I remain an irreductible fan of the one-hand theory, and therefore stick with an iPhone 13 mini. I might be late at the folding-phone revolution.

Alas it seems we won't see any such phone that fits in a pant's pocket and that can be operated single-handedly. I am afraid that the 13 mini is the last of its kind.

Yet many reports of people dropping their gigantic phones. Maybe that's a business model after all.

> trapped in a shape everyone else seems to be moving on from.

Really not sure if we were ever there. Foldable phones still feel like a novelty that is expensive and fragile, among other tradeoffs. Also moving on to what, exactly? The regular slate form factor is what people buy, and have been for years at this point.

I think everyone lost their damn mind, possibly during Covid.

New iPhones used to be $199 and when they went to $299 the decision was seriously questionable.

Now they cost like a used car, everyone buys $1000+ iPhones without batting an eye, insane.

This one is $2000, I wouldn't get it if I had a billion on principle.

I picked up a Z Fold 8 for a test device, in order to optimize my app for folding phones (also in anticipation of Apple's folding phone), and the squat form factor really seems like something out of the future (certainly something different), I like it way more than I thought I would, the front is convenient for a lot of quick scrolling, checking things, and the wide 4:3 inner screen is really great for content viewing and web surfing. Even the front screen alone is better for content viewing then the traditional slab phones.

I like it so much I'd consider a non folding phone in the squatter form factor as well.

The crease makes it look cheap and fragile, like with many of the foldable phones.

I'm curious what people need the huge screens for on phones? Is it mostly for watching videos?

Something is broken on the site. I scroll a bit and then a nag screen locks further reading.

http://archive.today/3ql6b

If you look at Google's Android phone market share (currently 1.1% according to https://www.appbrain.com/stats/top-manufacturers), and consider that the foldable version is probably the least popular model in this not-really-popular phone family, it becomes understandable that they're not investing heavily into R&D for it...

I drop my phone a lot, I have a great case for it so not a scratch after 6 years. I am interested in getting the foldable but apparently the cases don't protect the hinge or let dirt get in? Anyone have experience with this? Maybe I'm not the right audience, too clumsy

I'm tempted to get one to replace my very cracked Pixel 9 Pro XL. With all the incentives Google offers for Google Fi customers it's not all that expensive. Comes out to about $1100 after trade-in and includes a free Pixel Watch 5.

I'm foldable-curious and Samsung just includes too much overlapping bloat "features". Gemini is bad enough, I don't need Bixby and whatever else. Not to mention I would have to pay full price.

Foldable phones still feel like a solution in search of a problem to me. Like, what is the actual usecase?

like all folding phones it is just too expensive for me to justify.

I cannot understand how people can tolerate the crease. It's so visible on every foldable. And it's simply not acceptable to my eyes.

I feel like smartphones are just evolutionary items now, there will be ups and downs in terms of upgrades and that's it.

With google the added question though is, are they losing interest again?

Does anyone use one of foldables for more than a year? I know a couple of people who have them and the massive creases seem like they’d be really hard to get used to.

I have pixel 10 Pro Fold. Formfactor: for Pockets. The slim when folded is great for most pockets. I think it's great and I use it in folded and unfolded mode every day depending on what I want to do. Not sure how well the wider one would work with pockets when folded. It's an important feature for me at least.

> A great foldable with IP68 and a reliable triple camera, trapped in a shape everyone else seems to be moving on from.

I never even considered buying a foldable phone, and they're already moving on from that shape.

For me personally, the only valid use case for a foldable phone would be Nintendo DS/3DS emulation. Other than that.... meh, they suck.

I just don't see why you would spend more than double (almost 2K USD!) for the fold phones though. I have large screens in my home to watch high quality video content. I do like the Pixel Pro XL series with 6.8" screens though, but they are a lot cheaper.

tbh, too expensive to buy, I would rather buy a samsung with that price

Sadly, I can't read this article due to the hard paywall. Is The Verge actively trying to shrink their readership? Why would I want to subscribe to yet another monthly subscription if I can't even get a taste of what this one is offering?

Who is paying $1900 for not an iPhone?

$1900?

Wow wth

I have zero interest in folding phones and only read to kill time while eating, but this review is incredibly irritating. "This isn't exactly like another phone, with a bunch of subjective design differences, therefore it's dated and bad!" I hate this way of thinking so much. Products should be different. There should be small phones and large phones, thin phones and thick phones, rather than scoring them all against the latest fad in order to try to force the market to conform. I hear small phones don't sell well and that's why nobody makes them anymore, but I can't help but wonder if small phone sales are artificially deflated by shitty reviews like this one that punish companies for manufacturing outside the media's anointed design trend.

Work on alternative input mechanisms and display options. This gimmicky, look we can fold the phone is a mess and just plain ridiculous. The manufacturers are on this very strange, bullshitty innovation trajectory, where everyone eyes the other and copies everything in an instant.

I hope Samsung (Royole) does a 180 and introduce something groundbreaking soon, of course, after everyone copied their shit.

Well. I, for one, picked up Moto Z Fold, as soon as it has been out, and can't get enough of it. Won't be moving back to candybar phones. Content consumption feels so much more natural, and context window I'm able to see while reading is dramatically larger. And I'm not talking about Youtube etc; regular work or family chats, browsing sites, reading books with Kindle , that kind of stuff. When I was deciding to pick this formfactor, I wanted to read more books. I can't read on a regular phone, too small of a page being displayed is somehow a blocker for me. Not anymore; I'm unfolding my MoFo every now and then.

Even in this article, they repeat the same: what everyone always gives as the advantage of Pixel phones has nothing to do with form factor or even hardware in general. Presumably also because there's not much special about Pixel form factors, but the plusses are almost always the software, features, and "cleanest android" with occasionally the camera mentioned (mostly because people are repeating what phone reviewers say). With the iPhone people sometimes respond that the hardware is a plus, but for Pixel I have never even heard that. For Samsung it's the opposite. People buy Samsung phones for the new and powerful hardware, and on a hardware-capabilities-per-dollar they are fantastic, with occasional mention of the pen integration.

Pixel phones are "great software with a frankly boring phone built around it".

I think this even works for Google: if the hardware ceases to be the differentiating factor as we go on in time, it seems to me Google's position would keep improving over time, certainly over Samsung.

Lol at the verge paywalling

> Apple is expected to enter the market with a foldable iPhone

Is it time to bring Jony Ive back?? Have some backbone, Apple...

> that, rumor has it, includes all of the above and adds iOS too.

Ok, this snippy comment is for The Verge - what crack reporting got you the scoop that Apple would be releasing an iOS phone?