The world of smartphones has undergone significant changes with the introduction of foldable devices. These innovative phones have been gaining attention lately, and their impact on the market is undeniable. The author, who recently hosted an LTX Expo, witnessed firsthand how people are drawn to these devices. "Lots of the people had them there," the author said, "but even then, the effect was clear. People constantly wanted to talk to me about it, and I even saw other attendees just explaining their folding phones to people." The author's experience at the expo highlights the excitement surrounding foldable phones.
One of the unique features of these devices is their ability to seamlessly switch between phone and tablet modes. This functionality has been a long time coming, and the author notes that it's one of the first times in recent years where they've seen anything remotely exciting in phone design. "It's like we've gone full swing the other way," the author said, "where it's just boring." The introduction of foldable phones offers a refreshing change from the usual designs, which can be hard to use.
The author also highlighted some of the downsides of owning a foldable phone. For instance, replacing the screen protector is becoming increasingly necessary due to the center eventually bubbling up and cracking. Elijah, a colleague from the logistics department, recently had to remove his screen protector because it cracked. Similarly, after removing the screen protector on the author's own foldable, they were too lazy to replace it, and soon the screen itself started to crack.
Another issue with foldable phones is their size. The Google Pixel Fold is significantly smaller than other smartphones, making it easy to fit in pockets. However, this tiny device is also thicker and heavier than average smartphones. This can make them less comfortable to carry around, especially for those who prefer thinner devices.
Finally, the author noted that software issues can be a problem with foldable phones. One game that they want to play on their folding device doesn't work properly, and it's a free app that costs money. The author expresses frustration at this issue, highlighting the need for better user experience.
The article also mentions the 3D Experience Solidworks for Makers, which is a sponsor of the video. This software allows makers, hobbyists, or tinkerers to use Solidworks and other digital tools to create and work on projects. The author notes that this software offers affordable access to powerful design tools, with discounts available for those who sign up.
In conclusion, foldable phones have opened up a new world of possibilities in the smartphone market. While they offer many benefits, such as the ability to seamlessly switch between phone and tablet modes, there are also some downsides to consider. The article highlights some of these issues, including screen protector replacement, size, and software problems. However, for those who value innovation and user experience, foldable phones may be worth considering.
As a final note, the author recalls a video they created nine years ago on the Galaxy Mega, which walked so much that it was hard to use. The author pokes fun at their own past mistakes, saying "This is not how you talk on this phone." They also mention another cringe-worthy video from their past, which might be amusing for those who enjoyed the first one.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enThe trend toward larger and larger phone screenscannot be stopped and something needs to be done.I mean, it's clear at this pointthat you all would keep a tablet in your pocketif you could, but you can't.Well, okay, you can, but there's a wrong way to do thatand there's a right way.I'm gonna be talking about my experiencesdaily driving a folding phone over the last three yearsbecause I have a lot to say about it,including some bad stuff, though with that said,obviously I can't seem to put these things down.So I think it's high time that I sat downand gave you all the reasons that I thinkyou just might want to consider a foldable,even if you consider it and ultimatelydo not pull the trigger.But you should pull the trigger on supporting our sponsor.Solidworks, 3D experience Solidworks for makersdelivers professional grade design toolsfor your hobbies, personal projects,experimental prototypes you can't letthe government discover and more.Check them out at the link below.Starting with number one,it's a tablet that fits in your pocket.Actually, no, that's very obvious.So let's move on to something less obviousif you've never used one of these.I do this all the freaking time.Ah, ah, and it's useful for more than just the flashlight.How about if you want to take a timed picture, for example.Now, instead of trying to find some random thingto lean your phone up againstand then hope it doesn't tip the wrong wayand come crashing to the ground,you can just turn the whole device into its own stand.Or if that's not necessary for youand you don't mind holding your phone,there's reason number two, ha ha,taking selfies where you can actually see the previewon the front screen while taking advantageof the more robust rear camera.No more trade-offs between image qualityand making sure that you've got your shot framed right.I mean, don't get me wrong.To keep these things as thin as possible,they don't always have the best cameras aroundcompared to slab phones, but they're solidas long as you just make sure that you don't drop themin the process of taking your picture.A downside of foldables in generalis that especially if you have smaller hands,they can be just a little bit unwieldy.With that said, for folks with bigger hands,advantage number three comes in clutch, the extra width.If you're the kind of person who strugglesto type on your phone without turning it sideways,you are going to love having all of this thumb spacewithout losing your chat to the keyboardand needing to scroll back upand reread the last few messagesbefore you finish typing your reply.Everything is just right there.And speaking of chatting,number four is that folds are fantastic for messaging apps.You get more of a, I don't know how to describe itother than to say a desktop-like experiencewhere you can both see your current conversationand interact with someone and also your contacts listor your other recent conversations.Wanna search for a phone number to text someonewithout closing your current chat?No problem.Can't remember who sent you that funny memethat you wanna pass along?Search away all without going offlineto whoever you're actively chatting with,whether it's Teams, WhatsApp, Discord,I mean, everything is just plain a richer experienceon a fold, which I guess kind of goes without sayinggiven how much they cost off contract.That would be a downside,but we'll get into that a little bit more later.You know what's free?Doom scrolling social media apps like Reddit, Instagram,or Twitter, which, oh, sorry,I am apparently legally obligated to call it X now.Anywho, with a foldable, you can, number five,double your doom scrolling powerand use split screen to get two candy bar size appsgoing at the same time.It's not perfect.Things can get a little cramped,but it is certainly better than not having the optionand when it works perfectly, it is pretty dang sweet.Kind of like our adorable and compactnew stubby LTT screwdriver, lttstore.com.Ooh, another here's one you didn't think ofis retro content.Man, I get so much use out of this.Whether you wanna emulate older gamesor watch episodes of your favorite classic TV showswithout the visual gags freaking cut off, it's awesome.I mean, okay, six by five isn't quite four by three,but it's at the point where those annoying black barsaren't nearly as annoying.And if you wanna watch more modern 16 by nine content,the larger screen still helpswhether it fits perfectly or not.Bringing us to our next advantage,the screen, it is huge.And there are a ton of ways that this is useful.This is actually more like three or four different points.I mean, looking at Google maps, reading comics or manga,even just for text reading.I kid you not guys, I legitimately started reading moreonce I switched to a fold.Oh, oh, and the productivity.It is great for spreadsheetsand greater for remote desktop access.Like I can have like my whole monitor up, it's awesome.There are certain activities where more screenis more better, full stop.One that comes up very frequently for meis sharing pictures and videos with my elderly relatives.All I gotta do is crank the brightness,whip open my pocket tablet,and they can actually see their grandkids dance performanceinstead of like smiling and nodding.Then when I'm done, I slip it into my pocket.Good luck doing that with a tablet.Oh, okay, yes, yes, yes.But I don't look ridiculous right now.Speaking of tablets, while foldables are notoriousfor not being perfectly flat, number eight is still valid.There is plenty of space to draw or take notes on them.And being in your pocket means that you are much more likelyto have one on hand compared to your full setupif the urge to doodle strikes you.And it's that versatilitythat I love so much about these things.Like how about number nine?I'm not often the kind of parent to hand my kids a deviceto keep them quiet.But for my daughters, with a foldable,they can both draw on the same canvasor the same color by numbers sheet,which actually leads me to number 10, two-player games.Again, I'm not super down with phones during family time,especially at the table.But the problem is not that I'm allergicto screens or something.Thank goodness, right?Woo, I'm not allergic to screens.It's the asocial aspect.So I don't mind if they're playing a game with each other,and I can't even count the number of timesthat we've whipped out the aptly named two-players appto kill some time while we wait for food to arrive.And it is so much betterif you're gonna have two hands on the screento have it be a bigger one so we can sit and playwithout being buried in our separate devices.Finally, number 11 is more of a bonus round kind of thing.But it's funny, even several generations into these things,they are pretty unusualand they are an instant conversation starter.We just hosted our LTX Expo, and surprise, surprise,lots of the people had them there,but even then the effect was clear.People constantly wanted to talk to me about it,and I even saw other attendeesjust explaining their folding phones to people.They're just plain cool.I mean, it's one of the first times in yearsthat we've seen anything remotely exciting in phone design.A couple of decades ago,I mean, companies were trying everything to stand outand do something differentwhile also offering desirable features.But most of the time then,it just seemed to make the device hard to use.And now we've gone full swing the other waywhere it's just boring.With a foldable, you really are getting the best of both,the phone and tablet worlds.And if you can look like a cool baller doing it,congrats, I guess.I mean, I've never really managed to pull that off.Though of course, I'm not done yet.I've got a few more downsidesthat came up in some of the instant conversationsthat I started with my foldable at LTX.How many of you out there with a candy barreplace your screen protector every six to 12 months?No, not many of you?Well, with one of these bad boys, that may be necessary.Like me, Elijah from our logistics departmentrecently had to remove hisbecause the center eventually bubbled up and cracked.Like mine, his still worked fine,but I mean, who spends this kind of money on a phoneto have it look gross and crusty?And we've seen a bunch of reports from otherswho have experienced the same thing.Actually, I had some people at LTX walk up to meand show them as well.On top of that, after removing the screen protectoron my own foldable, I was too lazy to replace it,so I'm just running it bare,eventually the screen itself started to crack.And since I just can't go backto a regular candy bar at this point,I am now that guy daily driving a cracked screenunless I wanna replace the whole thing.I can't speak for the newer generation panels,but that's the experience that I had with mine,which is a couple of generations old.Another issue is much more obvious.We talked about how you can fit more screen in your pocketsince these tend to be shorter,especially the Google Pixel Fold.This thing is like, it's tiny.It's also significantly thickerthan your average smartphone these days,and it's pretty heavy to boot.Finally, we've touched on this before,but it bears repeating.The software can have the odd issue.One of the two player gamesthat I would like to play on my folding device,doesn't work, it's this free checkers app,and they are expensive.I personally love using folds,but they are not for everyone.So I hope this video helps you make an informed decision.Just like how I'm going to inform you about our sponsor.Solidworks, if you're a maker, hobbyist, or tinkerer,put your tinklers together for the new affordable wayto use Solidworks and so much more.3D Experience Solidworks for Makersincludes the digital tools you needfor your hobbies and personal projects.And you can save 20% off the usual $99 a yearor $9.99 a month, access everything you needto create anything you can imagine.Anything?Anything?Use both locally installed and browser-based toolsfor designing, fabricating, and rendering.Access dedicated online supportto help with any questions you may have.And connect with an active design communityfull of fellow makers where you can connect,share your work, get tips, and become inspired.Please note, 3D Experience Solidworks for Makersis not for commercial useand limited to a maximum of 2,000 USD profit per year.Elevate your maker game on your termswithout compromise and within your means.Save 20% today at the link below.If you guys enjoyed this video,maybe you'll also enjoy this cringe videoI did nine years ago on the Galaxy Mega.Remember the Mega?It walked so that this thing could run.This is not how you talk on this on the phone.\n"
