When folding phones started to become available, I was psyched. It’s really cool that they use actual folding glass, and I’ve been thinking for years about the unrealized potential of the folding form factor for personal devices.
But I personally had to have one because they looked like they’d actually fit in my pocket! The two compact devices that came out first were the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. The Razr looked maybe a little cooler, but the Z Flip was a nicer phone. Among other things, it was reportedly sturdier and with a nicer camera than Razr. (Since then, both phones have released updated versions with better components.)
I got a Z Flip and within a few days, I really could not imagine going back to a normal, huge, unbendable rectangle.
A few reservations I have (and still have, because this is still the phone I use on the daily) is that this phone isn’t as rugged as most high-end phones. It’s not drop-resistant and waterproof. The screen will be easier to scratch or crack. It would be nice to know you could close the phone and keep the screen safe, but the beautiful mirrored exterior is also glass and would be easy to break. And I’m a chronic phone breaker, so me owning this comparably delicate phone is playing with fire. Still, I can’t seem to quit it.
Secondly, and this is a pretty weird gripe, there’s no digital pen. The biggest reason I’ve had so many Samsung phones is because the flagship Samsung Galaxy Note line always has a digital pen, and I love digital ink. I don’t know what to do about this — do I want a compact phone, or one with a pen? Yes. Choosing one or the other is a difficult compromise.
But generally this phone is amazing, so after I stan tweeted it a bit, an ad producer for Samsung messaged me about using my tweet in a Samsung ad. (They didn’t pay me to rave about the phone, they just paid me to use my content after I was already raving about it.) So they included me in a series of ads about Z Flip! It’s pretty cool to see this video about my tweet with over 77k views, and because I’m admittedly a huge fan of Samsung’s personal tech products, I’m ready to be in another Samsung ad anytime 😁
Here’s the ad!