The secondary cover screen is pretty cool, don't get me wrong. And let's be real, modern flip phones LOOK fucking cool. But....from a user perspective, is there anything a flip phone can do that your average phone CAN'T do? Besides flipping?
Yes - fit perfectly in a woman's size pocket.
My girlfriend said that and then put the phone in her purse anyway, and then can't find it when it rings.
Fine but there are plenty of us that refuse to carry a purse. Folding phones are helping with that.
There's no revolutionary advantages. They're a bit easier to toss in your pocket and the outer screen's limited functionality seems to be a good way to do things like check the time, check notifications, turn on/off smart devices, or switch songs without having to open the phone and potentially falling down an instagram/reddit/lemmy rabbit hole
I have a fold 4 which I love. Was thinking about switching to the flip so I went to check one out. All the reasons you listed where the things drawing me to it until I remembered I wear a smart watch and do all that already without taking my phone out. Then it became useless to me. The only benefit would be the small form factor when in my pocket but like I said, I have a fold, big phone in my pocket doesn't really bother me. And the biggest thing in would miss is being able to set my phone down half folded and watch videos on the vertical half. A feature I didn't think I would use but I do all the time.
Easily frame and take photos with the main camera.
I had a Z Flip for a while but replaced it as the cameras were a deal killer. For me personally I liked how small it was in my pocket. I know it's a small thing but that was my favorite part. When I replaced it, I gave it to my mom, who actually wears it around her neck with a lanyard. Sure, you can do that with a normal phone if you're feeling adventurous. The benefits are definitely niche though.
The secondary cover screen is pretty cool, don't get me wrong. And let's be real, modern flip phones LOOK fucking cool. But....from a user perspective, is there anything a flip phone can do that your average phone CAN'T do? Besides flipping?
Yes - fit perfectly in a woman's size pocket.
My girlfriend said that and then put the phone in her purse anyway, and then can't find it when it rings.
Fine but there are plenty of us that refuse to carry a purse. Folding phones are helping with that.
There's no revolutionary advantages. They're a bit easier to toss in your pocket and the outer screen's limited functionality seems to be a good way to do things like check the time, check notifications, turn on/off smart devices, or switch songs without having to open the phone and potentially falling down an instagram/reddit/lemmy rabbit hole
I have a fold 4 which I love. Was thinking about switching to the flip so I went to check one out. All the reasons you listed where the things drawing me to it until I remembered I wear a smart watch and do all that already without taking my phone out. Then it became useless to me. The only benefit would be the small form factor when in my pocket but like I said, I have a fold, big phone in my pocket doesn't really bother me. And the biggest thing in would miss is being able to set my phone down half folded and watch videos on the vertical half. A feature I didn't think I would use but I do all the time.
Easily frame and take photos with the main camera.
I had a Z Flip for a while but replaced it as the cameras were a deal killer. For me personally I liked how small it was in my pocket. I know it's a small thing but that was my favorite part. When I replaced it, I gave it to my mom, who actually wears it around her neck with a lanyard. Sure, you can do that with a normal phone if you're feeling adventurous. The benefits are definitely niche though.