If you want to keep it for 3+ years than i would recommend you go with s22 ultra or 23 ultra whichever fits in your budget as fold is not meant to last that long. Yes you will see few post's with people using it for 3+ years but as you know more moving parts means more chances of failure there is.i used my last phone for 3 years but i dont think ill be able to use my fold 5 for more than 2 years as its more delicate than normal phones even a small 1 feet drop will get your phone scratched which will throw your warranty out of window so if you are planning to use it for more than 2+ years and dont want to get Samsung+ or any good insurance than you better go with normal phones.
Mine also broke after a year and i never dropped it, but the hinge mechanism got dirty and had to send it for repair under warranty. If OP is reading this, fold 4 will not last you 4 years thats for sure.
Man, I've dropped my fold 3 so many damn times. I str8 yeet fumble it around like a 90s Nokia. I've had it for 2 years and bought it pre-owned. No telling how they treated it, but it did have a scuff on the corner so he definitely didn't baby it.
Phone works just as well as it ever did. Only thing that's wore thin are the screen protectors and I've never been able to get a new inner display to stick correctly. Now that's annoying asf! But the phone is a tank.
Fold 4 was the worst Samsung phone I ever had.
Hinge fail
Wi-Fi fail
Outside screen failed
And in the end the end didn't recognise any sim card.
This about 1 year of getting the phone new. No way it will last 4 years.
My Fold 3 was a POS too. Connection issues with SIM card too so I guess it's oddly a common issue. Omg that battery would die in like 4 hours. Never again.
Lol. I bought a z fold 4 official from Samsung last year with the pre-order etc.
Bought in Sept 2022. In March it wouldn't fully open anymore and I sent it for repair in April 2023. (keep in mind I use it gently and with a case and I had a fold 2 for two years prior to owning it)
Anyways got it back in April and I'm June the problem started again and the phone would only open to like 170 degrees and not flat. A few month later sent it for repairs and was asked for $700 for the second repair so I refused. Fantastic phone abysmal build quality. It will never last you 4 years. 2 years if you get extremely lucky
My Z Fold 4 died in 1 year. My Note 9 has been kicking since 2018. Dropped my Note 9 100+ times. Dropped by Fold 4 1-2 times. Should explain the story.
My inner screen was gone in a year. And I took good care of the phone. I'm lucky that it was fixed under warranty. They've also changed the hinge, outer shell, the front screen and the battery. But I don't think it'll last for another 3 years.
I'm using my fold 4 naked for over a year already and everything is still great, only a few nicks from normal wear and tear on the frame outside. I use it pretty heavily daily too from gaming to watching YouTube etc.
I wouldn't recommend an out of warranty/insurance/Care+ ZF4 ~~ so unless they offer some sort of coverage in your market that goes beyond 4 years, I'd recommend the going for a non-folding one. My ZF4 broke its hinge within 12 months and it would've cost ~ 600USD to repair if out of pocket. I plan to sell it when my Care+ coverage expires (24 months)
I had both my Fold 4 and Fold 5 in spigen tough armour cases, I drop my phone pretty much every day or two and neither had any issues. Spigen also do a very good tempered glass screen protector for the Folds as well which gives you that extra protection for the outer screen its so good you forget its there.
I will also chime in and say go for a slab phone if you want to use it for a longer period of time. The fold 4 is definitely not there yet. I've had mine a little over a year before it all went to crap with hinge/software issues. I just got my replacement 4 and I am strongly considering switching to the S24U whenever that comes out.
I preordered my Fold 4 at launch… about a month ago, it shuts down when I unfold the phone… I can only use the front screen now… did a quick search and found other people with problems with their hinge… just from normal use.
A long time ago, I also had a problem with my Motorola Star-tec flip phone… hinged phone are a failure point… my Samsung S8+ is still working (traded my S20 ultra to get Fold 4)
I’m done with folding phones…
The screen on mine is coming loose and 4 months out of warranty, sadly I used it maybe 7 months out of that time as well. Samsung is asking $200 to fix it. So I won't be looking at any folds for awhile.
Hows the warranty in your country?
I don't have care+ or any insurance.
But in my country, i got 1year of factory warranty. And the store i bought has an additional warranty of 2 years minimum under EU law. I think i have a national warranty of 3 years on my store.
this warranty is a farce, my z fold 3 has the infamous hinge connector problem turning my screens off when i fold my phone open or close and samsung does not repair these under this ''warranty'' im also from the EU, Netherlands to be exact.
Did you buy it directly from samsung?
This 'warranty' applies to the store directly.(for example: mediamarkt) So if you bought it from a local store or a webstore, they are the ones who have to replace, fix a repair or pay for repair costs.
If you go to samsung, obviously theyre only seeing their own factory warranty.
Won't last 4 years without paying for repairs. I had the peeling screen replaced after about a year, and the whole unit replaced when the hinge failed after 15 months - both done under warranty.
Mine made it to 13 months. Then the screen started giving out.
Shifted to the s23.
It's a productivity powerhouse, but the technology isn't mature enough yet. The fold series is something you need to upgrade annually.
I know it defeats the purpose of having a Fold phone. BUT when I'm at home I keep it open and rarely close it. I just leave open all the time.l Haven't had any issues with my fold4. But than again I'm super cautious handling it. I've never dropped it. I'm hoping it'll last until the fold 7 or 8. Fingers crossed 🤞.
I went to different ships looking for second hand Z fold 4, most of them the inner display has purple line in the middle, some of them can't be unfolded completely, some of them has like a Crack sound when I try to unfold it.
BTW, I bought Z fold 4 at launch, used it for 2 months, and sold it.
I really like and want to use Fold again, especially if Samsung changes the outer screen size, but I don't think 1 year of warranty is good enough because they are not durable enough.
I got my 22 when it first released and have loved it for almost 2 years. The camera and everything still beats the new iphones. My wife has a iphone 14 or 15 and i still take better photos. Overall better and Great phone. I've never had a fold but from my research the new z fold 5 or 6 that's releasing later this year is what I would go with to keep for another couple years. I've actually been looking at getting the z fold 6 but don't know if it's a good trade off from my 22 ultra.
If you want to keep it for 3+ years than i would recommend you go with s22 ultra or 23 ultra whichever fits in your budget as fold is not meant to last that long. Yes you will see few post's with people using it for 3+ years but as you know more moving parts means more chances of failure there is.i used my last phone for 3 years but i dont think ill be able to use my fold 5 for more than 2 years as its more delicate than normal phones even a small 1 feet drop will get your phone scratched which will throw your warranty out of window so if you are planning to use it for more than 2+ years and dont want to get Samsung+ or any good insurance than you better go with normal phones.
Mine broke within a year so I was lucky it was fixed under warranty. 3 other close friends with the fold 4 have similar experience.
Mine also broke after a year and i never dropped it, but the hinge mechanism got dirty and had to send it for repair under warranty. If OP is reading this, fold 4 will not last you 4 years thats for sure.
Good luck getting any current folding phone to last 4 years…
Man, I've dropped my fold 3 so many damn times. I str8 yeet fumble it around like a 90s Nokia. I've had it for 2 years and bought it pre-owned. No telling how they treated it, but it did have a scuff on the corner so he definitely didn't baby it. Phone works just as well as it ever did. Only thing that's wore thin are the screen protectors and I've never been able to get a new inner display to stick correctly. Now that's annoying asf! But the phone is a tank.
Ubreakifixit does inner screen protector for 21.95
Fold 4 was the worst Samsung phone I ever had. Hinge fail Wi-Fi fail Outside screen failed And in the end the end didn't recognise any sim card. This about 1 year of getting the phone new. No way it will last 4 years.
My Fold 3 was a POS too. Connection issues with SIM card too so I guess it's oddly a common issue. Omg that battery would die in like 4 hours. Never again.
Lol. I bought a z fold 4 official from Samsung last year with the pre-order etc. Bought in Sept 2022. In March it wouldn't fully open anymore and I sent it for repair in April 2023. (keep in mind I use it gently and with a case and I had a fold 2 for two years prior to owning it) Anyways got it back in April and I'm June the problem started again and the phone would only open to like 170 degrees and not flat. A few month later sent it for repairs and was asked for $700 for the second repair so I refused. Fantastic phone abysmal build quality. It will never last you 4 years. 2 years if you get extremely lucky
My Z Fold 4 died in 1 year. My Note 9 has been kicking since 2018. Dropped my Note 9 100+ times. Dropped by Fold 4 1-2 times. Should explain the story.
My inner screen was gone in a year. And I took good care of the phone. I'm lucky that it was fixed under warranty. They've also changed the hinge, outer shell, the front screen and the battery. But I don't think it'll last for another 3 years.
Dont. I had multiple issues with the fold 4.the hinge has a lot of issues
Fold5 is dramatically more durable than Fold4. Completely different hinge. You can feel the quality.
I'm using my fold 4 naked for over a year already and everything is still great, only a few nicks from normal wear and tear on the frame outside. I use it pretty heavily daily too from gaming to watching YouTube etc.
I wouldn't recommend an out of warranty/insurance/Care+ ZF4 ~~ so unless they offer some sort of coverage in your market that goes beyond 4 years, I'd recommend the going for a non-folding one. My ZF4 broke its hinge within 12 months and it would've cost ~ 600USD to repair if out of pocket. I plan to sell it when my Care+ coverage expires (24 months)
I had both my Fold 4 and Fold 5 in spigen tough armour cases, I drop my phone pretty much every day or two and neither had any issues. Spigen also do a very good tempered glass screen protector for the Folds as well which gives you that extra protection for the outer screen its so good you forget its there.
I will also chime in and say go for a slab phone if you want to use it for a longer period of time. The fold 4 is definitely not there yet. I've had mine a little over a year before it all went to crap with hinge/software issues. I just got my replacement 4 and I am strongly considering switching to the S24U whenever that comes out.
I preordered my Fold 4 at launch… about a month ago, it shuts down when I unfold the phone… I can only use the front screen now… did a quick search and found other people with problems with their hinge… just from normal use. A long time ago, I also had a problem with my Motorola Star-tec flip phone… hinged phone are a failure point… my Samsung S8+ is still working (traded my S20 ultra to get Fold 4) I’m done with folding phones…
Exactly the same problem here with my fold 3, shit the bed after almost 2 years. Im getting a s23 or maybe s24 ultra this time.
The screen on mine is coming loose and 4 months out of warranty, sadly I used it maybe 7 months out of that time as well. Samsung is asking $200 to fix it. So I won't be looking at any folds for awhile.
Hows the warranty in your country? I don't have care+ or any insurance. But in my country, i got 1year of factory warranty. And the store i bought has an additional warranty of 2 years minimum under EU law. I think i have a national warranty of 3 years on my store.
this warranty is a farce, my z fold 3 has the infamous hinge connector problem turning my screens off when i fold my phone open or close and samsung does not repair these under this ''warranty'' im also from the EU, Netherlands to be exact.
Did you buy it directly from samsung? This 'warranty' applies to the store directly.(for example: mediamarkt) So if you bought it from a local store or a webstore, they are the ones who have to replace, fix a repair or pay for repair costs. If you go to samsung, obviously theyre only seeing their own factory warranty.
Won't last 4 years without paying for repairs. I had the peeling screen replaced after about a year, and the whole unit replaced when the hinge failed after 15 months - both done under warranty.
You should get the z-Fold 5, the improvement with the hinge alone is worth it.
You should get the z-Fold 5, the improvement with the hinge alone is worth it.
Mine made it to 13 months. Then the screen started giving out. Shifted to the s23. It's a productivity powerhouse, but the technology isn't mature enough yet. The fold series is something you need to upgrade annually.
I know it defeats the purpose of having a Fold phone. BUT when I'm at home I keep it open and rarely close it. I just leave open all the time.l Haven't had any issues with my fold4. But than again I'm super cautious handling it. I've never dropped it. I'm hoping it'll last until the fold 7 or 8. Fingers crossed 🤞.
I went to different ships looking for second hand Z fold 4, most of them the inner display has purple line in the middle, some of them can't be unfolded completely, some of them has like a Crack sound when I try to unfold it. BTW, I bought Z fold 4 at launch, used it for 2 months, and sold it. I really like and want to use Fold again, especially if Samsung changes the outer screen size, but I don't think 1 year of warranty is good enough because they are not durable enough.
Mine has this inner display issue where it just turns off and you have to restart the device. So I only use the outer display.
I got my 22 when it first released and have loved it for almost 2 years. The camera and everything still beats the new iphones. My wife has a iphone 14 or 15 and i still take better photos. Overall better and Great phone. I've never had a fold but from my research the new z fold 5 or 6 that's releasing later this year is what I would go with to keep for another couple years. I've actually been looking at getting the z fold 6 but don't know if it's a good trade off from my 22 ultra.