Consumer Technology No Samsung thread?

[Emblazon]

They announced their new Flip, Fold, Watch, and Buds yesterday. 

 

I've got the S22 Ultra, and I've never seen a screen scratch so much so quickly... and I work from home. 

 

I also have the Watch 4, which I really like, but the battery life is abysmal, and it's got some of the worst charging times I've ever experienced. 

 

So, I ordered the Watch 5 Pro, which fixes both those issues, got $200 off with the trade in, and a free dual wireless charging pad. 

 

I also once got a new car when my windshield cracked... so I ordered the Fold 4. The deal was just too good:

 

• Unlocked

• $1000 trade in (which is crazy good for a Samsung phone)

• Free upgrade to 512GB

• Free kickstand case with S Pen

• $300 in Samsung credit

 

Im looking forward to both the smaller form factor and the ridiculously larger screen and added functionality that comes with. 

 

I already have the Buds Pro, and they're great but you absolutely can't workout in them. They're basically my bedtime buds because I can lay on my side and it's still comfortable and the lack of buttons don't pause what's playing when pressed against a pillow. 

 

 

[Jason]

Wait I thought you're an Apple whore?

[Brian]

No thread because Samsung products suck

[Keyser_Soze]

38 minutes ago, Jason said:

Wait I thought you're an Apple whore?

 

Nah, he's just a regular whore

[Ghost_MH]

If it weren't so expensive, I would go for the new Fold 4. I'm still carrying around an original Motorola RAZR everyday since I bought it at launch back in 2019 as my second phone. The folding screen is still in near perfect condition. I'm really not afraid of folding phones.

 

In case anyone was looking for a quick breakdown of the new devices.

 

 

[Jason]

You carry two phones? For me one of the big things is apparently the Fold's camera is kinda shitty because they literally don't have where to put a better lens. 

[Dre801]

Still rocking a Note 9.  Will maybe upgrade to an S23 Ultra or Pixel 7 Pro.

[elbobo]

My galaxy s10 soldiers on but I have to use a battery case now 

[Jason]

3 minutes ago, elbobo said:

My galaxy s10 soldiers on but I have to use a battery case now 

 

My S10+ is still solid. Not sure if I'd be okay with the battery life if I was traveling like I was pre-pandemic but it still seems okay, but it also seems to pretty significantly vary how long it lasts, like I'll randomly get a process guzzling battery. 

 

Biggest issue is a couple of stuck pixels, but it's mostly a big deal watching video. Got it at launch and will keep it until the end of support (unless a really amazing S22 Ultra Black Friday offer rolls around I guess), otherwise I'll be deciding between S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra. Five years of support means there's something to be said for hopping on a four year cycle a year behind the latest round. 

[Pikachu]

I got an S21+ last year after upgrading from S8+. The phone is great, and I like the sound quality of the Samsung Buds as well.

[elbobo]

44 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

My S10+ is still solid. Not sure if I'd be okay with the battery life if I was traveling like I was pre-pandemic but it still seems okay, but it also seems to pretty significantly vary how long it lasts, like I'll randomly get a process guzzling battery. 

 

Biggest issue is a couple of stuck pixels, but it's mostly a big deal watching video. Got it at launch and will keep it until the end of support (unless a really amazing S22 Ultra Black Friday offer rolls around I guess), otherwise I'll be deciding between S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra. Five years of support means there's something to be said for hopping on a four year cycle a year behind the latest round. 

 

I was on a 3 year cycle but I will probably be switching to a 4 year going forward. At 3.5 years old this phone still performs fine for what I do with it just has a shit battery. 

[Jason]

8 minutes ago, elbobo said:

 

I was on a 3 year cycle but I will probably be switching to a 4 year going forward. At 3.5 years old this phone still performs fine for what I do with it just has a shit battery. 

 

The regular S10 battery was a little undersized compared to the S10+ to begin with too right? I'm at about 80% battery health but the S10+ battery was also a good chunk bigger to begin with. 

[Ghost_MH]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

You carry two phones? For me one of the big things is apparently the Fold's camera is kinda shitty because they literally don't have where to put a better lens. 

 

Yeah, but the Fold's phones are good enough for me. I'm not on Instagram or TikTok. 99% of the pictures I take are of the kids that I share with family over Signal.

 

Also, yes. I carry one phone specifically for work since I can often deal with controlled data. Controlled as in not quite classified, but sensitive enough the US would really prefer it not get sniffed by other nations. That does make my RAZR pretty bare as far as third party apps go, but the reason I even got it in the first place was to make it easier for me to differentiate between my two phones while in my pocket. Before the RAZR I actually had a Palm Phone for that very reason.

 

 

I actually still have it and it's WAY better than you'd ever think it is. I mean, it's not great or even good, but it's still better than you would imagine. It's also quite the conversation piece. I've never had a phone more people wanted to see.

[Emblazon]

OK. This phone is just ridiculous. It's a one handed device when I want it, and a tablet when I need it. And dare I say, multi-tasking is set up better on the Fold 4 than the iPad Pro. I have yet to find a single thing about this device that annoys me. Even crazier still - the Samsung split keyboard is better than Google's version. Gboard has some of the same letters on both sides of the keyboard and it fucks with my brain. 

[skillzdadirecta]

On 8/12/2022 at 5:44 AM, Pikachu said:

I got an S21+ last year after upgrading from S8+. The phone is great, and I like the sound quality of the Samsung Buds as well.

I got the S21 Ultra last year and just got the new watch today. Haven't played around with it yet. Been thinking about getting the buds 

[Ghost_MH]

40 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

I got the S21 Ultra last year and just got the new watch today. Haven't played around with it yet. Been thinking about getting the buds 

 

I quite like my Samsung Buds and also think they sound great. They aren't my giant, wired headphones, but those things are obnoxious to have anywhere but my home.

[Emblazon]

I have last year's Buds Pro, and they're great bedtime earbuds because there's no physical buttons on them. The one real downside they have is they're really not great for working out, as they're just not secure enough. My Beats Fit Pro are still my favorite earbuds, and the only thing that hold them back are the buttons when trying to sleep. Though, I do believe you can disable the buttons in the settings.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing how the HD audio is with the Buds Pro 2, but I can't really justify that expense with all the other headphones I have. 

[Jason]

Buds Plus are still the GOAT Buds.

[skillzdadirecta]

Samsung confirms data breach, personal customer data stolen | TechRadar

WWW.TECHRADAR.COM

---

US Samsung customer data breach revealed personal information

 

Check your email to see if you're affected. Apparently I was. Got an email from them 4 days ago but didn't see it until today. Apparently no credit card or social security information was obtained but they got personal info. I HAVE noticed a significant increase in spam and phishing emails in the account I use for my Smasung account. Was wondering what that was about. Been thinking about jumping to the Iphone for the first time ever. This may push me over.

[Emblazon]

And here I've never been happier to NOT be on iPhone. "Dynamic Island"??? GMAFB. 

[Kal-El814]

27 minutes ago, Emblazon said:

And here I've never been happier to NOT be on iPhone. "Dynamic Island"??? GMAFB. 

 

The name is dumb, but the functionality looks good.

[Emblazon]

31 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

The name is dumb, but the functionality looks good.

 

It's functionality that looks good that's still covering up a giant black part of the screen. There's nothing "Dynamic" about that spot when watching video. 

 

It's also been how Galaxy devices handle notifications for about half a decade. 

[Ghost_MH]

Imma bump this old thread. Samsung finally has a fold flat foldable with the Z Fold 5.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: News, specs, price, and release date

WWW.ANDROIDPOLICE.COM

---

With more competition than ever, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 has something to prove. Here's everything we know so far

 

I wanted a Z Fold 4, but convinced myself I didn't like the gap in the fold. The Z Fold 5 is just a little lighter and a slight bit faster and that's about it. I caved and just preordered it.

 

@Emblazon Still liking the Z Fold 4?

[Jason]

Biggest thing keeping me from getting a Fold is that the outside screen is still just a little bit too narrow.

[DPCyric]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

Biggest thing keeping me from getting a Fold is that the outside screen is still just a little bit too narrow.

 

Sounds like the One Plus Open will be what you want (it is what I am waiting for).

[Emblazon]

12 hours ago, Ghost_MH said:

Imma bump this old thread. Samsung finally has a fold flat foldable with the Z Fold 5.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: News, specs, price, and release date

WWW.ANDROIDPOLICE.COM

---

With more competition than ever, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 has something to prove. Here's everything we know so far

 

I wanted a Z Fold 4, but convinced myself I didn't like the gap in the fold. The Z Fold 5 is just a little lighter and a slight bit faster and that's about it. I caved and just preordered it.

 

@Emblazon Still liking the Z Fold 4?

Funny thing about that… the Fold 4 still remains the best phone I’ve ever owned, and I was planning on keeping it for a second year, probably the first smartphone I’ve ever owned where I was willing to keep it past a year. 

Then something funny happened. But before I get to that, I’d like to bring up the hazard of a perfectly flat folding phone, as it’s already causing issues with the Pixel Fold - if any large piece of dust or sand gets stuck on the screen, and then you fold it closed, there’s a chance it could crack the screen. That’s what the gap in the Fold 4 prevented. That gap is now gone, so you have to be extra careful when closing the phone. 

Now, I sit here typing this on my few weeks old iPhone 14 Pro Max, not because of the Fold 4… but rather because of Samsung Customer Support, or lack there of. I’ve been paying for Care+, at 11/12 dollars a month because I knew folding phones were more fragile, and I didn’t want a $2k investment to get lost because I didn’t have proper phone insurance.

 

About a month ago, I went to open the Fold, and the phone just powered itself off. So I closed it, powered it back on, checked it was working fine (it was) and then opened the phone again… and it instantly powered off. Then I plugged the phone in, closed it, powered it on, it worked, I opened it, it still worked, then I unplugged it, and it powered itself off. Instantly. I couldn’t use the phone when opened. 

The fact that something inside the phone broke wasn’t the problem. Things happen, phones break, I get that. It’s what happened after that I just couldn’t bear to ever stomach again.

 

Long story short, Samsung placed the burden of fixing the device on me, the customer. And refused to use my Care+, that I had been paying for since day one, because I was still under the Manufacturer’s warranty for another month.

 

First they sent me to a service center that didn’t service Fold 4 phones, then I talked to no less than 8 different service reps, and then they wanted me to ship the phone to them so they could “look at it” before confirming if I needed a replacement. They were like “don’t you have a second phone?” And mind you, my phone is also my car key. My response was, that I’d be more than happy to ship my phone to them… right after they shipped a replacement phone to me first. They refused. 

At this point, the only way I could initiate Care+ was if I “accidentally” broke the phone myself. And since a replacement phone was only a $100 fee, I was like fuck it. I called up Care+, said I had broken my phone and would like my next day replacement. The rep said sure, it would just be the $100… plus a $900 hold. He said because people were abusing the policy, they updated the contract for 2023. Problem is, my contract is from 2022, and I checked - there’s no mention of a hold in the contract. If I didn’t send my broken phone back within a specific amount of time, I would be charged in full, but nothing up front outside of the $100. 

He refused. Just like every other Samsung rep I had talked to, they did everyone their power to NOT do their job.

 

After working with my closest Assurant center for about a week, they replaced every screen and the entire hinge mechanism. As soon as I got my phone back, it, along with my Watch 5 Pro, were up on Swappa to be sold and I was already back on iPhone. 

What happens in the same scenario with Apple when you’re under warranty? You walk into an Apple Store, and walk out with a new/refurbished phone. No questions asked. That’s customer service. 

So, even though I preferred the Fold 4, I’m happy with the peace of mind knowing if something goes wrong, Apple’s there for me. Well, that and the puffy stickers in iOS 17. 

[Ghost_MH]

1 hour ago, Emblazon said:

Funny thing about that… the Fold 4 still remains the best phone I’ve ever owned, and I was planning on keeping it for a second year, probably the first smartphone I’ve ever owned where I was willing to keep it past a year. 

Then something funny happened. But before I get to that, I’d like to bring up the hazard of a perfectly flat folding phone, as it’s already causing issues with the Pixel Fold - if any large piece of dust or sand gets stuck on the screen, and then you fold it closed, there’s a chance it could crack the screen. That’s what the gap in the Fold 4 prevented. That gap is now gone, so you have to be extra careful when closing the phone. 

Now, I sit here typing this on my few weeks old iPhone 14 Pro Max, not because of the Fold 4… but rather because of Samsung Customer Support, or lack there of. I’ve been paying for Care+, at 11/12 dollars a month because I knew folding phones were more fragile, and I didn’t want a $2k investment to get lost because I didn’t have proper phone insurance.

 

About a month ago, I went to open the Fold, and the phone just powered itself off. So I closed it, powered it back on, checked it was working fine (it was) and then opened the phone again… and it instantly powered off. Then I plugged the phone in, closed it, powered it on, it worked, I opened it, it still worked, then I unplugged it, and it powered itself off. Instantly. I couldn’t use the phone when opened. 

The fact that something inside the phone broke wasn’t the problem. Things happen, phones break, I get that. It’s what happened after that I just couldn’t bear to ever stomach again.

 

Long story short, Samsung placed the burden of fixing the device on me, the customer. And refused to use my Care+, that I had been paying for since day one, because I was still under the Manufacturer’s warranty for another month.

 

First they sent me to a service center that didn’t service Fold 4 phones, then I talked to no less than 8 different service reps, and then they wanted me to ship the phone to them so they could “look at it” before confirming if I needed a replacement. They were like “don’t you have a second phone?” And mind you, my phone is also my car key. My response was, that I’d be more than happy to ship my phone to them… right after they shipped a replacement phone to me first. They refused. 

At this point, the only way I could initiate Care+ was if I “accidentally” broke the phone myself. And since a replacement phone was only a $100 fee, I was like fuck it. I called up Care+, said I had broken my phone and would like my next day replacement. The rep said sure, it would just be the $100… plus a $900 hold. He said because people were abusing the policy, they updated the contract for 2023. Problem is, my contract is from 2022, and I checked - there’s no mention of a hold in the contract. If I didn’t send my broken phone back within a specific amount of time, I would be charged in full, but nothing up front outside of the $100. 

He refused. Just like every other Samsung rep I had talked to, they did everyone their power to NOT do their job.

 

After working with my closest Assurant center for about a week, they replaced every screen and the entire hinge mechanism. As soon as I got my phone back, it, along with my Watch 5 Pro, were up on Swappa to be sold and I was already back on iPhone. 

What happens in the same scenario with Apple when you’re under warranty? You walk into an Apple Store, and walk out with a new/refurbished phone. No questions asked. That’s customer service. 

So, even though I preferred the Fold 4, I’m happy with the peace of mind knowing if something goes wrong, Apple’s there for me. Well, that and the puffy stickers in iOS 17. 

 

Good to know.

 

That said, I don't trust Samsung support for shit. I just preordered my Z Fold 5 through T-Mobile since they've been very amenable over the years I've been with them. My ex could barely make it a year without breaking her phones because she couldn't be assed to stop carrying them in her back pocket and forgetting they were there. Just imagine a phone lasting about 9-10 months before breaking the screen. Drove me up the wall.

 

Meanwhile, my two phones are a Samsung S21 Ultra that's as good as new and a first gen, fold flat RAZR that I've had since it launched back in early 2020. My experience is either I've been supernaturally lucky with my RAZR or that folks on the Internet are a bit more careless with their phones than they're want to admit. The interior screen in my RAZR was perfect until just a few months ago when the fold marks started becoming more noticable. I'm not talking about the center crease, but small lines above and below it where the screen gets stretched so it doesn't actually fold perfectly flat since these OLED screens can't literally fold flat. Even then, it's only noticable at certain angles.

 

 

The powder coat on the hinges has come off from all the opening and closing the screen in this older phone is rated for 200k folds and I haven't been opening and closing it 200 times a day for the last few years. I can't capture a picture of the screen creases. Worst I have to deal with is a phone that didn't last all day since 74% is my new full battery.

 

Random aside, I will say, I like the way Motorola does this. By default, Apple underclocks your CPU to keep degraded batteries lasting the same length of time. By default, Samsung says fuck you, and now your 100% no longer lasts the same amount of time. Motorola, instead defaults to just lowering your max charge. At one point my RAZR would not charge past 90%, then 80%, and now it won't charge past 74%. If I factory wipe it, it'll charge back up to "100%", but very quickly realize that's bullshit and drop the max charge percentage down to match real world chemistry.

 

Anyway, I imagine my luck with a larger exterior screen with an interior screen also rated for 200k folds would do me just fine. I literally just want it for watching videos and reading comics. The outside screen can be for everything else. I just need to be sure to keep it away from the kids. I did have another folding phone they broke in 5 minutes, the Surface Duo. That phone is two separate screens and they still managed to destroy it.

[TwinIon]

I still really like the idea of a folding phone, but I haven't actually tried one out yet. On the one hand I use my phone far less than most, using my iPad while I'm at home almost exclusively. So maybe I'd actually enjoy the a big Fold that is more like a small tablet when opened. On the other hand, since I don't use my phone as much, a Flip seems good, but I'm not actually convinced it's an easier form factor to put in my pocket, and since I already have a smart watch, the outside screens feel superfluous.

 

There were years that I carried two or more phones, so maybe I just need to go back to that and give these phones a real life try to see what actually suits me.

[Kal-El814]

I like the idea of a phone that’s smaller and unfolds but every flip phone I’d ever used back in the day had the hinge get fucked at some point, and I was obviously using those phones much less than a smartphone.

[Ghost_MH]

I mostly want a more tablet-sized device I can store in my pocket. I'll be using the external screen for 80-90% of my phone time. Issue is that I don't use my own tablets often because it's just something else to carry around while chasing the kids. I have three tablets here in my home office, alone. I've never been able to figure out a convenient place to store them, away from kids, when I need to get up and chase my daughter off the dining room table or quickly take my 10yo dog outside when she's begging to pee and I don't want her elderly bladder emptying out right in front of the door.

 

I just haven't bothered and instead opted for the biggest screen I can get on an Ultra-sized Galaxy.

[Emblazon]

I absolutely prefer the dimensions of the Fold over something like the Pixel. I don’t want an outside screen that’s more useable, if you want that, get a slab phone. I love that the Fold is truly one handed when closed. The keyboard can be a bit tricky to use, unless you use swipe exclusively. I’d say I used my Fold open probably about 80% of the time. It was a pocket tablet for me. 
 

And the multitasking! Whoa baby! Technically, you can have as many apps open at once as you like, but 5 is the usable limit. I frequently had FB, a baseball game, and an Instagram chat open at once, then popped out the calculator as a fourth app floating on top. Zero performance hit. I hate that the Pro Max has zero multitasking. Outside of having a video playing while using the phone. Why the Pixel is limited to two apps automatically makes that a no buy. 
 

I also loved that the fingerprint reader was the sleep/wake button. It’s instant. 
 

I could go on and on about the Fold… but there’s also things I definitely prefer about the iPhone (other than the customer support). And the Watch Ultra really is in a class of its own. 
 

Anyway, enjoy the Fold 5! Here’s to hoping Apple releases a folding phone some time in the next decade. Lol. 

[Ghost_MH]

30 minutes ago, Emblazon said:

The keyboard can be a bit tricky to use, unless you use swipe exclusively.

 

My time has come. I still have a no longer worth anything license for Swype that I bought way back when.

[stepee]

I’m pretty convinced I might get a fold 5 when I get back. My battery life is HORRIBLE now, hate how that happens after a couple years. I feel rly weird leaving ios behind after like a decade and a half of it being the main thing I use throughout the day tho

[TwinIon]

I walked into a store and handled the Fold 5 for a few minutes and that aspect ratio is really odd in person, both folded and unfolded. Without actually using the device for a while I can't definitively argue it's a bad aspect ratio, but it's jarring when grabbing it for the first time. Folded it feels too narrow, but that's probably not a big deal. When open it still feels too tall. As someone that uses a tablet in landscape all the time, the Pixel looks like a much more natural or familiar screen size to me. Unfortunately, my local Best Buy is undergoing renovations and they didn't have a Pixel Fold to play with.

 

 

The Fold 5 was a nice looking and feeling piece of hardware. Samsung is good at making high end devices feel high end. I feel increasingly compelled to give one of these folding phones a try, just because it's such a cool gadget. I feel like my opinions on screen size would quickly be determined by my actual use cases for the thing, which I can't say I already have in mind. Makes it kinda hard to justify the price just to give a whirl.

[best3444]

I really need to upgrade to an S23 Ultra. I've been rocking this S9 for too long.