Moving to the Fold era from Ultra... a request from real users

[smiley]

So I have had a few of the ultras over the years... although i am very tempted by the move to the fold range. There are some great deals to be had on Fold5 right now and especially with the pending unpacked and unveiling of the Fold and flip 6 range. 

Being a forum member of course I get to hear of some of the issues with hinges etc... and I assume these are more isolated cases and are more rare occasions ... or are they ? I mean they are not that fragile right ? 

I am a careful user and my phones are typically kept in protection cases and in pristine condition. I don't abuse or manhandle my phones and treat them with respect. 

Today I am mostly interested in real users that are very happy with their transition to fold 5 from a monoblock samsung design and ultras ? 

I am very sorry for those that have suffered hinge or screen issues... I see this moreso seems to be reported with the earlier fold 4 and seem to be less cases with the fold 5. Are the fold 5 a much better hinge design ? Has anyone had a poor quality fold 5 that genuinely failed in its hinge or screen without drop or damage ? 

Obviously this purchase is a big investment and right now there are some great fold5 discounts to be had ... I am tempted to benefit from buying last years fold 5 model than wait the premium of the new upcoming release... but I may wait for unpacked, I am a little unsure. I am seeing of trusted forumers can convince me... either one way or other !😃

My one year old s23 ultra is still a great phone in A1 condition, and truth be told this is not an essential upgrade and i still love my S23u ... but this is a dream to have one of the fold phones in my hand and to make my own judgement on changing to this new era of technology. 

P.s. please don't reply with any 'samsung are scammers', 'customer services are appaulling' or such kind of replies... I am more interested in positivity in upgrade and any genuine advice about hinge, flexible screen, and fold phones. I do however sympathise with the rare cases where problems do occur. 

Finally with taking optional samsung care cover for insurance, does this cover all instances of hinge and screen damage should they occur? Is there any exclusions ?

Thanks for reading, and any constructive advice you might want to give. 

(Sorry I have a tendency to waffle😉).

It can be short reply and doesn't have to be as long as my message😃😃

Thanks

Smiley. 

[Glenntech]

For me. I've had the Z Fold 5 since launch.
I've really enjoyed my time so far.
The phone is solid and well built.
My screen has been flawless, no issues at all.
Same with the hinge.
Front screen, the more I used it. The more I got used to it's size.

Cameras are not bad either. Not S series cameras, but get some good results. Samsung definitely made a difference from the Z Fold 4 ones.

Love that large inner screen. Not all apps are made to use the whole of the screen, but still that doesn't really bother me in all honesty.

I do take my own precautions.
I never press the screen when I close the phone.
I charge the phone with it unfolded
If I use any hand creams or something like that. I make sure I keep the screen clean.

Overall it's served me really well this last 11 months.

I don't have any insurance for my phone. Not really sure how good it is. But check the small print carefully.

I have both the S24 Ultra and Z Fold 5. I find quite often I grab the Fold 5, as with the bigger screen, I just see more stuff

[smiley]

@Glenntech thanks for your experiences 👍

[BandOfBrothers]

My experience was with the Samsung Fold³ @smiley which was a fantastic phone. 

The only issue I had was with the inner screen protector delaminated. 

I had no issues with the hinge system on that phone. 

The Folds are awesome for multi window tasking and for media consumption. 

I returned to the Ultra Series due to my grass roots of using Note phone's. 

My son is using a Fold⁵ and he's loving what it brings. 

I suspect you've had hands on at a Samsung Experience Store or Highstreet Network Store. 

As for insurance all my phone's are covered under my Home Contents Insurance. 

I would however wait for the Unpacked Event to see what the new lineup brings to the table and then the deals maybe better on the Fold⁵ ~ who knows 😉 

Do let us all know how you get on. 

[Debinter]

I've been a user of the Samsung block phone in the past and then migrated to the fold 4 in 2022. I treat it with care and keep it in a proper case. It's been good all the way, no hinge problem. Still in pristine condition. Make the move. With your method of treating your phones in the past, the fold will be alright for your as well. Never regretted the move.

[LiftedNinja]

I've had the fold 4 since it came out and haven't had any issues. Before that,  had the notes and s22 ultra.  I keep switching back to my s22 ultra just because of the cameras, which suck on the 4, 5 and probably 6 too. They're decent, but no comparison to the ultra one and battery life is better on the ultra.  But other than that, everything else is better on the fold to me. I wouldn't get a new one until they update the cameras on the Folds.  Seems like Samsung is turning into Apple and not really upgrading anything other than minor tweaks between each release. 

[TRY2HELP]

I'm a user of all the samsung note till the last note 20 ultra that I gave away to my daughter, I first abit of nervous to go for a fold5 after reading all the reviews, just after all I can't help it , so I decided to give a fold5 a go. I was very please with the fold5 , got it last December, no problem with the screen or hinge at all, the phone is solid.
also I never like phone cases, especially the case for fold5 , I bought a skin that stick around the side and back of the phone, so the phone still look like it naked with no case on.
also no problem with any software at all.
I just love the phone more than any note that I had in the past.
I don't think I can ever going back to use the slab phone again.

[Repaid1]

I'm a little late to the game, but I just ordered the Flip 6 yesterday and was checking on the Care+ program. There is quite a bit out there on hinge issues and Care+. The word on the web is that Hinge issues are not repaired under the Care+ plan per say. They are under the factory warranty during the first year and the repair places either can't get the part or don't have the skill to do that repair from a couple of comments. Again issues are pretty rare on hinges (I think people get debris of some sort in there?)  They (Third party authorized) will give you the run around  for a couple of weeks trying to source parts and then tell you or they will send it to Samsung for repair, which could be about a week turnaround or several weeks from reports.

I may be wrong but I suspect that the Flip and fold hinge are of the same design. With that, I have had a Flip 3,4,5 and now a Flip6 soon and have had zero issues with any of the folding Samsungs. I had my Flip 4 de-laminate at the crease on the screen protector one morning...I heated it carefully with a blow dryer and it was fine for 3 months till I traded up. Hope this helps some. 😉