I'm really tempted by the flip 3 but the battery life scares me.
But also $400 off for Google Fi subs...
Aioua on
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
I'm really tempted by the flip 3 but the battery life scares me.
But also $400 off for Google Fi subs...
yeah, if there is one downside to that phone the 3300mah battery is going to be it. It also sucks that it's limited to 15W charging instead of 25W the Fold 3 gets.
I really wish I could get my hands on that phone to test. I was actually at a best buy over the weekend that had demo units of both the fold and flip, and while the Fold is definitely the device for me. The sheer "cool" factor of the Flip could actually sell a lot of phones.
They had the flip sitting beside a S21+, and it's basically as tall, just a bit more narrow. and folds in half.
Honestly, if having a portable bigger screen tablet wasn't more important to me at this exact second I might have gone for the flip. There's just something about that device that resonates.
I pre-ordered a Flip 3 because I love the idea and miss my old RAZR flip phones. The battery size did not bother me one bit since I'm going from a S9 which had a 3000mAh and at this point it barely has enough juice to last half a day now. Plus with Samsung's offer of $150 credit towards "stuff" (I missed getting a 256GB version by the time I decided I wanted one) made it easy since I will get a newer wall charger, leather case, and another wireless charger for the house. I'm like you @wunderbar in that I haven't been this excited for a phone since... hmm... maybe my customized Moto X so long ago.
I pre-ordered a Flip 3 because I love the idea and miss my old RAZR flip phones. The battery size did not bother me one bit since I'm going from a S9 which had a 3000mAh and at this point it barely has enough juice to last half a day now. Plus with Samsung's offer of $150 credit towards "stuff" (I missed getting a 256GB version by the time I decided I wanted one) made it easy since I will get a newer wall charger, leather case, and another wireless charger for the house. I'm like you @wunderbar in that I haven't been this excited for a phone since... hmm... maybe my customized Moto X so long ago.
My gf has the Flip 4G version for just over 12 months now and she absolutely loves it. I do get a bit jealous at how cool it looks compared to my Z Fold 2. Anyhow luckily I managed to get a few hours with the Z Flip 3 the other day and I will say it looks even better in the flesh. If you are worried about battery life, I would start to think about using the front screen as much as possible and only revert to the large fold display for the apps that need it. The biggest issue with the original was how useless the front display was meant you were forced to use the large display all the time rather or invest in a smartwatch. The 3 has fixed that issue.
Also those cases with the ring attachment are really cool.
how is Samsung's UI these days?
I've been on Pixels since they were available and had tried to stay on "stock" Android before that
never used Samsung
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
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ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
how is Samsung's UI these days?
I've been on Pixels since they were available and had tried to stay on "stock" Android before that
never used Samsung
I picked up a Galaxy S21 a couple weekends ago and its fine. The unavoidable differences are minimum and so far I have been able to adopt the Pixel apps I preferred rather seamlessly including Messages, Phone, GPay, and Clock. Their keyboard was ok but I went back to Swype+ because it's better for punctuation if you like Glide typing than any other I have tried.
how is Samsung's UI these days?
I've been on Pixels since they were available and had tried to stay on "stock" Android before that
never used Samsung
I often forget most of the UI since I have run Nova Launcher since my S7 (I'm currently running a S9). I went from stock Android to the S7 so haven't seen stock android settings since then, but from what I read Samsung seems to be going closer to stock there (again, this isn't my personal experience so someone else can clarify this).
One UI is heavy, but not in ways that the old TouchWiz was. Samsung just has a lot of settings/stuff that you can fiddle with if you want. The settings pane is starting to get overcomplicated, which isn't ideal, but that's not something you should have to deal with often.
The actual launcher/app drawer of One UI is fine. I like it quite a bit.
Samsung does still want you to use their apps a lot, but I turned off/replaced the things I wanted to in about 20 minutes and i never have to think about it again.
but Samsung is starting to tone it down. on the Z Fold 3 Google discover is the default left pane in the launcher instead of Samsung Free. Google Messages is the default SMS/RCS client. Stuff like that. Bixby is still there but you don't have to use it. I use Bixby routines but not the voice assitant.
it's fine. Not everyone will love it, and that's fine. But for the UI that's on the most Android phones (in the western world) it's perfectly fine.
It's real nice. I thought the display on my Note 10+ looked nice but the Fold3's display(s) are stunning. I'm sure that's just 2 years of OLED advancement but it's incredible.
I'm still figuring out my layout/use for the inner display, since it's just a bigger canvas to work with, but I'm at work and just leaving it with the display open and using it that way.
The outer display is narrow, but completely usable. Is it something I would want to write my review of the device on? Absolutely not. But it's big enough that I don't feel I always need to open the inner display, which is nice, especially when I'm out and about. I think that with how thick the device is when folded, having the screen being a bit more narrow actually helps with the one handed ergonomics, just making it easier to grip.
Oh, and while I usually don't like cases, I know that i'm definitely keeping this thing in a case 99% of the time, which was re-inforced once I got it out of the box. It looks amazing, but it's super slippery. It really feels like a oiled up brick in your hand. I don't find the weight problematic, it's just heavier than my older phone, something I'll get used to. But you absolutely need a case.
Are the folding screens still two pieces of glass covered with non-removable plastic liner? I just can't get over that design. It seems inevitable that it'll fail in some way.
ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
It appears Samsung has relegated their differences to apps and widgets which can be avoided by just not using them and using Google's instead. The home screen UI is pretty simple and you can configure it to work nearly identical to Pixel. They got a lot of flak in the recent past for having ads on their stock apps and widgets but they got rid of a lot of them and supposedly it will all be gone by year's end.
The only thing I think you can't replicate is Pixel's proprietary camera app but Samsung's doesn't seem to be too bad.
Are the folding screens still two pieces of glass covered with non-removable plastic liner? I just can't get over that design. It seems inevitable that it'll fail in some way.
It's not two pieces of glass, never has been. The original fold was just plastic. The Fold2 and 3 have one single sheet of what samsung calls "ultra thin glass" that does bend/fold. ultra thin is the operative word, as it's apparently less than 1mm thick. on top of that is a plastic layer that should not be removed. (below the glass layer is the flexible OLED Panel on the Fold3, and on the Fold 2 there was a polarizer layer between the OLED and the glass that the Fold3 doesn't need/have)
I don't have any first hand experience with the Fold2 but all the comments are that the top plastic layer was a mushy, gummy plastic mess. On the Fold3 that layer is a completely different material, and it feels like any other high end screen protector I've ever used. there's no noticeable "flex" when pressing on the screen with a normal amount of force. It feels solid, though it will obviously be several months before we know how durable it ends up being. I'm not going to start poking at it with sharp objects but I'm not going to baby it either.
For the Fold3 the digitizer that allows the S Pen to work is two separate pieces since there are no flexibile digitizers yet, and then there's software magic to ensure the S Pen works in the gap between them. My S Pen and case hasn't come yet so I have no first hand experience on that.
Are the folding screens still two pieces of glass covered with non-removable plastic liner? I just can't get over that design. It seems inevitable that it'll fail in some way.
It's not two pieces of glass, never has been. The original fold was just plastic. The Fold2 and 3 have one single sheet of what samsung calls "ultra thin glass" that does bend/fold. ultra thin is the operative word, as it's apparently less than 1mm thick. on top of that is a plastic layer that should not be removed. (below the glass layer is the flexible OLED Panel on the Fold3, and on the Fold 2 there was a polarizer layer between the OLED and the glass that the Fold3 doesn't need/have)
I don't have any first hand experience with the Fold2 but all the comments are that the top plastic layer was a mushy, gummy plastic mess. On the Fold3 that layer is a completely different material, and it feels like any other high end screen protector I've ever used. there's no noticeable "flex" when pressing on the screen with a normal amount of force. It feels solid, though it will obviously be several months before we know how durable it ends up being. I'm not going to start poking at it with sharp objects but I'm not going to baby it either.
For the Fold3 the digitizer that allows the S Pen to work is two separate pieces since there are no flexibile digitizers yet, and then there's software magic to ensure the S Pen works in the gap between them. My S Pen and case hasn't come yet so I have no first hand experience on that.
The Fold 2 screen was fine, but Samsung attached a machined screen protector to the device. The screen protector was something close to a first gen iPhone screen protector. Absolutely horrible to swipe use and felt terrible in the hand. Most people removed or replaced it and was absolutely fine.
Screen durability is fine, its surprising really, but the frame from the fold 2 is extremely durable and high quality which helps. Fold 3 looks to be the same so you should have no worries there. The only thing I would say is keep an eye on the crease as there are some cases of small cracks forming from the original Fold after 12 months.
I would look at setting your sidebar apps to selections of ones you want to open together. The Fold 3 you can have the sidebar as a permanent app dock like a Mac OS if you want which is really cool.
The small screen is where you will get the most use. It takes about a week to get used to but once you do its surprisingly functional for general use.
Oh when opened out the split keyboard is godly for productivity. Try it but once I did I fell in love.
I've been a gboard-stan since before it was called gboard, but I know with the fold the samsung keyboard is the better option for now until gboard gets a proper split keyboard.
I'm half the speed with the samsung keyboard, either on the cover or inner display, but that'll improve with time. the toughest part is the alt keys are all in different places, but i'll learn that.
And now Z Fold 3 reviews have hit as well. i'm only reading a couple as mine is coming in a week and like I said I do have a technology website side hustle so I'm going to be doing my own Z Fold review.
But the couple I have read basically say "yeah, this is a better version of last year's fold. If you have the money, and this thing is something that compels you, you're going to love it. Otherwise, this isn't a phone for most people."
But man, I can't wait to get mine.
I've been enjoying my foldable (a Surface Duo) especially for productivity, it hasn't had app compatibility since it works like a dual monitor setup and single screen apps just take one screen, but the camera is pretty unimpressive. No external screen, so you'd want a smart watch for notifications. You definitely feel like a sci fi character sometimes using foldable devices.
Z flips for me and the wife.
That discount buying though Fi was too hard to ignore.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
You guys are all nuts and I cannot even begin to feel comfortable with a foldable smart phone.
Because we got more dollars than sense.
I'm kind of a sucker for new and cool things. The Fold 2 has, thus far, been fairly durable. Don't use a case, just a pop socket on the back to help with grip. Dropped it a few times before the outside screen cracked, but the tools I needed to fix it (other than parts) was a playing card and a tooth pick.
But I still actively dissuade people from getting folding phones though.
You guys are all nuts and I cannot even begin to feel comfortable with a foldable smart phone.
Yep, I'm nuts. I'm also a sucker for nifty new things from time to time, plus my Dad would have loved seeing this thing so I'm imagining I'm buying it for the two of us.
If it backfires and is not what I like I'll just keep it as long as it works as a phone then go back to a regular bar smartphone as my next device.
My previous smart phone was an iPhone 5S which was my first smart phone... I kept waiting for something that wasn't just a faster black rectangle with better camera. In retrospect I should've replaced it sooner because a lot of 'why would anyone want to do [use case] on a phone instead of a real computer' makes more sense if you're trying on something more powerful than an iPhone 5S. But on this thing I can even use the same stylus I use on my touchscreen PC and use the Your Phone application to make the transition between phone and computer pretty invisible.
I said this earlier in the thread but the Fold3 filled a very weird niche for me, and one that if I didn't have the disposable income I wouldn't fill.
I have a couple family members with some pretty significant health challenges, and this year alone I have had three separate times where I've gotten a phone call that has caused me to have to drop everything and go somewhere, whether it be a hospital or a family member's house. And I may be there for hours, or even overnight, without notice. This kind of thing has been my reality for several years now. I've taken to usually carrying around a backpack with an iPad, my switch, chargers, battery pack etc just so I know i'll have things to do if I'm sitting in a hospital waiting room for 8 hours,
With the Fold3, the fact that there's a small tablet that I can fit in my pockets means that if I have that phone and a charger I'm pretty much good to go indefinitely, and I don't really have to cart around a backpack full of stuff anymore, which is a big thing for me.
Yes, it's a very expensive solution to the problem, and like I said, if I didn't have the means, I wouldn't have done it. but for my specific use case, it actually simplifies my life.
And also, I'm a technology enthusiast. I live for new tech like this, and like I said, I haven't been this excited for a piece of technology since the Palm Pre almost 10 years ago. If someone would pay me to be a technology writer/blogger/influencer/whatever the buzzword is today I would absolutely do it in a second, to the point where i do have a website I write stuff for mostly for fun (and partially to build a portfolio). So the Fold3 speaks to me from that side of the equation as well.
Samsung is hoping the Fold series is going to replace the Note series right? Or is that just speculation on my part?
As someone who uses my Note to make quick field sketches I'm curious about the Fold3, but not sure I'm $1800 curious...
that's the speculation, and it does make sense in that why would Samung release three separate "flagship" lines.
I don't have my s pen and case yet, but I mostly bought it as an experiment, using the samsung credit I got for pre-ordering. I went to the Fold3 from the Note 10+ and while i used the stylus a lot for the first year I owned it, in the second year the only time I ever really used it was as a remote shutter for the camera. My use just really fell off. I can't see myself actually using it *more* when the s pen is not built into the device, and something that has to be carried separately or as part of a case I don't like.
Samsung is hoping the Fold series is going to replace the Note series right? Or is that just speculation on my part?
As someone who uses my Note to make quick field sketches I'm curious about the Fold3, but not sure I'm $1800 curious...
that's the speculation, and it does make sense in that why would Samung release three separate "flagship" lines.
I don't have my s pen and case yet, but I mostly bought it as an experiment, using the samsung credit I got for pre-ordering. I went to the Fold3 from the Note 10+ and while i used the stylus a lot for the first year I owned it, in the second year the only time I ever really used it was as a remote shutter for the camera. My use just really fell off. I can't see myself actually using it *more* when the s pen is not built into the device, and something that has to be carried separately or as part of a case I don't like.
Yeah to be honest most of my s-pen usage has been making shopping lists, but work currently has me in the field more so I'm either sketching site stuff for taking notes on a call and the extra real estate might be nice. I dont have a burning need to upgrade from my Note 8 and before the Fold3 launched I was thinking of checking out an iPhone since I've never had one and am getting sick of all the reaction notification texts.
I got an iPhone 12 for my work since we're telecommuting and it was cheaper than paying for the VOIP lines we had. There are way too many things I hate when using it. The latest thing that drives me nuts is the accidental activating speaker mode and then Facetime while talking on it. I'm glad I never bought one for my personal use.
You guys are all nuts and I cannot even begin to feel comfortable with a foldable smart phone.
I was lucky enough to test the original Galaxy Fold for 5G modems around an assigned area in the UK. While I would never recommend that model for various reasons, it still was impressive enough new technology to make me excited to see where the next model would be. I was also lucky enough to test a version of the iPhone 11 that had a 5G modem but that is for another day.
The Fold 2 is my current device and has been very durable. This comes from my main job teaching art and in workshops where there is lots of dust particles around and its held up very well.
Before I got the Fold 2 I got my partner the Z Flip 4G for her birthday. She has bashed that device around to no end and only recently the screen went black (Samsung replaced the screen and battery for free out of warranty).
With the Flip 3 and Fold 3 we are starting to see a real mass maturity of foldable devices. They are still in the realm of luxury + phones and will not be for everyone, but that gap between is getting smaller for everyday usage.
Got our Flip 3 in yesterday and dove in after my wife set hers up (I couldn't wait till today). This thing is everything I wanted it to be! I get this happy feeling when I fold it up and feel it fall to the bottom of my pocket that I haven't felt since the old flip phone days of long ago. The phone reminds me of the cool StarTAC and RAZR phones from long ago. The outside screen is really nice and even better once I found the way to keep the always on display on showing the date and time. I honestly never realized how much I use that feature ever since the original Moto Z till I got my work iPhone 12. It felt like losing an appendage (my wife said this which was better than my analogy which was something about not wearing pants).
I agree that this phone is definitely in the realm of luxury given the price tag, but man is it worth it in my opinion if you want the pocket space back. Yeah, technically it fills the same volume as an unfolded phone, but it doesn't stick up like the unfolded phone does. The only downside I see so far is the fold area on the screen where you feel it while sliding your finger over it and shows up on dark images if you have the light just right. Otherwise, yeah it works like a regular phone.
Yep, I am a happy hamster running on his wheel again. Of course this is only after one evening of fiddling with the phone and setting things up so maybe my feelings will change after a while. While I don't think so since I'm a pretty negative person when it comes to things changing (my wife points this out on occasion) so it passed my initial regret phase with flying colors. Oh and I love the dark green color I chose and don't want to put the free leather case on it now. The Samsung leather case is a plastic shell with leather attached to it. OH and I'm going to try the feature where it doesn't charge the phone past 85% to see if it really does improve battery life. I read the numbers and studies about charging phones, but want to see if it actually does work like the numbers show. Plus right now I'm not going anywhere so I can toss it on a charger. That might change if I have to actually go out away from any charging source for long periods of time.
Got our Flip 3 in yesterday and dove in after my wife set hers up (I couldn't wait till today). This thing is everything I wanted it to be! I get this happy feeling when I fold it up and feel it fall to the bottom of my pocket that I haven't felt since the old flip phone days of long ago. The phone reminds me of the cool StarTAC and RAZR phones from long ago. The outside screen is really nice and even better once I found the way to keep the always on display on showing the date and time. I honestly never realized how much I use that feature ever since the original Moto Z till I got my work iPhone 12. It felt like losing an appendage (my wife said this which was better than my analogy which was something about not wearing pants).
I agree that this phone is definitely in the realm of luxury given the price tag, but man is it worth it in my opinion if you want the pocket space back. Yeah, technically it fills the same volume as an unfolded phone, but it doesn't stick up like the unfolded phone does. The only downside I see so far is the fold area on the screen where you feel it while sliding your finger over it and shows up on dark images if you have the light just right. Otherwise, yeah it works like a regular phone.
Yep, I am a happy hamster running on his wheel again. Of course this is only after one evening of fiddling with the phone and setting things up so maybe my feelings will change after a while. While I don't think so since I'm a pretty negative person when it comes to things changing (my wife points this out on occasion) so it passed my initial regret phase with flying colors. Oh and I love the dark green color I chose and don't want to put the free leather case on it now. The Samsung leather case is a plastic shell with leather attached to it. OH and I'm going to try the feature where it doesn't charge the phone past 85% to see if it really does improve battery life. I read the numbers and studies about charging phones, but want to see if it actually does work like the numbers show. Plus right now I'm not going anywhere so I can toss it on a charger. That might change if I have to actually go out away from any charging source for long periods of time.
Really glad you are loving the flip 3. When I got my partner the flip 4G for her birthday, I spent ages just opening and closing the device as it looked so sleep and cool. Even now its more impressive to look at than the Fold series, and I love to play around with it even when I have my Fold 2 in my pocket.
Got our Flip 3 in yesterday and dove in after my wife set hers up (I couldn't wait till today). This thing is everything I wanted it to be! I get this happy feeling when I fold it up and feel it fall to the bottom of my pocket that I haven't felt since the old flip phone days of long ago. The phone reminds me of the cool StarTAC and RAZR phones from long ago. The outside screen is really nice and even better once I found the way to keep the always on display on showing the date and time. I honestly never realized how much I use that feature ever since the original Moto Z till I got my work iPhone 12. It felt like losing an appendage (my wife said this which was better than my analogy which was something about not wearing pants).
I agree that this phone is definitely in the realm of luxury given the price tag, but man is it worth it in my opinion if you want the pocket space back. Yeah, technically it fills the same volume as an unfolded phone, but it doesn't stick up like the unfolded phone does. The only downside I see so far is the fold area on the screen where you feel it while sliding your finger over it and shows up on dark images if you have the light just right. Otherwise, yeah it works like a regular phone.
Yep, I am a happy hamster running on his wheel again. Of course this is only after one evening of fiddling with the phone and setting things up so maybe my feelings will change after a while. While I don't think so since I'm a pretty negative person when it comes to things changing (my wife points this out on occasion) so it passed my initial regret phase with flying colors. Oh and I love the dark green color I chose and don't want to put the free leather case on it now. The Samsung leather case is a plastic shell with leather attached to it. OH and I'm going to try the feature where it doesn't charge the phone past 85% to see if it really does improve battery life. I read the numbers and studies about charging phones, but want to see if it actually does work like the numbers show. Plus right now I'm not going anywhere so I can toss it on a charger. That might change if I have to actually go out away from any charging source for long periods of time.
Really glad you are loving the flip 3. When I got my partner the flip 4G for her birthday, I spent ages just opening and closing the device as it looked so sleep and cool. Even now its more impressive to look at than the Fold series, and I love to play around with it even when I have my Fold 2 in my pocket.
How is the battery life for you so far?
Hahahaha, yeah I find myself opening and closing it a lot just to do it. I do love the Fold series with their "now it is a thick phone, now it is a tablet" idea as well.
This is not even 24 hours so the software has not had time to adjust to my usage yet, but it has gone from 85% when I woke up about 4 hours ago. Fiddling watching some movies on it, surfing a bit and deleting e-mails has me at 71% right now. My S9 would be around high 70s to 80 by now and that was from 100%.
I'm in the middle of a trip with my Z Fold3. I'll have more to share later, but some quick thoughts:
I'm trying very hard to use the Samsung keyboard because it has a split keyboard mode when ulfolded. I hate this keyboard. I may try gboard but the typing experience has been poor for me. Partly I have to get used to the new screen/dimensions, partly I'm still adjusting to the samsung keyboard. But I'm slower and make more typos with the Z Fold3. I hope this improves with time.
I haven't picked up my iPad on this entire trip. Usually my iPad is my go to device when I'm chilling in the hotel/airbnb because of the bigger screen, but with the Fold's screen being iPad mini sized, it's big enough 90% of the time. The only reason I'd have to pick my iPad up is if I wanted to watch something on that while also doing something else.
Battery life is hugely workload dependent. This trip is both extremely fair but extemely hard as a battery life test. I took almost 400 pictures yesterday, and used google maps navigation, and Pokémon Go. So no, the battery life does not last all day. But my older Note 10+ wouldn't last all day with that workload either. Basically, I think when out and about the battery life is no better or worse than any other phone. Where it really "suffers" is that I want to use it as both a phone.. and a tablet. So cases where I'd put my phone down and grab my iPad, I'm still using my phone, which eats that battery. I just use the device differently than I do a "normal" phone which affects battery life.
Cameras: First off, being able to use the main cameras for selfies is a game changer. I don't take a lot of selfies but this ability is amazing. Secondly, I know all the reviewers talk about how this is just a small step below the best cameras on the market, and while I'm sure that's true, we're splitting hairs at this point. I was at a museum, with museum lighting, possibly the most challenging lighting you can possibly have for photography and I got some incredible shots. Two photos below.
These pictures iare straight out of my phone, the only editing done was to resize down to 50% so I wasn't posting a 4000x3000 picture in the forums.
I did it, pulled the trigger and signed up for Google Fi with the promo Pixel 5a phones for my wife and me. As long as we stay at or slightly below our current data usage, it should net out to "slightly better" in the long run for us (as the phone payment is the only thing pushing us over what we're currently paying into my parents' phone plan). I barely use mobile data since I work from home, but I need to convince *someone* to consider using her satellite radio in the car instead of streaming Spotify while she drives to work :biggrin:
Oooh, I love those photos. Yeah, I'm sure all of these phone cameras are fine these days and only go from "great" to "awesome" now with the newer cameras and multiple lenses. Heck, I was looking through old photos of mine from years ago and came across old Motorola Razr2 and man those photos were blurry as heck, but back then they were good.
Plus your subjects in the photos are even more awesome. I never seen those before, and the second one is just plain awesome.
Oooh, I love those photos. Yeah, I'm sure all of these phone cameras are fine these days and only go from "great" to "awesome" now with the newer cameras and multiple lenses. Heck, I was looking through old photos of mine from years ago and came across old Motorola Razr2 and man those photos were blurry as heck, but back then they were good.
Plus your subjects in the photos are even more awesome. I never seen those before, and the second one is just plain awesome.
I was at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. If anyone knows roughly where Calgary is, it’s about a 1.25 hour drive east of there. Where it is located is in the middle of one of the best areas on the planet for discovering fossils, and as such it’s one of the best museums of its kind in North America, possibly the world. the second picture, the one with the T-Rex in the sheet of stone is the most complete single T-Rex fossil ever discovered. It is called Black Beauty, since the fossilized bones are black. the skull on the display is actually a fabrication, the real skull is the one in the lower right of the picture, separate from the main display because it is too heavy to mount in the head position vertically for display.
I will have more pictures of that museum up when I get my review of the phone done, I have a couple hundred to sort through.
Speaking on the photo quality specifically, where the flagship phones shine over the midrange and low end stuff is in low light and night mode. Mlost phones should be able to take an acceptable picture in daylight now, but for low light you do get what you pay for, and the Fold3’s low light performance is actually a much bigger step up from my Note10+ than I was expecting.
one of the last frontiers for phone camers is going to be fast moving subject, especially in anything less than full sunlight. That’s where they still fall down a bit, even at the high end.
So when I got home from my trip the S Pen flip case for the Fold3 was waiting for me. Initial impressions are exactly as I thought. The case itself isn’t something I’m going to use a ton. It actually works and feels ok, but there are no magnets keeping the front closed so it’s very floppy carrying it around, and because of the s pen caddy it doesn’t fold over flat if I want to use the cover display, and it’s kind of awkward when using the inner display. It may be something I pull out form time to time if I really want to protect the cover screen for whatever reason, but won’t be in the regular rotation.
The s pen itself works as an s pen without bluetooth does, in that it’s fine. Sliding the pen across the crease of the phone is weird, but otherwise it works as you would expect. the tip is spring loaded but i have to say you need way more pressure than I’m comfortable with to get the tip to compress, so Samsung must be *very* confident in the screen.
But otherwise, the s pen is probably something I’m going to keep on the coffee table in front of the TV and use occasionally on the couch, but not all the time.
If you’re someone who uses the s pen on a Note every single day, you’ll probably want it. Otherwise, meh. Get it for free/on a deal.
Edit: also, the fact that you can't use the s pen on the cover display is stupid, and takes away almost all of the quick note usability. Want to jot something down real fast? take the pen out of the silo, then open the phone, then open the app, then you can start writing. Too many steps.
Oooh, I love those photos. Yeah, I'm sure all of these phone cameras are fine these days and only go from "great" to "awesome" now with the newer cameras and multiple lenses. Heck, I was looking through old photos of mine from years ago and came across old Motorola Razr2 and man those photos were blurry as heck, but back then they were good.
Plus your subjects in the photos are even more awesome. I never seen those before, and the second one is just plain awesome.
I was at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. If anyone knows roughly where Calgary is, it’s about a 1.25 hour drive east of there. Where it is located is in the middle of one of the best areas on the planet for discovering fossils, and as such it’s one of the best museums of its kind in North America, possibly the world. the second picture, the one with the T-Rex in the sheet of stone is the most complete single T-Rex fossil ever discovered. It is called Black Beauty, since the fossilized bones are black. the skull on the display is actually a fabrication, the real skull is the one in the lower right of the picture, separate from the main display because it is too heavy to mount in the head position vertically for display.
I will have more pictures of that museum up when I get my review of the phone done, I have a couple hundred to sort through.
Speaking on the photo quality specifically, where the flagship phones shine over the midrange and low end stuff is in low light and night mode. Mlost phones should be able to take an acceptable picture in daylight now, but for low light you do get what you pay for, and the Fold3’s low light performance is actually a much bigger step up from my Note10+ than I was expecting.
one of the last frontiers for phone camers is going to be fast moving subject, especially in anything less than full sunlight. That’s where they still fall down a bit, even at the high end.
Oooh, I love those photos. Yeah, I'm sure all of these phone cameras are fine these days and only go from "great" to "awesome" now with the newer cameras and multiple lenses. Heck, I was looking through old photos of mine from years ago and came across old Motorola Razr2 and man those photos were blurry as heck, but back then they were good.
Plus your subjects in the photos are even more awesome. I never seen those before, and the second one is just plain awesome.
I was at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. If anyone knows roughly where Calgary is, it’s about a 1.25 hour drive east of there. Where it is located is in the middle of one of the best areas on the planet for discovering fossils, and as such it’s one of the best museums of its kind in North America, possibly the world. the second picture, the one with the T-Rex in the sheet of stone is the most complete single T-Rex fossil ever discovered. It is called Black Beauty, since the fossilized bones are black. the skull on the display is actually a fabrication, the real skull is the one in the lower right of the picture, separate from the main display because it is too heavy to mount in the head position vertically for display.
I will have more pictures of that museum up when I get my review of the phone done, I have a couple hundred to sort through.
Speaking on the photo quality specifically, where the flagship phones shine over the midrange and low end stuff is in low light and night mode. Mlost phones should be able to take an acceptable picture in daylight now, but for low light you do get what you pay for, and the Fold3’s low light performance is actually a much bigger step up from my Note10+ than I was expecting.
one of the last frontiers for phone camers is going to be fast moving subject, especially in anything less than full sunlight. That’s where they still fall down a bit, even at the high end.
I'm headed there in two weeks! It's been DECADES since I've been, very excited!
Between you and me, Peggy, I smoked this Juul and it did UNTHINKABLE things to my mind and body...
Oooh, I love those photos. Yeah, I'm sure all of these phone cameras are fine these days and only go from "great" to "awesome" now with the newer cameras and multiple lenses. Heck, I was looking through old photos of mine from years ago and came across old Motorola Razr2 and man those photos were blurry as heck, but back then they were good.
Plus your subjects in the photos are even more awesome. I never seen those before, and the second one is just plain awesome.
I was at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. If anyone knows roughly where Calgary is, it’s about a 1.25 hour drive east of there. Where it is located is in the middle of one of the best areas on the planet for discovering fossils, and as such it’s one of the best museums of its kind in North America, possibly the world. the second picture, the one with the T-Rex in the sheet of stone is the most complete single T-Rex fossil ever discovered. It is called Black Beauty, since the fossilized bones are black. the skull on the display is actually a fabrication, the real skull is the one in the lower right of the picture, separate from the main display because it is too heavy to mount in the head position vertically for display.
I will have more pictures of that museum up when I get my review of the phone done, I have a couple hundred to sort through.
Speaking on the photo quality specifically, where the flagship phones shine over the midrange and low end stuff is in low light and night mode. Mlost phones should be able to take an acceptable picture in daylight now, but for low light you do get what you pay for, and the Fold3’s low light performance is actually a much bigger step up from my Note10+ than I was expecting.
one of the last frontiers for phone camers is going to be fast moving subject, especially in anything less than full sunlight. That’s where they still fall down a bit, even at the high end.
If there's something that I'm a huge fan of it is fossils. Sadly my brain decided to dump all my knowledge on it for remembering Transformers and Battletech mechs... I will hopefully remember this place and add it to my bucket list one day to visit when I retire. I'd love to see all of the displays and probably would spend a whole day just standing and drooling over all of the stuff there.
Heck, I remember spending a few hours in the La Brea Tar Pits and that place is tiny.
The_SpaniardIt's never lupinesIrvine, CaliforniaRegistered Userregular
edited September 2021
Fold 3 club here.
I think it's time I also replaced my Samsung puck charging pad for something a little more reliable. Many times I've put my phones on it only to go to bed and not notice the light start blinking 30 seconds later, and then wake up the next morning to a zero percent increase in battery. I'd like to get one of those angled stand ones where it's less likely to not get a good connection and just not charge. Since I have my phone, earbuds, and a Galaxy watch I was thinking of getting a 3-in-1 charger. I can't do one of the lay flat ones for my watch because I have a band on it that doesn't open, just cinches tighter or looser. I was looking on Amazon and this exact design keeps popping up from various manufacturers, which looks perfect, but I don't trust it at all.
I think it's time I also replaced my Samsung puck charging pad for something a little more reliable. Many times I've put my phones on it only to go to bed and not notice the light start blinking 30 seconds later, and then wake up the next morning to a zero percent increase in battery. I'd like to get one of those angled stand ones where it's less likely to not get a good connection and just not charge. Since I have my phone, earbuds, and a Galaxy watch I was thinking of getting a 3-in-1 charger. I can't do one of the lay flat ones for my watch because I have a band on it that doesn't open, just cinches tighter or looser. I was looking on Amazon and this exact design keeps popping up from various manufacturers, which looks perfect, but I don't trust it at all.
Anybody have any recommendations for something like that, but more trustworthy?
Amazon reviews for that product seem to indicate issues with the watch charger. some people saying it doesn't play nice with metal watchbands, others saying it overheats their watches. It sounds like the seller is pretty proactive with helping troubleshoot/replace, but it looks pretty iffy to me.
I think it's time I also replaced my Samsung puck charging pad for something a little more reliable. Many times I've put my phones on it only to go to bed and not notice the light start blinking 30 seconds later, and then wake up the next morning to a zero percent increase in battery. I'd like to get one of those angled stand ones where it's less likely to not get a good connection and just not charge. Since I have my phone, earbuds, and a Galaxy watch I was thinking of getting a 3-in-1 charger. I can't do one of the lay flat ones for my watch because I have a band on it that doesn't open, just cinches tighter or looser. I was looking on Amazon and this exact design keeps popping up from various manufacturers, which looks perfect, but I don't trust it at all.
Anybody have any recommendations for something like that, but more trustworthy?
Amazon reviews for that product seem to indicate issues with the watch charger. some people saying it doesn't play nice with metal watchbands, others saying it overheats their watches. It sounds like the seller is pretty proactive with helping troubleshoot/replace, but it looks pretty iffy to me.
There are at least half a dozen of this exact charger on Amazon with different branding. It's probably just some cheap Ali Express charger with seller branding slapped on it and resold on Amazon with a price hike. The concept is exactly what I want, I just don't trust this one. That's why I'm asking if there is something like it, but from a known/trusted manufacturer.
Posts
But also $400 off for Google Fi subs...
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
yeah, if there is one downside to that phone the 3300mah battery is going to be it. It also sucks that it's limited to 15W charging instead of 25W the Fold 3 gets.
I really wish I could get my hands on that phone to test. I was actually at a best buy over the weekend that had demo units of both the fold and flip, and while the Fold is definitely the device for me. The sheer "cool" factor of the Flip could actually sell a lot of phones.
They had the flip sitting beside a S21+, and it's basically as tall, just a bit more narrow. and folds in half.
Honestly, if having a portable bigger screen tablet wasn't more important to me at this exact second I might have gone for the flip. There's just something about that device that resonates.
Steam: betsuni7
My gf has the Flip 4G version for just over 12 months now and she absolutely loves it. I do get a bit jealous at how cool it looks compared to my Z Fold 2. Anyhow luckily I managed to get a few hours with the Z Flip 3 the other day and I will say it looks even better in the flesh. If you are worried about battery life, I would start to think about using the front screen as much as possible and only revert to the large fold display for the apps that need it. The biggest issue with the original was how useless the front display was meant you were forced to use the large display all the time rather or invest in a smartwatch. The 3 has fixed that issue.
Also those cases with the ring attachment are really cool.
how is Samsung's UI these days?
I've been on Pixels since they were available and had tried to stay on "stock" Android before that
never used Samsung
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
I picked up a Galaxy S21 a couple weekends ago and its fine. The unavoidable differences are minimum and so far I have been able to adopt the Pixel apps I preferred rather seamlessly including Messages, Phone, GPay, and Clock. Their keyboard was ok but I went back to Swype+ because it's better for punctuation if you like Glide typing than any other I have tried.
I often forget most of the UI since I have run Nova Launcher since my S7 (I'm currently running a S9). I went from stock Android to the S7 so haven't seen stock android settings since then, but from what I read Samsung seems to be going closer to stock there (again, this isn't my personal experience so someone else can clarify this).
Steam: betsuni7
The actual launcher/app drawer of One UI is fine. I like it quite a bit.
Samsung does still want you to use their apps a lot, but I turned off/replaced the things I wanted to in about 20 minutes and i never have to think about it again.
but Samsung is starting to tone it down. on the Z Fold 3 Google discover is the default left pane in the launcher instead of Samsung Free. Google Messages is the default SMS/RCS client. Stuff like that. Bixby is still there but you don't have to use it. I use Bixby routines but not the voice assitant.
it's fine. Not everyone will love it, and that's fine. But for the UI that's on the most Android phones (in the western world) it's perfectly fine.
It's real nice. I thought the display on my Note 10+ looked nice but the Fold3's display(s) are stunning. I'm sure that's just 2 years of OLED advancement but it's incredible.
I'm still figuring out my layout/use for the inner display, since it's just a bigger canvas to work with, but I'm at work and just leaving it with the display open and using it that way.
The outer display is narrow, but completely usable. Is it something I would want to write my review of the device on? Absolutely not. But it's big enough that I don't feel I always need to open the inner display, which is nice, especially when I'm out and about. I think that with how thick the device is when folded, having the screen being a bit more narrow actually helps with the one handed ergonomics, just making it easier to grip.
Oh, and while I usually don't like cases, I know that i'm definitely keeping this thing in a case 99% of the time, which was re-inforced once I got it out of the box. It looks amazing, but it's super slippery. It really feels like a oiled up brick in your hand. I don't find the weight problematic, it's just heavier than my older phone, something I'll get used to. But you absolutely need a case.
The only thing I think you can't replicate is Pixel's proprietary camera app but Samsung's doesn't seem to be too bad.
It's not two pieces of glass, never has been. The original fold was just plastic. The Fold2 and 3 have one single sheet of what samsung calls "ultra thin glass" that does bend/fold. ultra thin is the operative word, as it's apparently less than 1mm thick. on top of that is a plastic layer that should not be removed. (below the glass layer is the flexible OLED Panel on the Fold3, and on the Fold 2 there was a polarizer layer between the OLED and the glass that the Fold3 doesn't need/have)
I don't have any first hand experience with the Fold2 but all the comments are that the top plastic layer was a mushy, gummy plastic mess. On the Fold3 that layer is a completely different material, and it feels like any other high end screen protector I've ever used. there's no noticeable "flex" when pressing on the screen with a normal amount of force. It feels solid, though it will obviously be several months before we know how durable it ends up being. I'm not going to start poking at it with sharp objects but I'm not going to baby it either.
For the Fold3 the digitizer that allows the S Pen to work is two separate pieces since there are no flexibile digitizers yet, and then there's software magic to ensure the S Pen works in the gap between them. My S Pen and case hasn't come yet so I have no first hand experience on that.
The Fold 2 screen was fine, but Samsung attached a machined screen protector to the device. The screen protector was something close to a first gen iPhone screen protector. Absolutely horrible to swipe use and felt terrible in the hand. Most people removed or replaced it and was absolutely fine.
Screen durability is fine, its surprising really, but the frame from the fold 2 is extremely durable and high quality which helps. Fold 3 looks to be the same so you should have no worries there. The only thing I would say is keep an eye on the crease as there are some cases of small cracks forming from the original Fold after 12 months.
I would look at setting your sidebar apps to selections of ones you want to open together. The Fold 3 you can have the sidebar as a permanent app dock like a Mac OS if you want which is really cool.
The small screen is where you will get the most use. It takes about a week to get used to but once you do its surprisingly functional for general use.
Oh when opened out the split keyboard is godly for productivity. Try it but once I did I fell in love.
I'm half the speed with the samsung keyboard, either on the cover or inner display, but that'll improve with time. the toughest part is the alt keys are all in different places, but i'll learn that.
I've been enjoying my foldable (a Surface Duo) especially for productivity, it hasn't had app compatibility since it works like a dual monitor setup and single screen apps just take one screen, but the camera is pretty unimpressive. No external screen, so you'd want a smart watch for notifications. You definitely feel like a sci fi character sometimes using foldable devices.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/14/18088620/samsung-foldable-phone-science-fiction-movies-television-westworld-star-trek
Z flips for me and the wife.
That discount buying though Fi was too hard to ignore.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Here I am still waiting. :P
Because we got more dollars than sense.
I'm kind of a sucker for new and cool things. The Fold 2 has, thus far, been fairly durable. Don't use a case, just a pop socket on the back to help with grip. Dropped it a few times before the outside screen cracked, but the tools I needed to fix it (other than parts) was a playing card and a tooth pick.
But I still actively dissuade people from getting folding phones though.
Yep, I'm nuts. I'm also a sucker for nifty new things from time to time, plus my Dad would have loved seeing this thing so I'm imagining I'm buying it for the two of us.
If it backfires and is not what I like I'll just keep it as long as it works as a phone then go back to a regular bar smartphone as my next device.
Steam: betsuni7
I have a couple family members with some pretty significant health challenges, and this year alone I have had three separate times where I've gotten a phone call that has caused me to have to drop everything and go somewhere, whether it be a hospital or a family member's house. And I may be there for hours, or even overnight, without notice. This kind of thing has been my reality for several years now. I've taken to usually carrying around a backpack with an iPad, my switch, chargers, battery pack etc just so I know i'll have things to do if I'm sitting in a hospital waiting room for 8 hours,
With the Fold3, the fact that there's a small tablet that I can fit in my pockets means that if I have that phone and a charger I'm pretty much good to go indefinitely, and I don't really have to cart around a backpack full of stuff anymore, which is a big thing for me.
Yes, it's a very expensive solution to the problem, and like I said, if I didn't have the means, I wouldn't have done it. but for my specific use case, it actually simplifies my life.
And also, I'm a technology enthusiast. I live for new tech like this, and like I said, I haven't been this excited for a piece of technology since the Palm Pre almost 10 years ago. If someone would pay me to be a technology writer/blogger/influencer/whatever the buzzword is today I would absolutely do it in a second, to the point where i do have a website I write stuff for mostly for fun (and partially to build a portfolio). So the Fold3 speaks to me from that side of the equation as well.
As someone who uses my Note to make quick field sketches I'm curious about the Fold3, but not sure I'm $1800 curious...
that's the speculation, and it does make sense in that why would Samung release three separate "flagship" lines.
I don't have my s pen and case yet, but I mostly bought it as an experiment, using the samsung credit I got for pre-ordering. I went to the Fold3 from the Note 10+ and while i used the stylus a lot for the first year I owned it, in the second year the only time I ever really used it was as a remote shutter for the camera. My use just really fell off. I can't see myself actually using it *more* when the s pen is not built into the device, and something that has to be carried separately or as part of a case I don't like.
Yeah to be honest most of my s-pen usage has been making shopping lists, but work currently has me in the field more so I'm either sketching site stuff for taking notes on a call and the extra real estate might be nice. I dont have a burning need to upgrade from my Note 8 and before the Fold3 launched I was thinking of checking out an iPhone since I've never had one and am getting sick of all the reaction notification texts.
Guess I'll just continue watching this thread
Steam: betsuni7
I was lucky enough to test the original Galaxy Fold for 5G modems around an assigned area in the UK. While I would never recommend that model for various reasons, it still was impressive enough new technology to make me excited to see where the next model would be. I was also lucky enough to test a version of the iPhone 11 that had a 5G modem but that is for another day.
The Fold 2 is my current device and has been very durable. This comes from my main job teaching art and in workshops where there is lots of dust particles around and its held up very well.
Before I got the Fold 2 I got my partner the Z Flip 4G for her birthday. She has bashed that device around to no end and only recently the screen went black (Samsung replaced the screen and battery for free out of warranty).
With the Flip 3 and Fold 3 we are starting to see a real mass maturity of foldable devices. They are still in the realm of luxury + phones and will not be for everyone, but that gap between is getting smaller for everyday usage.
I agree that this phone is definitely in the realm of luxury given the price tag, but man is it worth it in my opinion if you want the pocket space back. Yeah, technically it fills the same volume as an unfolded phone, but it doesn't stick up like the unfolded phone does. The only downside I see so far is the fold area on the screen where you feel it while sliding your finger over it and shows up on dark images if you have the light just right. Otherwise, yeah it works like a regular phone.
Yep, I am a happy hamster running on his wheel again. Of course this is only after one evening of fiddling with the phone and setting things up so maybe my feelings will change after a while. While I don't think so since I'm a pretty negative person when it comes to things changing (my wife points this out on occasion) so it passed my initial regret phase with flying colors. Oh and I love the dark green color I chose and don't want to put the free leather case on it now. The Samsung leather case is a plastic shell with leather attached to it. OH and I'm going to try the feature where it doesn't charge the phone past 85% to see if it really does improve battery life. I read the numbers and studies about charging phones, but want to see if it actually does work like the numbers show. Plus right now I'm not going anywhere so I can toss it on a charger. That might change if I have to actually go out away from any charging source for long periods of time.
Steam: betsuni7
Really glad you are loving the flip 3. When I got my partner the flip 4G for her birthday, I spent ages just opening and closing the device as it looked so sleep and cool. Even now its more impressive to look at than the Fold series, and I love to play around with it even when I have my Fold 2 in my pocket.
How is the battery life for you so far?
Hahahaha, yeah I find myself opening and closing it a lot just to do it. I do love the Fold series with their "now it is a thick phone, now it is a tablet" idea as well.
This is not even 24 hours so the software has not had time to adjust to my usage yet, but it has gone from 85% when I woke up about 4 hours ago. Fiddling watching some movies on it, surfing a bit and deleting e-mails has me at 71% right now. My S9 would be around high 70s to 80 by now and that was from 100%.
Steam: betsuni7
I'm trying very hard to use the Samsung keyboard because it has a split keyboard mode when ulfolded. I hate this keyboard. I may try gboard but the typing experience has been poor for me. Partly I have to get used to the new screen/dimensions, partly I'm still adjusting to the samsung keyboard. But I'm slower and make more typos with the Z Fold3. I hope this improves with time.
I haven't picked up my iPad on this entire trip. Usually my iPad is my go to device when I'm chilling in the hotel/airbnb because of the bigger screen, but with the Fold's screen being iPad mini sized, it's big enough 90% of the time. The only reason I'd have to pick my iPad up is if I wanted to watch something on that while also doing something else.
Battery life is hugely workload dependent. This trip is both extremely fair but extemely hard as a battery life test. I took almost 400 pictures yesterday, and used google maps navigation, and Pokémon Go. So no, the battery life does not last all day. But my older Note 10+ wouldn't last all day with that workload either. Basically, I think when out and about the battery life is no better or worse than any other phone. Where it really "suffers" is that I want to use it as both a phone.. and a tablet. So cases where I'd put my phone down and grab my iPad, I'm still using my phone, which eats that battery. I just use the device differently than I do a "normal" phone which affects battery life.
Cameras: First off, being able to use the main cameras for selfies is a game changer. I don't take a lot of selfies but this ability is amazing. Secondly, I know all the reviewers talk about how this is just a small step below the best cameras on the market, and while I'm sure that's true, we're splitting hairs at this point. I was at a museum, with museum lighting, possibly the most challenging lighting you can possibly have for photography and I got some incredible shots. Two photos below.
These pictures iare straight out of my phone, the only editing done was to resize down to 50% so I wasn't posting a 4000x3000 picture in the forums.
Plus your subjects in the photos are even more awesome. I never seen those before, and the second one is just plain awesome.
Steam: betsuni7
I was at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. If anyone knows roughly where Calgary is, it’s about a 1.25 hour drive east of there. Where it is located is in the middle of one of the best areas on the planet for discovering fossils, and as such it’s one of the best museums of its kind in North America, possibly the world. the second picture, the one with the T-Rex in the sheet of stone is the most complete single T-Rex fossil ever discovered. It is called Black Beauty, since the fossilized bones are black. the skull on the display is actually a fabrication, the real skull is the one in the lower right of the picture, separate from the main display because it is too heavy to mount in the head position vertically for display.
I will have more pictures of that museum up when I get my review of the phone done, I have a couple hundred to sort through.
Speaking on the photo quality specifically, where the flagship phones shine over the midrange and low end stuff is in low light and night mode. Mlost phones should be able to take an acceptable picture in daylight now, but for low light you do get what you pay for, and the Fold3’s low light performance is actually a much bigger step up from my Note10+ than I was expecting.
one of the last frontiers for phone camers is going to be fast moving subject, especially in anything less than full sunlight. That’s where they still fall down a bit, even at the high end.
The s pen itself works as an s pen without bluetooth does, in that it’s fine. Sliding the pen across the crease of the phone is weird, but otherwise it works as you would expect. the tip is spring loaded but i have to say you need way more pressure than I’m comfortable with to get the tip to compress, so Samsung must be *very* confident in the screen.
But otherwise, the s pen is probably something I’m going to keep on the coffee table in front of the TV and use occasionally on the couch, but not all the time.
If you’re someone who uses the s pen on a Note every single day, you’ll probably want it. Otherwise, meh. Get it for free/on a deal.
Edit: also, the fact that you can't use the s pen on the cover display is stupid, and takes away almost all of the quick note usability. Want to jot something down real fast? take the pen out of the silo, then open the phone, then open the app, then you can start writing. Too many steps.
I'm headed there in two weeks! It's been DECADES since I've been, very excited!
If there's something that I'm a huge fan of it is fossils. Sadly my brain decided to dump all my knowledge on it for remembering Transformers and Battletech mechs... I will hopefully remember this place and add it to my bucket list one day to visit when I retire. I'd love to see all of the displays and probably would spend a whole day just standing and drooling over all of the stuff there.
Heck, I remember spending a few hours in the La Brea Tar Pits and that place is tiny.
Steam: betsuni7
I think it's time I also replaced my Samsung puck charging pad for something a little more reliable. Many times I've put my phones on it only to go to bed and not notice the light start blinking 30 seconds later, and then wake up the next morning to a zero percent increase in battery. I'd like to get one of those angled stand ones where it's less likely to not get a good connection and just not charge. Since I have my phone, earbuds, and a Galaxy watch I was thinking of getting a 3-in-1 charger. I can't do one of the lay flat ones for my watch because I have a band on it that doesn't open, just cinches tighter or looser. I was looking on Amazon and this exact design keeps popping up from various manufacturers, which looks perfect, but I don't trust it at all.
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Charger-Qi-Certified-Charging-Frontier/dp/B086JYCNYK?th=1
Anybody have any recommendations for something like that, but more trustworthy?
Amazon reviews for that product seem to indicate issues with the watch charger. some people saying it doesn't play nice with metal watchbands, others saying it overheats their watches. It sounds like the seller is pretty proactive with helping troubleshoot/replace, but it looks pretty iffy to me.
There are at least half a dozen of this exact charger on Amazon with different branding. It's probably just some cheap Ali Express charger with seller branding slapped on it and resold on Amazon with a price hike. The concept is exactly what I want, I just don't trust this one. That's why I'm asking if there is something like it, but from a known/trusted manufacturer.