[simonwhite87]

Can't understand the appeal of a foldable screen - it looks like shit (big crease down the middle and thick when folded) and for that I get a marginal improvement on idle surface area consumption.

Would love to be proven wrong but I think it's going to be a monumental flop in regards to sales.

[AdmiralAsshat]

Having been a very happy owner of a 2013 Nexus 7 until I lost it about a week ago at a cafe, the appeal is basically having "one" device that does everything I need (sans a laptop, obviously). I used my phone for all communication and my tablet for e-reading, because the larger screen and form factor was welcome. But having that tablet meant one more device I had to lug around and keep track of, and as I can attest, that made it easier to lose or forget somewhere. If the phone folds out into "tablet" mode, it means I've got it with me at all times.

For me, the biggest barrier right now is price. Having it all in one device is convenient, but for me it would easily be cheaper to just have a year-old phone and a year-or-two old tablet. Hell, given that I paid $400 for my Galaxy S8+, $200 or so for my Nexus 7 (like five years ago), and about $800 for my laptop, I could have all three for less than the cost of this thing.

[simonwhite87]

I certainly see the value in a more hybrid device - this just feels like a bit of a technical "pissing contest" if you will rather than a consumer focussed device.

Again, I'd be happy to be proven wrong - and I do appreciate the engineering involved in making a consumer grade foldable screen.

[BinaryIdiot]

> this just feels like a bit of a technical "pissing contest" if you will rather than a consumer focussed device.

Even if that's the case I think that's fine. It should help push innovation at Samsung and its competitors. Sure, they should be more consumer focused _in general_ but I think moon-shots like this have their place.

I'm not interested in a fold-able phone. But I'd love to see them get really good.

[Stratoscope]

It's funny, I had the opposite experience. I loved my Nexus 7 and used it every day for reading and such - until I got my first Galaxy Note (a Note 3).

The screen was nearly as big as the Nexus 7 and fine to read on, in a much smaller overall form factor thanks to the smaller bezels. The Note 3 served all the same needs as the Nexus 7, and it still fit in a front pants pocket like my old phone (which the 7 didn't).

I went from there to a Note 4 and Note 8 and never used another 7" tablet.

What seems weird to me about the Note Fold is that the folding display isn't all that much bigger than the Note 8 - 7.3" diagonal vs. 6.3", albeit in a more square aspect ratio.

OTOH, if anyone on the SF Peninsula buys a Note Fold, let me know and I will buy you lunch at some very nice place just so I can play with the phone. I promise I will try not to break it!

[jsgo]

Due to best screen available.

In that sometimes you only have your phone with you. Outside of the normal status-y nature of high end phones, I could see this being valuable to an exec/management as this would allow them to review Excel documents and PDFs on the fly when in situations where booting up a work laptop isn't ideal or possible (laying in bed, at an airport waiting on flights, etc.). In that particular scenario it is putting a gun to the head of work/life balance, but it is a scenario I could see it used.

I'm interested in the form factor mostly for consolidation: with eGPU, I've consolidated my laptop and gaming desktop into just a laptop that plugs into the eGPU when at home and this form factor would negate a real need for a tablet for reading, video consumption, or what have you.

I personally prefer the Chinese ones where the bend is on the outside (mostly because the Galaxy Fold closed seems like an absurd waste of real estate), but I'm glad Samsung and others are working on this. It isn't a problem really, but it eliminates the need for so many different types of electronics if 2 bigger ones are consolidated into one device.

[simonwhite87]

"It isn't a problem really" - I think that's my problem with it - of course I appreciate the engineering involved in producing a consumer grade foldable screen but I just can't figure out who the target audience is.

[stetrain]

Do you mean for this particular tech demonstrator device or for a future ideal folding screen device?

I think the latter is easy to see a market for, anyone who currently uses both a phone and a tablet or e-reader who would prefer a single device that fits in a pocket.

[roro159]

The pre orders sold out in 2 days: https://www.droid-life.com/2019/04/16/samsung-quickly-sold-o...

The numbers aren't public yet, but it's probably low. I don't think they are dumb enough to expect this device to sell anywhere near the Galaxy S10 or an iPhone.

It may not be a huge sales success, but apparently it's above Samsung expectations.

[jsgo]

My guess is the main goal is to recoup R&D prior to a proper consumer launch. And you know what, I'm fine with that. Personally, I'm holding out for gen 2-3 of this form factor when the price comes down to Earth. But smart of them to get it into people's hands where they can get real testing as to what works and what doesn't for consumers.

[simonwhite87]

I'd be fascinated to see a breakdown of consumer demographic/profiles for the customers that purchased via pre-order.

My suspicion is that it's people interested in the engineering of the screen rather than consumers who've identified a personal use case for it.

[stetrain]

That might be some, I think for many it's just being able to buy "a piece of the future today".

Whether or not it ends up truly being practical, it's a phone that looks and does things that are radically different from most mainstream phones.

People will think their fancy future folding phone is cool, and other people will probably see it and think it's interesting and want to talk about it or see it work.

Kind of like paying $600 plus a 2-year contract for an iPhone in 2007 with a slow processor, no 3G, no MMS, no copy-and-paste, etc.

[libertine]

It's a status symbol. You'll see plenty of CEOs of multinationals with Folds.

[spike021]

My guess is it helps people who don't like large phones (in terms of surface area) in their clothes pockets. Sure it'll be thicker, and maybe some people have an issue with that, but it would potentially fit better in some situations while still unfolding to a larger screen size for regular use.

[bunderbunder]

For comfort in pockets, volume might be a better measure. The Samsung Fold is a bit less than twice the volume of an iPhone XS Max, which itself falls pretty solidly in phablet territory from the perspective of people who don't like large phones.

My guess is that it's for people who want "phablet" to be a realistic description of their phone instead of a hyperbolic one.

[yjftsjthsd-h]

Volume matters, but only after device fits in your pocket in the first place which is mostly based on one dimension or maybe two.

[simonwhite87]

If the size in the pocket is the problem, surely the extra thickness makes it more cumbersome? It would be like carrying one of those Anker battery packs around all day (the non-travel/portable ones) would it not?

[spike021]

I guess compare forcing an iPad Mini or Nexus 7 in your pocket versus an original iPhone, which was much thicker than what we've had the past few iterations.

[stetrain]

It's less cumbersome than an iPad Mini in your pocket.

[hinkley]

At current rates of phone growth, I will someday dislocate my hip by sitting down too quickly with my phone in my front pocket. I don't know how people who buy the oversized phones don't hurt themselves.

[dragonwriter]

> I don't know how people who buy the oversized phones don't hurt themselves.

Belt clips. Cargo pockets. Purses. Bras. Sufficiently deep front pants pockets. Jacket pockets. Etc.

[devit]

They get pants with deep enough pockets or have them enlarged by a tailor.

[dwighttk]

this is going to be worse in your pocket in every way.

[devit]

You can have a screen that is twice the size of a non-foldable screen... (given a rest size constraint like fitting in your pocket).