Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 199 posts

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#41

Post by stordoff »

nvssj wrote: post #34
rockyj wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the protection layer is all that is "protecting" the screen, why make it removable. Or why not put a big warning label on it (or in the manual) when you unbox the phone. Just saying :)

There was a big warning label on the screen, but reviewers didn't read it. Or, as I am starting to suspect, read it but wanted to break the screen to get retweets. https://twitter.com/iloveqatar/status/1118621965596745728

From the replies:

> You can rewatch my unboxing and @UnboxTherapy’s unboxing. Definitely not in our boxes - or any other review units for that matter. Nobody has verified where Des found this

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#42

Post by tobyhinloopen »

hliyan wrote: post #2

Most cases seem to be due to users mistakenly removing the permanent screen protection layer. The company claims that the foldable screen has been tested for 200,000 folds -- i.e. about 5 years of rigorous use.

"Most cases" = "One case"

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#43

Post by saiya-jin »

okket wrote: post #35
NLips wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vertus were always intended as ostentatious, bling products, rather than fantastic phones. They were mid-range models covered in gold and diamonds etc. A Ferrari is meant to be ostentatious _and_ a great car (not withstanding pratcicality or cost).

-

A great car can be a car that simply puts a smile on your face due to sheer engagement and fun of driving it. It stirs your passions. And Ferrari here delivers. Practicality, costs etc. doesn't enter the equation at all.

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#45

Post by Aaargh20318 »

NLips wrote: post #29
reallymental wrote: post #17

Let's assume that they knew this was a half baked product. Not a "first edition" product like the first iPhone, but a rushed, half baked product, released without consideration of sales but just for being the first in the market for this niche. Given this assumption, why would you give it to reviewers at all ? Remember "Vertu" ? They were the Ferrari of phones during the Blackberry era and were _shit_. I got my hands…

Vertus were always intended as ostentatious, bling products, rather than fantastic phones. They were mid-range models covered in gold and diamonds etc. A Ferrari is meant to be ostentatious _and_ a great car (not withstanding pratcicality or cost).

> Vertus were always intended as ostentatious, bling products, rather than fantastic phones. They were mid-range models covered in gold and diamonds etc.

I never understood this. If you're going to make a ridiculously expensive phone by taking an existing model and covering it in gold and diamonds, then why not start out with a high-end model ? It's not going to have any significant impact on the price anyway.

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#46

Post by saiya-jin »

shifto wrote: post #36
Traubenfuchs wrote: post #18

This is the direct result of rushing to offer something that can be called innovation after years of a draught. But foldable phones are as much a gimmick as 3D cameras. Phone innovation is indeed dead -for the customer, that's ok, but for the vendors it's a nightmare.

This is definitely not a "gimmick as 3D cameras". I can't wait to replace my phone, tablet and laptop with a single device and a Bluetooth keyboard for whenever I need one. A lot of people I know feel the same and honestly I think people who don't see the potential are being shortsighted.

What you want is one thing, the software is not there yet, especially for notebook replacement. Unless all you do is edit text files or browse web of course.

It is a gimmick, albeit a more useful one - have tablet and phone in 1 device. The thing is, tablets for most folks are not that great thing that everybody though they would be.

I don't see many people these days using tablets, most folks went back to phones which can do exactly the same stuff. For reading books kindle et al are much better (and cheap) product. People upgrade phones more often, and who wants to use sluggish oldish tablet compared to blazing fast phone that is always in the pocket.

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#47

Post by kurtisc »

reallymental wrote: post #17

Let's assume that they knew this was a half baked product. Not a "first edition" product like the first iPhone, but a rushed, half baked product, released without consideration of sales but just for being the first in the market for this niche. Given this assumption, why would you give it to reviewers at all ? Remember "Vertu" ? They were the Ferrari of phones during the Blackberry era and were _shit_. I got my hands…

>They were the Ferrari of phones

>There's a reason why they were not reviewed widely

Coincidentally, Ferrari also play dishonest games with reviewers: https://jalopnik.com/how-ferrari-spins-5760248

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#48

Post by jodrellblank »

shifto wrote: post #36
Traubenfuchs wrote: post #18

This is the direct result of rushing to offer something that can be called innovation after years of a draught. But foldable phones are as much a gimmick as 3D cameras. Phone innovation is indeed dead -for the customer, that's ok, but for the vendors it's a nightmare.

This is definitely not a "gimmick as 3D cameras". I can't wait to replace my phone, tablet and laptop with a single device and a Bluetooth keyboard for whenever I need one. A lot of people I know feel the same and honestly I think people who don't see the potential are being shortsighted.

It's either going to be a massive phone, or a tiny laptop. It's going to be wrapped in a case so it can prop itself up as a "laptop" with the device, keyboard, and case all separate.

It's going to be a phone with a huge, heavy battery, or a weak laptop with very short battery life. Running a limited phone OS or a heavy laptop OS. You'll have to open your phone to use it, and close your laptop to take a phonecall unless you also have a headset and are close.

This is as gimmicky as anything, possibly pending the arrival of magical graphene technology.

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#49

Post by saiya-jin »

TBH is anybody surprised? Bendable plastics/cables that should work after maybe 50,000 folds (few years of usage) are hard, and first iteration of actual display? Without losing at least some pixels, backlight, contrast etc in the area of the fold, or display actually cracking? Highly expected.

Now if they actually managed to get all things right in the first iteration, now that would be a huge engineering achievement. They will get there, but give them 2-3 generations

Re: Samsung's folding phone breaks for reviewers

#50

Post by headShrinker »

baybal2 wrote: post #5

I wonder, if a phone with folding screen truly was a Jobs Steve's "joke?" May be it wasn't, but what a bad design decision it is. What I hear here in China are engineers saying that "all it took a fashionable American CEO to make up a joke about phone with folding screen for Huawei and Samsung to spend billions actually making it."

Over the years Apple was famous for pantenting some pretty crazy ideas. I’m on the record saying I would never want a folding screen for many reasons, fragility being one. As for Jobs playing a joke?

I’ll just leave this here https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2002/06/china-pap...

China may not share our understanding of satire and sarcasm, but you’d think Korea would understand the basic tenants of engineering and design.

Post reply on HN