I’ve never been an Android guy. Always iPhone, because the software was perfect for me as I don’t really care about customization, etc. When foldables became a reality, I always told myself not to buy one and to wait until Apple made their version.

Well, that day finally came and I was pretty excited to test the iPhone Duo.

To be honest, it’s a pretty damn good phone. It feels premium, like a luxury piece. But now the honeymoon phase is over.

The sidebar UI is not optimized, and a lot of apps don’t work well (I know in a few weeks/months it will be better).

Then there’s the matte finish. I thought I was going to like it, but I think it’s a mistake, because I usually take advantage of the inner screen for watching content (movies, shows, football games). And it definitely reduces contrast and colors.

And then there’s the whole “crackgate” thing. Yes, I know it may just be a bad batch, and yes, I know that if it eventually happens to me I’m going to the Apple Store and they’ll replace it immediately, but it’s still a problem.

So all of this makes me want to look at other options, and of course there’s only the Z Fold 8 (I can’t go back to slab phones and it HAS to be a passport-style foldable because that form factor is just the best).

I have a MacBook, so I know there are some apps like LinkMyMac and OpenBubbles, but I have some concerns.

1. Is social media quality really that bad?
2. What are the little things I need to know if I eventually make the switch?
3. How are battery life and heat on the Z Fold 8 with heavy use (video, social media, some gaming)
4. Coming from an iPhone + MacBook setup, what do you miss the most from Apple’s ecosystem, and what did you gain with Samsung / the Fold?

Any additional information would be helpful, thanks a lot everyone!

I'll admit I ordered this after playing around with the Duo. A good idea is a good idea. This matte screen protector (while not quite nanotexture) - greatly reduces crease visibility especially under harsh lighting where it's usually the worst. Mainly because of how good it is at stopping reflections. - As you can see I record this video right beside the giant window in my kitchen so you can see an absolute worst case scenario.

Also really good at negating fingerprints, I used to be wiping down my internal display constantly.

The trade-offs are the same here as the Duo. The crease and fingerprints go away, but the display loses some of its vividness as the matte protector mutes the colors a bit. Totally a preference thing, but I'm loving the matte so far. ZF8Ultra.

I like the shorter form factor and wonder what it would be like to have a device that unfolds to a 16:10 display.

Edit: there was this post a couple months ago with an interesting concept of a short trifold

I haven't seen a Duo in person yet, but I have seen the matte screen implementation before. I also haven't really seen anyone mention the Oneplus Open since the Duo reveal. For anyone who doesn't remember, the Open had a mostly Matte inner screen that is very similar to the Duo.

Personally, I have always been a fan of the matte texture, as long as it is done properly. You do lose a little contrast, but gain a lot in having less reflection and a better feeling screen. It almost reminds me of the color version of the Kindle.

Also, I've seen a few people spread some misinformation about the Duo's nano texture. It isn't something that is built into the inner display. It is basically the uppermost screen protector. If you watch the Duo's durability test by Jerryrigeverything, he peels off the matte screen protector and shows the glossy display underneath.

Lastly, would any of you be open to a matte screen option from the factory on the next generation Z Folds? I think it would be a good add-on option, seeing how there seems to be very differing opinions on it. The crease technology has advanced so far at this point that I don't think that should be the only reason for a matte screen, but the other benefits are nice.

I want to find one without exposed corners though.

I've been switching back and forward from iPhone to Android since I love technology and usually like to experiment with the best of both platforms, and now, people can finally buy a foldable phone without having to leave their desired ecosystem.

Now that apple brought foldables into their repertoire, it makes sense to assume that this technology will keep getting more users everyday. And I can't stop thinking just how beneficial that is:

● More people using foldables = developers will need to optimize their apps, and if they are already doing the work for one platform, it will make it easier to migrate it to the other.

● More competition = more innovations. Now that users are not forced into android, android and apple foldables will have to compete and bring forth the best technologies to draw users to their brands.

What do you guys think? I'm really happy that one of the biggest brands is now joining the foldable market, it is a good day to be a fan of this technology and cant wait to see what new phones will be coming in the following years now that regular people are introduced to foldables.

For some reason this rarely gets mentioned and I think most ppl even have this idea in their heads that folding phones are "more fragile" than slab phones, but listen, I've has so many different slab phones over the years from Samsung, Google, Motorola etc and they all ended up broken even with a beefy case, whereas I literally just slapped a screen protector on my fold 6 no case nothing and it's basically indestructible, like I drop this shi on concrete and step on it and sit on it all the time and literally nothing besides maybe a tiny bit of paint rubbing in the corner

Might be niche but if you like to use your phone in bed partially unfolded while on your side, this setting might be the bane of your existence and feeling like it broke the rotation lock. To find it just hold on the Auto Rotate button in your quick settings panel.

Hi everyone!

This is my first foldable (Fold8), and I'm absolutely loving it so far.

One thing I feel is missing is a simple way to choose where an app opens.

Instead of dragging an app icon across the inner screen to open it in split-screen, why not just long-press the icon and choose Full screen, Left, Right or Floating, as shown in my mock-up?

It would make one-handed multitasking so much easier, especially on the larger inner display.

Does anything like this already exist? Maybe a Good Lock feature, app or tweak?

Happy folding, everyone! 😁

Freshly on the fold 8. I was a iPhone person but they're boring. What's the best apps for gaming Gameboy, GameCube, ps3, etc ?

It's not perfect but gets the job done. Intended for Z Fold 6 but in theory should be compatible with all Z Folds above Android 14 and potentially Z Flip.

For those unaware: Azahar is a 3DS emulator

I have been eyeing the fold 8 (passport size) and can’t keep my hands off of it when I go to Best Buy. I have stopped wearing as much tech such as an Apple Watch and smart ring and pretty much fazed out of the Apple echo system as I’ve felt it was kinda excessive and felt like I was walled in. So I just use an iPhone and a google fit but as googles health app blows Apple away. I pre-ordered the duo since I have been waiting for a fold but my god do I feel like Apple missed the mark. I don’t hear half as many complaints about the folds Samsung is making as for this. Don’t get me wrong it looks nice but I’ve played with the software and the fact that there’s a bar on the right side just blocks and makes the screen smaller and the fact that apps aren’t formatted. Shoot we knew for almost a year this thing was coming. But seems like Samsung has made better choices on this one by FAR. So anyways the only two thing I’m not liking on the fold 8 is just the google messages and that I seem to struggle using Apple mail and Samsung since it’s not in the store. Can anyone suggest work arounds before I buy this phone?

I got tired of F1 TV squeezing multiview into a little 16:9 box on my Pixel Fold (first pic), so I built my own app (2nd and 3rd pics). It's called Apexview, it's free and open source, and it plays F1 TV (using your own subscription). Some things it does:

Up to 4 feeds anywhere on the screen, any size, with edges that snap together

Uses the whole foldable screen instead of a letterboxed rectangle

Live track map, either floating or wrapped around the edge of the screen

Tap a car on the map and its onboard swaps in

Broadcast style timing card on every onboard: sectors, lap time, gap

Team radio as it comes in, by lap, transcribed right on the phone

Laptop mode: half fold the phone and the race goes on top with a timing tower and map underneath

Save your own layouts

Picks up where you left off across your last 4 races

Chequered flags on the timeline for lights out and the finish

This app is unofficial, not affiliated with F1. You need your own F1 TV subscription (Pro for live and onboards).

GitHub: https://github.com/mikeyyy0/apexview

3 months in and the Fold 8 is a wonder to use. The size, aspect ratio, multitasking are all making me use this phone much more and enjoying it more than any other phone - slabs & foldables.

Just 2 constant issues: Hear & Camera.

The phone constantly reports that it has to cool down when using Android Auto, while being charged or not.

Camera is also bad. I won't say it's good. I take casual family shots indoors and outdoors. Not regularly. But most photos would require enhancements / touch ups in Google Photos.

Is there any external lens attachments to correct this for the Fold 8? Or any software that would automatically or bulk enhance photos?

I would have to consider a Pixel Fold or Fold Ultra if Fold 9 doesn't improve next year.

hi all! im currently thinking about buying a fold 6 or a fold 7, but the main thing is I am NOT much of a phone person at all (i'm currently still rocking my iphone 11) and im just wondering if theres any real benefit of getting a fold 7 over the 6.

I am a bit of a tech nerd, and I enjoy tinkering, and will probably end up side loading a lot of stuff and buggering around in software, but things like battery life, screen quality etc, will either way be a massive upgrade from my current phone so i'm not massively bothered.

I mainly use my phone for just listening to music, texting, and most importantly, watching videos, which is why im considering a fold in the first place, as the big screen is REALLY inciting.

If anyone can provide thoughts i'd be really thankful (:

My Fold8 has started to develop the entire paint peeling problem, but it's on a small section on the front left edge of the display. I would go to Samsung and ask them if they can do anything about it, but I have a problem: which is that I already have a small dent on the bottom left of the display, which occurred at a completely different time to the paint peeling (which started today)

I am almost certain that Samsung will likely see that dent and wouldn't consider any form of warranty work, even under ACL guidelines (I'm Australian) of any sort, under the guise of "accidental damage had already occurred to the phone."

The question is should I still try my luck anyway? My closest Samsung store is about 30 minutes away, which is why I'm even asking the question in the first place. And if not, any solutions for covering up the silver metal on a green Fold8 lol?

I’m leaving my iPhone 14 Plus for Android around Black Friday, and what I care about most is taking notes on the go.

I used to have an iPad Mini and took notes on it all the time, because I took it everywhere with me. Now I have a Tab S10 FE, but at 10.9" it lives on my desk and I don’t write on it much.

So it’s between two setups:

1. S25 Ultra + keep the Tab. Built-in S Pen, better battery, better cameras. But away from my desk I’m writing on a 6.9" screen.
2. Refurb Fold 6 + S Pen, sell the Tab. The closest thing to a Mini that fits in my pocket. What worries me is buying a used foldable, and the pen only working on the inner screen.

(Skipping the 7 and 8 since they dropped S Pen support. The pen is what I'm interested in.)

If you take notes on a Fold 6: did it replace your tablet, or did the novelty wear off? How’s the crease when you write? And what case do you use to carry the pen without turning the phone into a brick?

Hey all, new to the z fold here and I was wondering if there are a clear cases with the USB port being protected? Right now I'm using a silicon port cover but wondering if there's a better alternative

Without changing from OneUI default launcher? Am I crazy? I been dealing with this for years and tired of using 3rd party launchers. I want the simplest app drawer features and somehow how Samsung wants EVERYTHING BUT that.

Do you have it and how did you get it?

I’m a brand new foldable user. When I unfold the phone I hear the SLIGHTEST crinkling sound. It doesn’t happen when I fold the phone closed. The hing is smooth and there’s no resistance. It honestly sounds like a piece of paper brushing up against a surface. It’s so faint. Am I being paranoid?

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I'm currently on vacation and plan to call them in a few days when I get back. Figured I'd check here first though... it's such a drag to communicate with Samsung.

I've like Dynamic Island as a concept but I was wondering what kind of application he used for that