INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Yesterday, Samsung announced that the Galaxy Flip Z sold out online
What, precisely, that means, is hard to say, of course, without specific numbers from the company
But it probably enough to make the company bullish about its latest wade into the foldable waters, in the wake of last year Fold — let
just say &troubles.&
Response to the device has been positive
I wrote mostly nice things about the Flip, with the caveat that the company only loaned out the product for 24 hours (I won&t complain here
about heading into the city on a Saturday in 20-degree weather to return the device
I&m mostly not that petty)
Heck, the product even scored a (slightly) better score on iFixit repairability meter than the Razr
Keep in mind, it got a 2/10 to Motorola 1/10 (the lowest score), but in 2020, we&re all taking victories where we can get them.
There been
some negative coverage mixed in, as well, of course; iFixit noted that the Flip could have some potential long-term dusty problems due to
its hinge, writing, &it seems like dust might be this phone Kryptonite.& Also, the $1,400 phone new, improved folding glass has proven to be
vulnerable to fingernails, of all things — a definite downside if you have, you know, fingers.
Living with the Samsung Galaxy Z
Flip
Reports of cracked screens have also begun to surface, owing, perhaps, to cold weather
It still hard to say how widespread these concerns are
Samsung saving grace, however, could well be the Razr
First the device made it through a fraction of the folds of Samsung first-gen product
Then reviewers and users alike complained of a noisy fold mechanism and build quality that might be…lacking
A review at Input had some major issues with a screen that appeared to fall apart at the seams (again, perhaps due to cold weather)
Motorola went on the defensive, issuing the following statement:
We have full confidence in razr display, and do not expect consumers to
experience display peeling as a result of normal use
As part of its development process, razr underwent extreme temperature testing
As with any mobile phone, Motorola recommends not storing (e.g., in a car) your phone in temperatures below -4 degrees Fahrenheit and above
If consumers experience device failure related to weather during normal use, and not as a result of abuse or misuse, it will be covered
under our standard warranty.
Consensus among reviews is to wait
The Flip is certainly a strong indication that the category is heading in the right direction
And Samsung is licensing its folding glass technology, which should help competitors get a bit of a jump start and hopefully avoid some of
the pitfalls of the first-gen Fold and Razr
A new survey from PCMag shows that 82% of consumers don&t plan to purchase such a device, with things like snapping hinges, fragile screens
and creases populating the list of concerns
Which, honestly, fair enough on all accounts
The rush to get to market has surely done the category a disservice
Those who consider themselves early adopters are exactly the people who regularly read tech reviews, and widespread issues are likely enough
to make many reconsider pulling the trigger on a $1,500-$2,000 device
Even early adopters are thrilled about the idea of beta testing for that much money
Two steps forward, one step back, perhaps? Let check back in a generation or two from now and talk
