I'd love a phone that converts to a tablet, but I'm not about to pay more than I paid for my desktop computer. That, and I'm hoping someone figures out a "rollable" phone without a waterfall screen instead.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/17/21571056/oppo-x-2021-rol...

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/tcl-rollable-phone-concept-...

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23205814/lg-rollable-phon...

I used to ask the same question about cameras on phones, who is asking for these? Low resolution, terrible low light performance, and who wants to look at photos on a low quality phone display, if you have to load pictures on your computer anyway, why not just use a dedicated camera and get much better photos? I “knew” that with the space constraints in a phone, the camera would never approach the quality of a “real” camera.

Then, of course, the technology advanced (hardware and software) and my phone has replaced both my point and shoot and DSLR cameras (even if picture quality can’t quite replace good lenses and a big sensor, the convenience outweighs it, no more dragging along a big camera bag on vacation)

I’d love to have a reliable and inexpensive folding phone so I could have a big screen when I want it (like while commuting or on an airplane) but I can fold it up to a much smaller form factor when I don’t want the big screen.

Presbyopia starts kicking in at around 40-45 years of age, and makes reading on a phone screen increasingly difficult. It's hard to make the text large enough even with the largest of today's normal phone screens, especially considering the aspect ratio. The foldables fix that issue. Not only is the screen larger, but the aspect ratio is much closer to what you want for reading.

I fully expect my next phone to be a foldable just due to this.

The appeal of a big screen that fits in your pocket is obvious. The downsides certainly might outweigh that, but the reasoning is not a mystery like you're implying.

I have a pixel fold and it's actually just really nice to have a big screen to flip open sometimes. It's especially useful for a site that doesn't have great mobile scaling.

The price, weight and fragility need more iterations but it's a neat toy. I'm not sure it's for everyone but not everyone wants or needs a stylus either.

I really like the idea of foldable phones - smaller in my pocket or when I'm just checking a notification or whatever, but I can double the size of the display when wanted. Being able to balance on a surface for taking group shots is a nice bonus too.

But the prices are insane just now. So I am interested in this format, but not at these prices.

Flip phones seem like a nice concept - small pocket size, notification display, full size. But current implementations are like overpriced beta implementations - once they polish the concept I can see myself getting one.

It's in the fifth iteration now, so the answer is: plenty of people. Maybe not anyone you personally know, but they are out there.

I don't think their will be much interest in foldables until (and if) Apple decides to release one. And then...well...Apple will ship a polished enough product that it will sell.

And it really isn't "keeping up with the joneses" so much as "I'm not sure if that will be really useful" (until you see that it is actually really useful).

I struggled to find a smartphone that doesn't have > 6 inches of screen and barely fits in my pocket.

I would prefer a 4 inch screen but since they are a fringe market by now, I would settle with a huge foldable screen instead.

Arguably I am not buying something from Samsung because of all the cruft that comes with their software but I can see the appeal in such a device.

Me me me. I want a foldable phone because I read pdfs and watch videos on my phone. The problem is that I’m in the apple ecosystem. But every new foldable that gets released give me more and more excuse to leave the apple ecosystem (if I dont have an iphone, then, whats the point of my macbook pro and ipad pro?)

Colleague bought one because he liked having the larger display for reading. Took about a week for a grain of sand to destroy the thing. There's certainly a market for them but Samsung seems intent on actively destroying it with their half baked products.

People don't want folding. Folding is the cost paid to get something they do want: a larger screen. What do people actually want in a handheld? They want that roll-out multi-size screen from Earth: Final Conflict.

OK, that was 1997, and it's been done better since then (Minority Report and others...: [1]). But people want the big screen with a tiny carry.

[1]: https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/14/18088620/samsung-foldabl...

I have a Z fold 3 and love it. It's great for reading e-books and looking at maps and reading most web pages (some mobile ones get confused). It's everything I'd need in a tablet without having to carry one. Just a large phone.

Reading this on a Fold 3, which I'm considering replacing with a OnePlus Open, if the reviews are good. The crease is not noticeable in use for me. Having more screen real estate in a device that still comfortably fits in my hip pocket is great. The only downside I've noticed in a year of use is the Samsung bloatware. There are a couple of small scratches on the screen but no more than I had on my previous smartphones after a year. That's after taking it to the beach multiple times and not taking any particular care to avoid getting stuff on the screen.

I could absolutely see the flip style phone (small form factor and unfolds to normal size) being very popular. At the least it is convenient if you wear women's clothing, which roughly 50% of people do.

Even an old-ish model of the z flip has been surprisingly durable IME, and Samsung continues to improve on the hinge and screen crease designs. The latest z flip is also in line with the price of a new iPhone. Of course Samsung now has competition from the new Razr on this front, which I've heard is very good.

As far as the z folds are concerned, it does seem more niche to me. But that's the bet that Pixel made first so I guess we'll see.

> Who is asking for foldable phones?

Corporations are valued on growth not on sales. Any idea to grow will be evaluated over just keeping a good product.

This is why companies are betting billions on crazy ideas while their products just become worse year to year.

A CEO that says, we will keep this ship floating will be fired the next day. CEOs are selected on how much grow they promise to bring and deliver to do.

Until this changes things are just going to be getting worse, more expensive and more bloated. And there is no enough competition to create a counter to it.

> Very serious question: Who is asking for foldable phones? Who is saying,

I don't own one, but having seen colleagues use them I plan to get one once it stops costing and arm and a leg.

I like small phones. I dont want to have something larger that 5.5 inches in my pocket.

Five years ago I bought a Sony xperia zx1 compact, due to its form factor. I've been looking for a new phone for about a year, but all of them are too big or under powered for my liking.

To me, the alternative seems to be foldable phones.

I'll probably buy a Motorola razr 40 in the coming weeks.

Also, an iPhone is not a option.

I have observed that "keeping up with Jonases" may play a role here. My cousin that could easily afford it has bought it for some reason, then he's brother has bought it just because he had it - and the thing is, he could not easily afford it - and not even in the sense of why would you pay so much for a phone but could not easily afford an expense like that in general and he's bought it anyway just because he's brother had it.

I personally would not want to carry an even bigger phone in the pocket. I have an old S7 for 5 years now and I'm not looking forward to an upgrade because even the new non-foldable Samsungs are much bulkier (and probably nowhere near as durable - the phone is tougher than a brick - fell like 10 times on the hardest surfaces with no protection and only got a few scratches on the screen that are not visible when using the phone). By the way, anyone got recommendations for a new replacement?

I guess the Z Flip is more for women, because they mostly have just small pockets on the pants and sometimes also just a small handbag. And the phone is just small and cute.

The Fold is more for nerds i guess. It is even foldet not small, just large if open.

Me! If a phone could fold out 4 times into a mega tablet I would pay an irresponsible amount of money for it. I settle for the single fold for now

I'd be frankly happy with the same screen size and half the size in my pocket. But that does not seem to be were foldables are going.

Who was asking for a touchscreen phone, in 2007?

Another serious question: Don't the foldables have insanely good unit-economics?

I've seen tons of folks with the Fold; like, a surprising number.

I do not like the crease and the larger foldables do not entice me bit I got work to let me get a zflip4 as a replacement and I have liked it way more than I expected.

It is a good form factor. Fits in my work shirt pocket.

I do industrial IT and a metal working factory and it has survived that environment with any complaints for a year now.

Now we know where all the revenue went.

Those secret gates must cost a pretty penny.

Samsung is responsible of 20% of the Korean economy and is the closest thing we have to a cyberpunk megacorp, he is basically a king inside a democracy.

Could you maybe find where that was in google street view? Out of curiosity for the secret doors !

I was very confused by the headline. Like wtf is "year on year profit", and what does it mean that this year's is down by 95%.

Just tell me that last year profits were 11B, and now they're 0.5B.

And here it is: https://www.statista.com/statistics/237093/samsungs-operatin...

On the bright side, 0.05 x 0.05 really isn’t that much less. After a 95% drop, you’ve essentially hit rock bottom!

Samsung shifted focus from consumer electronics to semiconductor a few years ago which got fucked by global oversupply and then PRC sanctions (including memory) while PRC is increasingly eating into other Samsung segments like display, memory, battery etc. Samsung mobile got bump after Huawei ban, but now getting pressed by global economic downturn and Samsung in general losing access to PRC market who is starting to compete against Samsung in their other segments. More broadly PRC increasingly competing against SKR in intermediate goods, see SKR trade with PRC at 2000s lows which SKR is trying to make up by exporting more to US last few years and the drama over recent EV credit "betrayal". Recent geopolitics pushed SKR out of PRC market (due to current SKR admin siding with US interest) and US trying to support SKR by increasing imports to tune of 40B over last few years but there's going to be political limits to how much US can prop up SKR in current economy. Samsung mobile especially vunerable due to Apple influence on US market. Really at this point Samsung mobile only hope is for US to ban PRC Android from rest of world so they can snatch more marketshare.

I was surprised by the article too, Samsung has a very diverse product portfolio.