Chasing Unicorns

It HURTS when you are right… :frowning_face: :cry: :sob:

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I thought the Neo was going to be the absolute coolest device when it was announced, but when it failed to launch and I got the IPP, man, I just really like the way the magic keyboard works with the tablet. It’s so much more seamless than the kickstand/keyboard cover of the SP line. I don’t think I want a foldable device anymore. I just really want Windows to get their stuff together for WOA and produce something as powerful as the M1/2 and then steal the Magic Keyboard set up, with a few tweaks to give it full range of motion/tilt, sort of like the Surface Laptop Studio.

Don’t you mind that you don’t have a kickstand on the iPP? It means that long reading or viewing sessions always require the magic keyboard to be attached for comfort.

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Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. I love the kickstand on my Go and could not do without it.

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Not at all. I have the 12.9 and it’s still so feather light compared to my last tablet that had a kickstand, it never bothers me to hold it. But I also do use the Magic Keyboard as a stand often, mainly when watching YouTube videos, or the occasional show that I’m too lazy to pull out our projector for (we don’t have a tv, just a projector we move around the house in conjunction with our laptops/tablets). I’ll also read with it on the MK as a stand though from time to time. It’s really no different than using the kickstand in that regard. I think the 11 inch would be even better to hold for portability, and unless MS comes up with something miraculous, it’ll probably be my next upgrade.

I honestly thought I would miss my kickstand, but I like the Magic Keyboard better because it can also angle down, not just up.

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But @James - doesn’t the Magic Keyboard add like 710g (1.6lb)? The kickstand adds nothing…

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I feel like the Magic Keyboard adds different viewing angles and more comfort in the lap. The kickstand adds a sharp edge in the lap and a less than ideal keyboard that I never really got used to in 4 years of using it. And without the keyboard the IPP weighs less and is more comfortable to hold.

I really like the idea of magnetic attachments of all sorts that work with the smart connector though. Pull it off the keyboard and snap it to a kickstand type backing if you want that, or pull it off that and snap it to a swivel monitor stand with connection to power/computer for a second screen that isn’t wireless sidecar. Or, since this is really the Windows unicorn I want, the monitor stand is just a dock for the computer and connects to the keyboard, and my 27" monitor. And anytime it connects to any of these attachments with the smart connector, it recognizes what type it is and automatically switches to tablet mode or desktop mode depending on the connection. Connect to the kickstand only? Tablet mode. Connect to the monitor stand or magic keyboard like device? Desktop mode. Free from any attachments would also be tablet mode. Of course with a manual trigger to switch if you wanted in any connection.

So I debated about posting this here versus in the S22 Ultra thread but decided that it belongs here due to a larger context about device choice and real-world use versus expectations.

I have been using a Fold 3 as my work phone since shortly before it’s official release. And I’ve been generally satisfied with it especially factoring in the one-time special deal I got on it.

But one of my customers, and Samsung has complicated things a bit.

The customer has been using various Samsung Notes almost since its release for certain staff as they are big advocates of the productivity gains a pen can bring to certain users.

And they looked long and hard at the Fold 3 including buying a few, but ultimately decided not to adopt it for multiple reasons including concerns about the long-term reliability of folding displays, but also size, weight, and form factor concerns.

Which brings it back to me as well. As part of my work with them, I have been using a S22 Ultra for a couple of weeks as well.

So in the unicorn spirit, my primary justification for the Fold 3 was that I could for most purposes stop carrying a tablet (iPad Pro 11 in my case) along with my work system which is now a Surface Pro 8 but was at the time a Surface Book 2 13 inch.

However, in actually using it, I’ve come to realize what a brick the Fold 3 really is. That extends to the weight and size, but also to the fact that there is simply not a good case solution for it, and unfortunately as it stands today is also too slippery to use without a case as it significantly for me anyway, increases the likelihood of me dropping it due at least partially due to the job.

And that has proven true as I’ve dropped it several times including KO-ing the screen once, and most definitely scuffing it up a bit.

But other things I thought might be “good enough” include the camera. I hadn’t realized how significant and how often camera quality would matter in the job. Something that I relied on my iPhone for prior the Fold 3 and where the Fold 3 has disappointed me on multiple occasions.

Another unfortunate realization was that as nice as the inner screen appears at first, it’s size and most importantly it’s aspect ratio, because they are unique, also means that app support outside of Samsung’s own apps, is almost nil.

And importantly that undercuts some of the productivity elements that Samsung introduced such as multiwindow support as many either won’t work or all or are impaired enough to make them too difficult to use. That’s of course part at least partially android’s fault.

OTOH, having a pen has for me has been an unqualified plus for me as I think I have mentioned before, pen centric usage is primary for me, extending to how I used my Book 3 and now my Pro 8.

So this a long way to bring it to the S22 Ultra which I have been using for a couple of weeks.

TLDR: good cameras, at least a semi pocketable/easy to hold in one hand device, and most importantly, a quality pen solution is what has proven to be the crucial factors in driving satisfaction with using a smartphone as much as I do, every day.

So a couple of things.

One, while much less so than the Fold 3, the S22 Ultra is still a brick. Mitigating that somewhat is that I already have found a case solution that I can live with.

Two. while I know how strong the advocates some here are for a silo, the corresponding small pen to support it is significant negative for me. Enough so that I have been carrying and using the Pro Pen with it that Samsung introduced a bit after the S21 Ultra.

And at least so far, I’m more willing to live with the reality that I’m still going to leave/misplace it on occasion.

So, @dstrauss the quest for me continues as well, as Samsung has tempted me again with a very good deal on a fully kitted out S22 Ultra in Green :slight_smile:

So far, the thing that has held me off is the not insignificant investment I already made in the Fold 3 and the likelihood that switching is going to make my desire for an iPad Mini, even harder to resist.

PS: Two other things.

  1. The new modem in the new S22s is a signifcant jump over the previous models, especially with 5G or in marginal signal areas.

  2. I’ve noticed in re-reading some of my posts here, that my atrocious typing skills have made the trip here from the old board too :slight_smile:

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That sounds sooooooo familiar (phones and tablets/laptops). This is all @Hifihedgehog’s fault - but for the incredible deal he helped me get on the fully loaded demo SP8 ($1346 for i7/16gb/1tb plus Type Cover and Slim Pen) I’d still be rocking the x360-14 and iPM6, searching interminably for my Unicorn.

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Until you realize this and the search continues… :rofl:

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Considering my “unicorn” weighs the same as TWO iPad Pro 11’s… :cry:

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For all my unicorn hunting friends, below is a comparison of size and weight among the Surface, GB12 and iPad competitors, including combined weights with keyboards - a bit sobering and helps rationalize my focus on the SP8…not a supermodel until you saddle it with a keyboard and then compare to the others…

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Are you me? Comparison tables of tablets, obsessing over device weight… Although if you were me you’d have added a row with “weight per square inch”. :sweat_smile:

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Sure you don’t mean “weight per cubic inch?”

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Actually no, at the time I was interested in the size of the reading canvas, not the thickness. The Surface Book clipboard did the best there, but alas, it had a battery life well under two hours. :slight_smile:

Edit: example for some devices in my collection:

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All I can say is that I’ve been very happy with my Fold. And it doesn’t even have a pen.

I don’t use it for any serious work, just bits and bobs on the go. I tried that and it just wasn’t up to the task, but that’s down to Android itself and the lack of features that many Android apps have (and don’t get me started on iOS - not having generic screen extension in 2022…)

My Fold is showing its age though. The inside screen is scratched up (if you look for it) and below about 25% the battery starts to tank hard - I’m talking 1% a minute bad). Time to call in on that insurance I’ve been paying all these years.

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@Tams you might actually try contacting Samsung first about your battery. I can’t find the email with the serial number range, but a block of fold 2’s had bad batteries in them. One of our customers had three affected units and they replaced the battery free of charge. And they replaced the inner screen protector on each as well.

Though as a side note, that might not be as magnanimous as it sounds as apparently to do any service on the units, they have to remove the screen protector regardless and once it’s off, you can’t put the same one back on

I jumped in head first, eyes closed; I have an OG Fold.

And I live in Japan so I don’t expect much help from Samsung anyway. Plus, I have been paying for insurance that specifically covers damage. Not sure what device they’ll send me though as the OG Folds will all have not lived unblemished.

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Unicorn reportedly in development:

I’m much more interested in the weight without the keyboard. Can we get a Windows device to have both power and this weight when not attached to a keyboard? I find that the extra bulk of the keyboard doesn’t really bother me most of the time because I have it sitting on my lap or on a desk/table. But when I’m holding it, I always take it off the keyboard and the difference in weight is much nicer on the IPP.

On a somewhat separate note, I tried a SP8 at Costco. They only had paint and OneNote to really try the pen on, but I was not impressed with how the Slim Pen performed compared to the Apple Pencil. Lines were a bit jittery and there was some lag. It just didn’t feel as buttery smooth overall. Not to mention, when I picked it up, I definitely felt the weight of it, whereas every time I pick up my 12.9 IPP I’m still kind of surprised at how light it feels.

This sounds really fun, but I’m honestly more interested in the idea of just blending the softwares together. If they’re willing to go this route, maybe eventually they’ll be willing to make a MacPad Pro 11" with Magic Keyboard.