Phones Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

[Ludatyk]

Thats sad to hear, it's certainly an issue which can happen. Guessing no drops or anything? luckily I've not had any issue.

I do worry though as I did drop mine once with no damage but just hope long term nothing happens

I had an issue awhile back with my Fold 2... dead pixel, it was near/on the crease.

Got it repaired and I haven't looked back since, I completely understand that there is an inherent fear when it comes to unfolding the device. I guess I apply the logic of "fool me once, shame on you... fool me twice, shame on me."

God forbid, if something happened to this Fold 4 (since I'm on a new generation), I'll get it replaced/repaired... but I personally wouldn't let one incident rule me out. But I can't fault anyone who don't share my same logic.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I had an issue awhile back with my Fold 2... dead pixel, it was near/on the crease.

Got it repaired and I haven't looked back since, I completely understand that there is an inherent fear when it comes to unfolding the device. I guess I apply the logic of "fool me once, shame on you... fool me twice, shame on me."

God forbid, if something happened to this Fold 4 (since I'm on a new generation), I'll get it replaced/repaired... but I personally wouldn't let one incident rule me out. But I can't fault anyone who don't share my same logic.

It can happen with any phone and the extra free coverage you normally get with Folds but otherwise have to pay with other OEM's should elevate most concerns IMO

 

[Ludatyk]

It can happen with any phone and the extra free coverage you normally get with Folds but otherwise have to pay with other OEM's should elevate most concerns IMO

True, damages can occur to any phone... but to play devils advocate the Fold is just not any phone.

Has a higher price tag than any phone in the market and in addition to that... the idea of unfolding which that's what it's marketed to do can cause potential damage is a tough pill to swallow.

 

[blairh]

Well my love for the Z Fold 4 has come to an abrupt end unfortunately, as of 2 days ago the inner screen decided to fail on me without warning black line all the way down the centre & I've babied this phone :/, luckily I got a year free Samsung care with this phone & is now currently with Samsung to get fixed, also i didn't have any issues with Samsung customer service in the UK.

When i get the phone back it going up for sale or might trade it in at Samsung towards a S23 Ultra & cut my losses, i have no trust anymore in foldables, because i have a feeling the inner screen will probably go again at some point in another 6 or 7 months.

Luckily i have a backup iPhone SE 2020 to use until i get the phone back.

I think I'll be skipping the next few gens of foldables.

I'm really sorry this happened. I've been keeping a close eye on the GalaxyFold subreddit and it's kinda shocking how often people post pics of their broken inner screen without a drop. The issue is further enhanced when some people send their phones to Samsung and they claim the damage is not under warranty for whatever reason.

I definitely feel a foldable is still very much a risky purchase sadly.

 

[SteveJUAE]

True, damages can occur to any phone... but to play devils advocate the Fold is just not any phone.

Has a higher price tag than any phone in the market and in addition to that... the idea of unfolding which that's what it's marketed to do can cause potential damage is a tough pill to swallow.

Yes, but to use a car analogy if you own a sports car you are statistically more likely to have a crash and your insurance premium reflects this

The difference with Samsung is that extra insurance is free for most or at least subsidized

So yes more risk but you are covered

 

[Ixon2001]

The phone was never dropped come think of it I've never dropped any of my past phones, it happened with no warning no funny cracking sound or anything opened it up and was greeted to a inky black line.

Honestly I've lost all faith in foldable phone, i don't want this to happen again which it more likely might after the Samsung Care runs out & trying to get it sorted again just with the standard warranty which is 2 years in the UK.

 

[hockeyfan81]

The phone was never dropped come think of it I've never dropped any of my past phones, it happened with no warning no funny cracking sound or anything opened it up and was greeted to a inky black line.

Honestly I've lost all faith in foldable phone, i don't want this to happen again which it more likely might after the Samsung Care runs out & trying to get it sorted again just with the standard warranty which is 2 years in the UK.

Sounds something similar that happened with my sister's Fold 3.

 

[The Game 161]

I will be honest if my screen did break and was refused to be fixed free I would likely not bother getting it fixed. If it’s 600-800 to be fixed then for me it wouldn’t be worth it. I would just get another ipad mini.

 

[Awesomesince86]

The phone was never dropped come think of it I've never dropped any of my past phones, it happened with no warning no funny cracking sound or anything opened it up and was greeted to a inky black line.

Honestly I've lost all faith in foldable phone, i don't want this to happen again which it more likely might after the Samsung Care runs out & trying to get it sorted again just with the standard warranty which is 2 years in the UK.

It’s pretty common with foldables unfortunately. It’s likely that some dust got into the hinge and behind the screen.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I will be honest if my screen did break and was refused to be fixed free I would likely not bother getting it fixed. If it’s 600-800 to be fixed then for me it wouldn’t be worth it. I would just get another ipad mini.

Its around $500 which is cheaper than the rear case of the Iphone 14 Pro max that are also often broken and that is just a bit of glass

 

[Ludatyk]

Its around $500 which is cheaper than the rear case of the Iphone 14 Pro max that are also often broken and that is just a bit of glass

I understand comparing the price between Apple and Samsung, but in this case…. if I unfold my Galaxy Fold to have it damaged.

And Samsung refuse to repair for free when I’m within warranty period… that’s an issue. Now, if I dropped my Galaxy Fold and it caused damaged… now that’s a different story.

 

[Ixon2001]

I think when i get it back I'm going to trade it in with Samsung I'll get £750 for it towards a S23 Ultra, which tbh is not that great considering how much this phone cost's new, looking on eBay etc as a price reference they all seem to be going for under £900 used, looks like the Fold 4 like other Samsung phone's doesn't hold it value well.

Also yesterday I managed to pick up a used silver Tab S8 128GB for £300 of FB market which looks brand new along with the slim keyboard, it's former owner said she never really used it much & been sat in it's box for the past 3 months, the tablet only 8 months old as she gave me the receipt for it as well.

Over the past few day's I really been missing not having a tablet, hence why i bought the Tab S8.

 

[Davidkoh]

Been contemplating going over to the fold again (I actually even have an order in for a Fold 4 that will arrive today). But I've started having second thoughts already and thinking of returning it straight away so I don't have to trade my iPhone 14 Pro Max in.

Right now and for around 6 months longer I will not be leaving my home that much (except for some hospital visits), and while at home it feels like having a fold will actually be worse than my 14 Pro Max and iPad Mini combined. Smaller screen than the iPad mini for the odd YouTube while eating lunch (plus the mini always have the cover for easy standing up) and less good to just pick up to turn on a light in home assistant than the iPhone. So I am thinking maybe it would be good to hold off until the Fold 5 comes out since I'd probably want to switch to that regardless given the rumours of it being 13 mm thick when folded.

Last time I had the Fold 2 the standby time wasn't that great so even though I didn't use it that much it kept draining and needed charging every day regardless. Is that something that is fixed now?

Overall it is hard to leave the Apple ecosystem as is with missing iMessage, Apple Watch, AirPods Pro, ebooks/apps locked in to Apple, easy integration to my MacBook Pro (which long term could probably be replaced with a Tab S8+ or S9+ when it comes out). So when I do make the switch I'd probably want as little friction as possible in the other areas.

 

[Ixon2001]

Update on the Fold 4 they going to replace it rather than fix it apparently the parts they need are out of stock, probably means the inner screen.

So I'm guessing I'll probably get a refurb back now then, which tbh doesn't matter as I'll be trading it in as soon as it arrives, possibly early next week.

I think I'll give it another 3 or 4 years before considering a foldable phone again, because i like the concept & convenience of having both a smartphone & tablet in one.

 

[Mellofello808]

I hate having to worry about my phone randomly breaking, and having to pay Samsung $12 a month just to make sure they will honor the warranty.

 

[The Game 161]

I hate having to worry about my phone randomly breaking, and having to pay Samsung $12 a month just to make sure they will honor the warranty.

I will be honest I’ve used foldables past 2-3 years and never had any issues. Some cases are legit where it breaks for no reason but I think I’m most cases something has happened to cause it even if it’s minor or not.

Been thinking long and hard what I want to do with the amount of devices I’ve got and think 14 pro max and fold 4 will be my phones going forward. I’m finding it tough to justify so many devices as having other android phones just don’t see much point.

Fold 4 can be my work phone for calls and also being my media device watching content on the go and even thinking of using fold 4 in my work gym just to watch content.

I do enjoy the s23 ultra and pixel 7 pro but With the fold 4 I won’t need to be carrying it around as much as if I had the pixel and iPhone. I used pixel over for camera but lately I’ve enjoyed using pro raw and making photos look great that way so photos isn’t as big a deal as pixel does shoot better point and shoot photos.

 

[ofarlig]

I will be honest I’ve used foldables past 2-3 years and never had any issues. Some cases are legit where it breaks for no reason but I think I’m most cases something has happened to cause it even if it’s minor or not.

Been thinking long and hard what I want to do with the amount of devices I’ve got and think 14 pro max and fold 4 will be my phones going forward. I’m finding it tough to justify so many devices as having other android phones just don’t see much point.

Fold 4 can be my work phone for calls and also being my media device watching content on the go and even thinking of using fold 4 in my work gym just to watch content.

I do enjoy the s23 ultra and pixel 7 pro but With the fold 4 I won’t need to be carrying it around as much as if I had the pixel and iPhone. I used pixel over for camera but lately I’ve enjoyed using pro raw and making photos look great that way so photos isn’t as big a deal as pixel does shoot better point and shoot photos.

Wish I could find a use for 2 phones, then I could get the Fold 4 and keep my iPhone. Right now the ecosystem is strong but mostly it is battery life woes I think, whenever I've ran Android before the battery life (and especially standby drain) have become a problem for me.

I am interested in the Fold 4 though and to pair it with a Tab S8+ to replace my MacBook Pro that is mostly used for content consumption and logging into the work VDI, with Dex that could be done easily and even from the Fold 4. When going into the office I could just connect the Fold 4 with USB-C to the docking stations and work from the phone, no need to carry a laptop with me. Maybe if the Fold 5 gets the new SoC the battery life improves so it won't be a problem...

 

[The Game 161]

Wish I could find a use for 2 phones, then I could get the Fold 4 and keep my iPhone. Right now the ecosystem is strong but mostly it is battery life woes I think, whenever I've ran Android before the battery life (and especially standby drain) have become a problem for me.

I am interested in the Fold 4 though and to pair it with a Tab S8+ to replace my MacBook Pro that is mostly used for content consumption and logging into the work VDI, with Dex that could be done easily and even from the Fold 4, When going into the office I could just connect the Fold 4 with USB-C to the docking stations and work from the phone, no need to carry a laptop with me. Maybe if the Fold 5 gets the new SoC the battery life improves so it won't be a problem...

Yeah fold 5 will be one to wait for With SD gen 2. Battery life should be great

 

[ofarlig]

Yeah fold 5 will be one to wait for With SD gen 2. Battery life should be great

Yeah, the rumours of it being thinner when folded also get me excited. Been contemplating making the switch now though and switching again when the Fold 5 comes out just for fun but it might be somewhat of waste to do that. I had the Fold 2 previously and liked it but there were some software annoyances that seem to have been fixed since. How much would you say the battery life has improved between the Fold 2 and Fold 4? Many reviewers report a lot of difference but they are also placing the Fold 2 at much longer runtimes than I ever got.

 

[The Game 161]

Yeah, the rumours of it being thinner when folded also get me excited. Been contemplating making the switch now though and switching again when the Fold 5 comes out just for fun but it might be somewhat of waste to do that. I had the Fold 2 previously and liked it but there were some software annoyances that seem to have been fixed since. How much would you say the battery life has improved between the Fold 2 and Fold 4? Many reviewers report a lot of difference but they are also placing the Fold 2 at much longer runtimes than I ever got.

Yeah certainly better from fold 2. It could be better but it’s above average I would say. Also don’t forget fold 5 will likely be SD gen 2 + so even better than current gen 2

 

[SteveJUAE]

I hate having to worry about my phone randomly breaking, and having to pay Samsung $12 a month just to make sure they will honor the warranty.

There are many users who buy Apple Care or Samsung+ for the same or similar reason that are equally risk adverse and no wonder given the number of posting just on MR where Apple have declined warranty repairs

Personal choice IMO

 

[Ludatyk]

How much would you say the battery life has improved between the Fold 2 and Fold 4? Many reviewers report a lot of difference but they are also placing the Fold 2 at much longer runtimes than I ever got.

I echo @The Game 161 thoughts... battery life is much better than Fold 2.

I actually came from the Fold 2 to Fold 4… the weight is considerably lighter and there’s a better camera. Outer (cover) screen is tolerable to the point I could use it without any annoyances. And, then there’s the S-Pen, which the Fold 2 lacked.

I hate having to worry about my phone randomly breaking, and having to pay Samsung $12 a month just to make sure they will honor the warranty.

Only reason why I‘m paying the $12 a month for Care+ is because I’m planning on keeping it longer than one year standard warranty as well as I’m folding/unfolding it much frequently compared to when I had the Fold 2.

Samsung should honor the warranty if the phone randomly breaks under circumstances that you didn’t cause yourself, because I had a situation where my Fold 2 had a dead pixel and since I was within warranty period… it was handled.

 

[ofarlig]

I echo @The Game 161 thoughts... battery life is much better than Fold 2.

I actually came from the Fold 2 to Fold 4… the weight is considerably lighter and there’s a better camera. Outer (cover) screen is tolerable to the point I could use it without any annoyances. And, then there’s the S-Pen, which the Fold 2 lacked.

Good to hear, gotta think this through again. I've been drawn to the "one device for multiple things" for over 15 years, I was using the Asus PadFone for a while when that came out 10 years ago and so on. The foldables are really cool to use and there's something special in folding the big display up and putting it in your pocket.

The problem I am having with this now is that of course the one device will be a compromise, the iPhone Pro Max's have better battery life while being smaller and the iPads are better at being tablets and so on. When adding that on top of losing the ecosystem it becomes hard to choose for me.

Wish I could make decisions more based on feelings and less on logic, would make me happier.

 

[Ludatyk]

The problem I am having with this now is that of course the one device will be a compromise, the iPhone Pro Max's have better battery life while being smaller and the iPads are better at being tablets and so on. When adding that on top of losing the ecosystem it becomes hard to choose for me.

Wish I could make decisions more based on feelings and less on logic, would make me happier.

I’m using the Fold and iPad. I don’t fall victim to the Fold can replace the tablet group because I simply enjoy having an iPad.

So, I choose both Android/Galaxy and Apple ecosystem… I don’t think it should be an either/or situation. I like the Fold because it’s catered to my preferences (multitasking & stylus support) and the iPhone lacks those features. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone is incredible… but I prefer the Fold.

And when it comes down to the iPad, I believe its the best tablet experience in the market and I like there is an option for cellular support.

 

[ofarlig]

I’m using the Fold and iPad. I don’t fall victim to the Fold can replace the tablet group because I simply enjoy having an iPad.

So, I choose both Android/Galaxy and Apple ecosystem… I don’t think it should be an either/or situation. I like the Fold because it’s catered to my preferences (multitasking & stylus support) and the iPhone lacks those features. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone is incredible… but I prefer the Fold.

And when it comes down to the iPad, I believe its the best tablet experience in the market and I like there is an option for cellular support.

Yeah I guess, except for support for iMessage and such things between the phone and tablet. For me the only tablet I use is my iPad Mini and to replace that would be the entire idea of the Fold, have my mini tablet with me at all times. And as I said with a foldable you will have to compromise there, the screen is less good for watching content due to it having to be smaller and a different aspect ratio.

Don't get me wrong it makes sense that you have to build the device like that but in the end it means I have to choose if I want the cool screen I can fold and put in my pocket or use multiple devices that are better for the sole task they were made for. I think the foldables are devices that sits right in the middle between two device categories and if you try to replace them both there are compromises, but being able to replace them both is the allure for me.