With recent leaks showing the device giving us an idea of what the device could look like, I was curious to what some of our gripes were as far as this phone goes. If you haven't already seen the leaks, you can click here. It also gives us an idea of what the next flip will look.
Now as far as my own personal gripes:
1. This is by far the biggest one - The front screen. I understand the reasoning behind making it easier on one handed use, but I genuinely do believe more people would rather have a normal aspect ratio as if it were a normal phone. With the mate x2 being released, it's definitely possible and if anything, looks more premium. I wouldn't be so harsh towards the subject if we were able to change the aspect ratio on the front screen as well (I know you can do this with goodlock regarding the inner screen, there's just no option for the front). This becomes an issue for social media apps (ex, snapchat or instagram) not being able to properly send pictures or post them due to that aspect ratio throwing it off. For those apps to be used properly, the inside screen would need to be opened and have the aspect ratio adjusted and there's no fix otherwise. All of this and the generalization of not wanting to open the phone up to see wider content almost every time.
There's a link here that provides a solution, but again, only for the front/cover screen.
2. Sharp edges - If you're holding the phone for an extended period of time, you'll more than likely become uncomfortable with it on the left side (while using it closed). I will say, looking into the leaked photos, it seems they have fixed the issue by curving it.
3. Hinge design - Now this phone is a solid tank from my experience. Someone had accidentally dropped my phone, relatively brutally at that and the hinge had gotten stuck for a second and popped banked into place (Don't ask, just call me lucky). While I think it's extremely durable, I'd definitely like to see the improve with it's design. It seems that they may have from that leak (which again, could possibly not be the actual device). The comparison I'd like to make again would be to the mate x2 and you'll see below what I mean and the over aesthetic of the phone while it's closed. Granted the x2 is newer, the overall design does make it look discrete as far as being a foldable.
4. Weight - This one I'm not very optimistic on, just because there are more parts and factors that go into a folding phone. The overall weight can be an annoyance overtime while holding it closed. This kind of brings me back to my first point of it being wider, with a wider body, it'd seem that there would be more surface area to distribute that weight versus making the phone feel like a brick.
5. Other stuff would consist of the gap itself. I hate to keep comparing it to the X2, but they definitely did build a solid device in terms of design. From the leaks, it's been made out to be that the gap on the upcoming z fold 3 will be greatly reduced. Time will tell on that one.
As far as the leaks on the z fold 3, it does seem like it has some promising upgrades. One being the under-display camera. Hopefully it's greatly improved over the first generation one that had been released in I believe a ZTE phone. I see S Pen support as well which is neat for a bigger display for sure. It's a little disappointing to see that they, again, chose a lackluster route on the camera array. Not saying they'd be bad cameras by any means, but a TOF sensor or zoom lens would've been a little more justifiable regarding pricing of these phones (especially in a flagship standpoint).
Now as far as my own personal gripes:
1. This is by far the biggest one - The front screen. I understand the reasoning behind making it easier on one handed use, but I genuinely do believe more people would rather have a normal aspect ratio as if it were a normal phone. With the mate x2 being released, it's definitely possible and if anything, looks more premium. I wouldn't be so harsh towards the subject if we were able to change the aspect ratio on the front screen as well (I know you can do this with goodlock regarding the inner screen, there's just no option for the front). This becomes an issue for social media apps (ex, snapchat or instagram) not being able to properly send pictures or post them due to that aspect ratio throwing it off. For those apps to be used properly, the inside screen would need to be opened and have the aspect ratio adjusted and there's no fix otherwise. All of this and the generalization of not wanting to open the phone up to see wider content almost every time.
There's a link here that provides a solution, but again, only for the front/cover screen.
2. Sharp edges - If you're holding the phone for an extended period of time, you'll more than likely become uncomfortable with it on the left side (while using it closed). I will say, looking into the leaked photos, it seems they have fixed the issue by curving it.
3. Hinge design - Now this phone is a solid tank from my experience. Someone had accidentally dropped my phone, relatively brutally at that and the hinge had gotten stuck for a second and popped banked into place (Don't ask, just call me lucky). While I think it's extremely durable, I'd definitely like to see the improve with it's design. It seems that they may have from that leak (which again, could possibly not be the actual device). The comparison I'd like to make again would be to the mate x2 and you'll see below what I mean and the over aesthetic of the phone while it's closed. Granted the x2 is newer, the overall design does make it look discrete as far as being a foldable.
4. Weight - This one I'm not very optimistic on, just because there are more parts and factors that go into a folding phone. The overall weight can be an annoyance overtime while holding it closed. This kind of brings me back to my first point of it being wider, with a wider body, it'd seem that there would be more surface area to distribute that weight versus making the phone feel like a brick.
5. Other stuff would consist of the gap itself. I hate to keep comparing it to the X2, but they definitely did build a solid device in terms of design. From the leaks, it's been made out to be that the gap on the upcoming z fold 3 will be greatly reduced. Time will tell on that one.
As far as the leaks on the z fold 3, it does seem like it has some promising upgrades. One being the under-display camera. Hopefully it's greatly improved over the first generation one that had been released in I believe a ZTE phone. I see S Pen support as well which is neat for a bigger display for sure. It's a little disappointing to see that they, again, chose a lackluster route on the camera array. Not saying they'd be bad cameras by any means, but a TOF sensor or zoom lens would've been a little more justifiable regarding pricing of these phones (especially in a flagship standpoint).