Time for an upgrade, and I'm looking at the Samsung Flip and Fold, Google Fold and I guess Razr+23.

I'm guessing some people may have had them about a year now, and I'm just curious how the experience has been and would you do it again?


And I guess, if anyone wants to share a happy memory of their flip phone from pre-smartphone era, fire away.

My buddy had one of those Samsung flip type phones and its screen went bad at the fold point in under a year.

I switched from an iPhone XR to the ZFlip3 about 2 years ago and love it. If Apple ever comes out with a flip phone I will likely switch to that just because my entire family is on iphone and we use appleTVs throughput the house, but the flip aspect of the phone is more important to me.

I love how compact the phone is in my pocket. I had an issue (same one mentioned above I'm sure) with the factory screen protector bubbling up within about 6 months of purchase, which they tell you has to be reapplied with a special machine. I just bought a screen protector off Amazon for like 6 bucks, did it myself, and it has been perfect since.

Highly recommend the phone.

FatZilla said:

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My buddy had one of those Samsung flip type phones and its screen went bad at the fold point in under a year.

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I asked a guy at the AT&T store when Apple would come out with a flip phone and he said once Samsung had figured out how to make it work which seems par for the course for them these days. I don't see anything from Apple that suggests any kind of eye on innovation. They've become quite comfortable in making products that just work. I say that as an iPhone and Mac user.

zip04 said:

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I had an issue (same one mentioned above I'm sure) with the factory screen protector bubbling up within about 6 months of purchase, which they tell you has to be reapplied with a special machine. I just bought a screen protector off Amazon for like 6 bucks, did it myself, and it has been perfect since.

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Is it just me, or does anyone else think you shouldn't have to do that to address an obvious defective issue…?

Enzomatic said:

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zip04 said:

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I had an issue (same one mentioned above I'm sure) with the factory screen protector bubbling up within about 6 months of purchase, which they tell you has to be reapplied with a special machine. I just bought a screen protector off Amazon for like 6 bucks, did it myself, and it has been perfect since.

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Is it just me, or does anyone else think you shouldn't have to do that to address an obvious defective issue…?

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Honestly, every iPhone I ever purchased didn't come with a screen protector, so it is a cost I would have spent regardless. I just got a free one for the first 6 months I had the phone.

What is ridiculous is the fact they say you can't do it yourself, you have to have a special machine to do it, etc. They would have replaced it for free, but since there isn't a repair shop with the machine anywhere near me, I would have had to mail my phone in. That entire process is crap. The one I bought on Amazon was easy to install (came with 2 in case you mess up the first one), feels and looks just like factory, but the glue has held up much better.

Overall, I love the phone and would upgrade to the newest flip if I were in the market to upgrade.

I had a Fold 3 and really like the form factor but the build quality just wasn't on par with other high end phones.

About 6 months in the first unit bricked itself after an update. T-mobile and Samsung spent a week blaming each other for the problem before one of them finally sent me a warranty replacement. 2nd one had bubbles in the screen protector almost immediately.

I expected more from such a premium device. I've never had any problems with another model of phone.

zip04 said:

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Enzomatic said:

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zip04 said:

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I had an issue (same one mentioned above I'm sure) with the factory screen protector bubbling up within about 6 months of purchase, which they tell you has to be reapplied with a special machine. I just bought a screen protector off Amazon for like 6 bucks, did it myself, and it has been perfect since.

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Is it just me, or does anyone else think you shouldn't have to do that to address an obvious defective issue…?

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Honestly, every iPhone I ever purchased didn't come with a screen protector, so it is a cost I would have spent regardless. I just got a free one for the first 6 months I had the phone.

What is ridiculous is the fact they say you can't do it yourself, you have to have a special machine to do it, etc. They would have replaced it for free, but since there isn't a repair shop with the machine anywhere near me, I would have had to mail my phone in. That entire process is crap. The one I bought on Amazon was easy to install (came with 2 in case you mess up the first one), feels and looks just like factory, but the glue has held up much better.

Overall, I love the phone and would upgrade to the newest flip if I were in the market to upgrade.

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I guess I misread or misinterpreted when you mentioned it was the same issue as the one before, where the screen went out at the fold. I'm assuming based on your posts that they aren't the same issue. Screen protector not being included vs screen going out.

All zflips come with a factory installed screen protector. The most common issue is the screen protector glue fails at the fold, so you get an air bubble that gradually grows. At first it makes you think the screen is jacked up, until you realize it is a factory screen protector that is failing.

I know one other person with a zflip and they had the same issue, and had the same positive results after peeling off the factory one and putting an Amazon one on.

I know one person with a zfold and it does not come with a factory screen protector, he added one at purchase. He has had 2 because he upgraded to the newest year model and hasn't had any issues with either.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-tipped-to-release-cheaper-Galaxy-Z-Fold6-and-Galaxy-Z-Flip6-alternative-in-2024.767039.0.html

Something to think about if you can wait for them.

LOYAL AG said:

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FatZilla said:

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My buddy had one of those Samsung flip type phones and its screen went bad at the fold point in under a year.

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I asked a guy at the AT&T store when Apple would come out with a flip phone and he said once Samsung had figured out how to make it work which seems par for the course for them these days. I don't see anything from Apple that suggests any kind of eye on innovation. They've become quite comfortable in making products that just work. I say that as an iPhone and Mac user.

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To be fair, it's been this way for several years. Android typically comes out with the innovation (SW or HW), cuts its teeth on it, and then Apple releases their version after the fact and it tends to work from the get-go.

Also an iPhone user. At this point, there is really nothing else to innovate anyway with the current form factor until we have some kind major hardware tech breakthrough. That's why you saw these guys bring back flip phones. Not much else to do at this point.

YouBet said:

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LOYAL AG said:

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FatZilla said:

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My buddy had one of those Samsung flip type phones and its screen went bad at the fold point in under a year.

---

I asked a guy at the AT&T store when Apple would come out with a flip phone and he said once Samsung had figured out how to make it work which seems par for the course for them these days. I don't see anything from Apple that suggests any kind of eye on innovation. They've become quite comfortable in making products that just work. I say that as an iPhone and Mac user.

---

To be fair, it's been this way for several years. Android typically comes out with the innovation (SW or HW), cuts its teeth on it, and then Apple releases their version after the fact and it tends to work from the get-go.

Also an iPhone user. At this point, there is really nothing else to innovate anyway with the current form factor until we have some kind major hardware tech breakthrough. That's why you saw these guys bring back flip phones. Not much else to do at this point.

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Agree. I did see a product recently called the AiPin that I'm curious about. much, much different form. No screen so no time spent/lost/wasted on TexAgs or any other social media. It looks to be pretty interesting device from what little i've seen via a Ted with one of the founders. I'd LOVE a device that did the communication/search/navigation side of a phone without all the other time suck that comes with them. they just started advertising and will start taking orders this coming week. Definitely curious where this one goes.

LOYAL AG said:

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YouBet said:

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LOYAL AG said:

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FatZilla said:

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My buddy had one of those Samsung flip type phones and its screen went bad at the fold point in under a year.

---

I asked a guy at the AT&T store when Apple would come out with a flip phone and he said once Samsung had figured out how to make it work which seems par for the course for them these days. I don't see anything from Apple that suggests any kind of eye on innovation. They've become quite comfortable in making products that just work. I say that as an iPhone and Mac user.

---

To be fair, it's been this way for several years. Android typically comes out with the innovation (SW or HW), cuts its teeth on it, and then Apple releases their version after the fact and it tends to work from the get-go.

Also an iPhone user. At this point, there is really nothing else to innovate anyway with the current form factor until we have some kind major hardware tech breakthrough. That's why you saw these guys bring back flip phones. Not much else to do at this point.

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Agree. I did see a product recently called the AiPin that I'm curious about. much, much different form. No screen so no time spent/lost/wasted on TexAgs or any other social media. It looks to be pretty interesting device from what little i've seen via a Ted with one of the founders. I'd LOVE a device that did the communication/search/navigation side of a phone without all the other time suck that comes with them. they just started advertising and will start taking orders this coming week. Definitely curious where this one goes.

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That's really interesting. The other angle here are the 2-3 new boutique phone makers out there that are selling non-smart phones for people who want to reduce the distraction of having the internet on your phone. They are basically for phone calls, texting, and maybe have a maps function.

FWIW, I was talking to the repair guy at one of those ifixit franchises and he said those folding phones have the highest fail rate of anything he sees.

Diggity said:

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FWIW, I was talking to the repair guy at one of those ifixit franchises and he said those folding phones have the highest fail rate of anything he sees.

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Makes sense. It has a built in weak point.

That was his explanation.

Said to give it a few years.

I got a Z-Flip 3 in 2021 and didn't put a screen protector on it. The first month I had it, I kept putting it in my pocket without folding it. I put some bad scratches on the polymer screen before I realized that you're supposed to always fold it before putting it in your pocket. The Flip 3 did start developing a surface crack on the crease that got progressively worse. I carried that phone for two years and the screen was scratched a lot because I never bothered to put a screen protector on it.

The more significant drawback to the Flip 3 was the 3300mah battery. It drained really fast. I had to put it on a charger frequently during the day. Even so, the fold design was so convenient and rugged that I decided to upgrade to the Z Flip 5 when it came out in August. For all the drawbacks of the Z Flip 3, It would be very difficult to go back to a flat phone.

The trade-in credit for my heavily used Z Flip 3 was $450 so the cost of the Flip 5 was only $550 and it included 512GB of storage. I've had the Flip 5 for three months and it is a really worthwhile upgrade I put a screen protector on it right away. After three months there is no evidence of creasing or surface cracks. I believe they have found a more durable screen polymer in the Flip 5..

The battery on the Flip 5 is about 15% larger at 3800mah but the improved battery life is much better. It will last the full day in most cases and it charges very quickly. The increased battery life is probably the result of the combination of the larger battery capacity, improved cgipset design, and upgrades to the Android OS. The battery life is no longer a drawback with the Flip 5.

The exterior screen on the Flip 5 is also more than twice as large as the one on the Flip 3 and it is actually useful. You can unlock the phone, read incoming messages, control your streaming music, and toggle the light all without having to ope. The phone.

The ability to set the Flip or Fold phones on a table with the screen folded at about 90 is also very useful for Zoom calls because the people on the other end aren't seeing a jittery view for a handheld phone. For all they know, you are on a desktop or laptop. The ability to stand the phone up to record a stable video is also a widely underappreciated capability. After you use it this way, you find a lot of cases where recording with the phone on a table is useful.

I am glad I didn't give up on the Flip design and go back to a flat phone. I really like the Flip 5 and it doesn't have any significant drawbacks for me.