Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era • Hacker News Board

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#241

Post by solatic » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 2:55 PM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #173

solatic wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really depends on what you do with the open phone. I can understand it being a huge distraction when watching video with the seam right in the middle. EBook reading? Apps in tablet interface mode? Might as well complain that using two monitors on your desktop is unusable because of the bezels. Doesn't matter in practice.

> EBook reading? > Might as well complain that using two monitors on your desktop is unusable because of the bezels. There's a pretty important difference there - monitors don't draw content on the bezels. If what you're doing is reading an ebook, what advantage is a folding phone supposed to have over a non-folding phone? Reading isn't an activity where you can use more than a small part of the screen at once.

That's actually the distinction I was trying to draw. Videos on unfolded phones draw content on the "bezels", so it's understandable why that sucks. But an eBook app can put text from two different pages, each on either side of the fold. The fold is no more bothersome than the binding on a physical book.

> Reading isn't an activity where you can use more than a small part of the screen at once.

So reading through War and Peace on your smartwatch screen before you fall asleep is a good idea? /sarcastic

Sure, your eyes are focused on a small part of the screen, but what ends up in your peripheral vision still helps you keep your place. You feel more "grounded", somehow.

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#242

Post by ricardobeat » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 3:14 PM UTC

eahm wrote: post #133

I think everyone lost their damn mind, possibly during Covid. New iPhones used to be $199 and when they went to $299 the decision was seriously questionable. Now they cost like a used car, everyone buys $1000+ iPhones without batting an eye, insane. This one is $2000, I wouldn't get it if I had a billion on principle.

Your feeling is right, but you got the numbers wrong.

In today's money, they used to be around the $400-$700 range. Now they start at ~$1000, which is insane; especially considering a last-gen, extremely performant laptop with a 5x larger screen and battery can be had for those $700.

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#243

Post by NoidFonsense » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 3:21 PM UTC

haburka wrote: post #145

hakimg wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The original iPhone cost $500 and adjusting for inflation that is about $800 today. I don't remember phones costing $300 since before the smart phone era. Even Walkman phones cost $500 in the early 2000's.

You do know the modern smartphone is the most technologically advanced consumer good that has ever existed? Like at no point in history has there ever been something so small, complex and intricate in the hands of so many people. The new iPhone is going to be very expensive - it’s a luxury item and marketed like that. They can definitely make phones for $300 and you can buy a smartphone that is more powerful than the…

It fundamentally has the same capabilities as the original iphone. You can browse the web, check your emails, watch movies, play simple games.

The only difference is that now you can play graphicially intense desktop-style games, but no one really does that. And also it has some sattelite phone functionality. The cameras are also better, the battery life is better, but it all doesnt fundamentally change the way you use it. The complexity over last year's smartphone is unnessisary.

Now that everyone in the world is basicially required to use a smartphone, the only way for big smartphone to make more revenue is to sell each consumer more smartphone per smartphone.

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#244

Post by jerlam » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 4:04 PM UTC

microtonal wrote: post #164

mrheosuper wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Samsung is testing the water with their new passport-size fold phone. Looklike enough people demanded for smaller size phone. Granted it is still considerably bigger than ip13mini, but it's step in right diretion

The Z Flip is even smaller folded and has been around for years. The cover screen used to be very limited, but the made it larger and added more functionality over time. I think some people use the cover screen for daily messaging, etc.

Yup, the new phone size is in between the Flip and the previous Fold (now Fold Pro).

I would not take the release of this device as evidence that people wanted a smaller phone, no more than the release of the original iPhone Mini and Galaxy S10e, and to some extent the iPhone Air and the Galaxy Edge. Manufacturers are experimenting to see what form factors people will buy and it is entirely possible that this size will be phased out by both Samsung and Apple in a generation.

Samsung has a major advantage over Apple in that they have multiple generations of folding phones so modifying both their manufacturing and software is less of an issue.

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#245

Post by frollogaston » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 4:18 PM UTC

kotaKat wrote: post #194

weavie wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a lot of people pay their phones off with a contract over several years. Signing up for a new phone contract, you start looking at a $600 phone. Thats $25 a month plus $15 for your calls and data, so $40 a month. Then you see the next phone next to it thats only $1200, it's so much better, and you're only paying $65 a month for it. And then they flash this one in front of you, only $67 a month (just ignore th…

I wish we'd go back to subsidized 2-year contracts with one lower price upfront for the phone, the 2 year contract all-in price per month, and then walk away satisfied or walk off paying the $3-400 ETF. Instead carriers played a funny game to uncouple the phone from the now month-to-month service contract (so they can keep changing the fees, prices, and plans on you with no recourse) but then couple the contract to t…

Too complicated, I just do AT&T prepaid now, only side effect I noticed is getting ads in Spanish.

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#246

Post by Daishiman » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 5:02 PM UTC

eahm wrote: post #133

I think everyone lost their damn mind, possibly during Covid. New iPhones used to be $199 and when they went to $299 the decision was seriously questionable. Now they cost like a used car, everyone buys $1000+ iPhones without batting an eye, insane. This one is $2000, I wouldn't get it if I had a billion on principle.

People used to buy new phones every year or 2 because the technology differences were enormous.

Nowadays a 4 or 5 year-old phone is perfectly usable and you're not really missing out on anything. That changes the economics of phone manufacturing, ultimately you're still paying about the same for an equivalent measure of time using the phone.

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#247

Post by stasomatic » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 5:09 PM UTC

hypercube33 wrote: post #112

stasomatic wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a square screen BB KB style Android phone: https://www.unihertz.com/products/titan-2-elite

Nice looking phone im seriously interested in but they don't say what US carriers I'd be able to use anywhere I could find which seems odd with the off the shelf chipset.

Unihertz has a carrier compatibility check:

https://www.unihertz.com/pages/telecom-compatibility-check

They were having some issues with ATT certification in the States, but looks like it's done. They have more info on their KickStarter page - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/titan-2-elit...

Re: Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

#248

Post by rjh29 » Thu, Aug 20, 2026, 5:31 PM UTC

jeroenhd wrote: post #231

rjh29 wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second hand zfold 4 was 600 quid when I bought it a few years ago. Hardly "multiple months of rent".

A second hand pixel is a quarter of that. A four year old second hand phone being worth as much as a new midrange phone still makes these devices a bad deal, especially with the Z Fold 4 receiving no more security updates within a year.

It was an awesome deal because I love having a folding phone. If you don't then it won't be.

And it wasn't 4 years old when I bought it. It was a year old. My point is you can buy second hand of the previous model or so, a lot of people have FOMO and upgrade often even though newer Folds have only minor differences.