. Two problems.
It will be heavy and fragile.
How does it stay locked in the tablet form? Will you be able to use it without it folding? And if it does lock, how does it unlock and how tiny and fragile are those locks going to be?
Why would it need to lock? It’s no different than a normal foldable in that regard, the hinges are firm and hold in the position you put it.
With something that large and the hinges folding in opposite directions one will want to fold when you are pressing on the screen.
Huh? Each hinge will be doing exactly the same thing as every other foldable for the last 5 years.
Call me when they release a smartphone that rolls up like old school window blinds.
Why window blinds when it could roll up more like a snail?
I love how phone manufacturers are like “oh we cant do waterproofing and easy repair at the same time, its too complicated” and then they release one of the most mechanically complicated comercially available devices ive ever seen.
I realized this completely misses the point, but the problem is actually dust not water. All these foldables are IPX8, meaning they are highly water resistant but not rated for dust and debris.
I completely agree with your repairability point btw.
The number refers to the number of sections the fold(s) create, not the number of folds.
Example: Bifold and Trifold wallets.
Yes. And a “bifold wallet” has a single fold that bisects the wallet into two haves. A “trifold wallet” has two folds that divides the wallet into three equal parts.
This is how these English words are used. Look it up…
Screen durability and the distracting crease are the two biggest problems with foldables, so they are making a phone where a third of the screen is always unprotected, added an additional crease, and sharpened the radius of both creases. Hard pass for me (and most people), but this is more of a statement piece for their manufacturing and engineering prowess than a mass market product. Hopefully the advances they make will improve single fold devices.
As someone on their second foldable, fold 3 now fold 6, the crease is truly, I promise you, a non issue. Unless you’re doing detained drawing with the S-pen, not my use case, it has no meaningful effect on the experience. For single person consumption, you almost have to consciously try to position it in a way that’s visible when watching a video, for example.
I’d actually miss the crease, as it gives the screen a kind of magic book-esque quality. The biggest problem with foldables in my experience is the odd aspect ratio universal to all of them, something a tri fold design may actually mitigate.
Thanks for that I have been considering a foldable and the creaae doesn’t worry me but how’s the durability ?
I’ve been using the original Pixel Fold for almost a year now, and so far it’s held up really well. The build quality hasn’t degraded any despite daily use, and it’s even held up surprisingly well against abuse.
I’ve fumbled the device on more than one occasion, and even once dropped it straight down on hard tile from about five feet, but surprisingly it came out just fine without a crack, dent, or scuff in sight. Granted, I do have a case on my fold since I’m accident prone, but I’ve not had any issues at all with the durability of the folding display.
However, I would still recommend getting Preferred Care or some other protection plan in addition to the standard warranty, because if the screen does break, and it’s not covered by the standard warranty, you’re kind of on your own. And it’s real expensive to get them repaired.
I’ve had no problems with durability beyond the internal factory screen protector peeling up and needing replacement twice in 3 years. I know thats anecdotal and I case my phones, but I had no durability issues and the hinge felt solid after 3 years, I just felt the battery wasnt up to par anymore, the trade I credit was high, and a phone with moving parts probably won’t last forever.
But I had no real complaints on durability.
Why do screens need to fold at all? In folded mode an edge to edge screen is enough and in unfolded mode two more of those can combine to make one large display. It’s the same as those led walls you see in places, made of edgeless panels that slot in next to each other. Curving the pixels is stupid.
