Galaxy Fold 3 - I bought one...

[Frimley111R]

After about 5yrs of a Galaxy S8+, now running SIM only, I needed to get a new phone and none of the normal phones looked/seemed any different to mine tbh. And so, I looked at the Fold 3. And 'ummmed and ahhhhed' about it for a few months, until yesterday.

I bought it as a device only (not on phone contract) from Samsung. They gave me £90 trade in for mine which is more than the prices they are going for on eBay plus a free £179 hardon Kardon smart speaker, Smart Tag, Cover, S-Pen and charger. Yes, it is a pricey bit of kit but if it lasts another 5 yrs it is fine from that viewpoint.

First thoughts after a day or so of use:

• It feels very much like a folding tablet, more than a double phone. A key difference is that you tend to open it up like a little book to view things. The front screen is good but quite narrow compared to a normal phone. I tend to use it for a quick glance at stuff only.
• It does fit in your pocket but is a bit thicker so if you have tight trousers it may be a bit of a squeeze.
• It is quite a bit heavier than my S8+. This is fine but in the summer with lighter clothing the weight will be an issue.
• It feels very high quality.
• You can't see the screen fold once open, it looks like one continuous screen. It’s very good indeed. You tend to see the fold when viewing from the side for example but this means other’s can see it but from the front, as a user, it is invisible.

So far so good and it is about the biggest step in how phones feel and are used since the advent of modern touch screen smart phones. It feels a bit odd at the moment but after 10 years of standard smart phones this is inevitable. I am sure that over time it will feel very familiar.

I'll update as I go for anyone else who is ummming and ahhhhing

[LordFlathead]

I think it's an amazing feat of technology and will probably be superseded before it wears out. I'd like one too but fear of getting mugged when using it is a real factor.

Crackheads break into your house for £50 so a £1500 phone is easy picking providing you're not a well built company director

[AJB88]

I might be tempted by a flip phone in the future but the fold I dont think I'd use it.

[SeanyD]

Expecting my delivery 2:30 to 3:30 this afternoon. Ordered online through vodafone, which seemingly fast-tracks the 2-3 week waiting list the stores have at the mo.

[Frimley111R]

SeanyD said:

Expecting my delivery 2:30 to 3:30 this afternoon. Ordered online through vodafone, which seemingly fast-tracks the 2-3 week waiting list the stores have at the mo.

I ordered mine initially about 4-5 weeks ago and there was a good 3 week delay. I cancelled after they sent it to London for me to collect! But when I reordered this week it came within 24hrs.

[Robster]

I've got one, hated it for a week , now cant imagine going back to a 'normal phone'

[Luke.]

Robster said:

I've got one, hated it for a week , now cant imagine going back to a 'normal phone'

How are you finding the unoptimised apps on the big screen?

[Frimley111R]

Luke. said:

How are you finding the unoptimised apps on the big screen?

I know they aren't optimised but I can't tell. They all work fine to me.

[justin220]

I'm also on the fence so any updates would be good. I've had it in my Samsung basket about 3 times but never quite got through to ordering

[davetrombone]

I love the idea but still have fear of longevity over these (which was well justified from the first generation of folders). Hope they've made the Fold 3 more robust, but can't help thinking this is always going to be a potential wekapoint.

[worsy]

Ordered a flip last week and am loving it.

[Frimley111R]

davetrombone said:

I love the idea but still have fear of longevity over these (which was well justified from the first generation of folders). Hope they've made the Fold 3 more robust, but can't help thinking this is always going to be a potential weak point.

It feels very solid and heavy, much more so than a standard phone. It actually feels like a std phone is the one you'd worry about in terms of longevity.

[beko1987]

I've had my Z Flip 3 for a month now, and it's pretty amazingly excellent!

Helps being a noticable improvement over my outgoping Note 10 Lite, and I still cant get over the folding screen. The outer screen works well too!

If I was being picky I think the hinge is starting to get a tiny bit loose when closed but eequally I could be overthinking it.

I went for the Flip rather than the Fold as the last time I had a decent tablet I still didn't grab it over my phone, and I do now love the form factor when flipped/folded closed (and EE seem to be giving them away like sweets, I was 12 months away from the end of my contract but they offered me a zero cost upgrade mid term, at the expense of a load of data I never actually use to keep the montlies £3 more than they were so I said yes to the shiny new toy, with free smartwatch 4 which is also very nice)

[davetrombone]

beko1987 said:

I've had my Z Flip 3 for a month now, and it's pretty amazingly excellent!

When it's unfolded can you feel the fold point in the screen when you move you finger over it?

[beko1987]

davetrombone said:

When it's unfolded can you feel the fold point in the screen when you move you finger over it?

Yes, it's certainly there. Although you can still scroll over it if you want to. I find myself marvelling at it all more than I probably should

Can't say I notice it too much though, it doesn't jump out at the eye unless you're at an angle/looking for it. Plus when I'm using the phone I'm thumbing around on the bottom half of the screen, so don't feel it.

Having the phone bent and sat on a table is a great way to scroll feeds and such, I've found myself keeping the device slightly bent in general use too as it seems easier on the eye, not as tall.

Opening and closing the phone to pick up and end calls never gets old either, although being able to answer calls from the front screen and just have loudspeaker is great at home.

The slow charging I haven't really noticed, but then I usually go to bed on 15% and it just charges up overnight.

Would like to join the shiny new world of wireless charging but it seems a minefield of cheap chinese crap at all ends of the cost spectrum... Not pulled the trigger on anything yet, I don't need anything fancy but equally I want it to last more than 6 months/not catch fire as I sleep.

[jamesbilluk]

I've had my Fold 3 since launch, really is a fantastic bit of kit, even when it's closed I find the outer narrow screen very easy to use one handed,

I had the fold 2 before this, and even now with the 3rd gen, I still never get bored of seeing the screen fold! I've not felt worried about how delicate the screen is, the whole thing feels very solid/heavy, and the screen feels tough enough.

The only thing I wish it had was the camera array from the S21 Ultra, but it would be larger and even more expensive, also a dedicated place to put the S pen.

[Brother D]

So I pulled the trigger today on a Fold Z... Liking it a lot, but man just feels so wrong folding it! Also will take a while to get used to the split keyboard thou




However not noticed a lot of downsides so far - sound and screen are top notch - even surprisingly light

[Brother D]

So after a few hours with it, I just realized it has another screen!



Now am sold on it 100%

[Luke.]

Are you serious? You only realised it had an outside screen later on? Have you not read any reviews, watched anything on YouTube about the phone? Hilarious.

[Buffalo]

jamesbilluk said:

The only thing I wish it had was the camera array from the S21 Ultra, but it would be larger and even more expensive, also a dedicated place to put the S pen.

Watching a YouTuber give his opinion on the s22 ultra, seems to think place for pen will be built into that new model. It does seem a bit of an oversight for the fold 3...