and you don’t get the point that it’s the hinge but just part of the complexity of the whole mechanism which precludes putting a silo anywhere
So I’ll be a bit pedantic I guess
I would like to understand this a little better, if Samsung made a wider device, with the present hinge, wouldn’t it be possible for them to create room for a stylus at the edge? Or would that affect how the hinge open and closes?
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But my guess is their sticking with the narrow front screen despite all the media fuss about the Oppo and then the Pixel fold form factor must mean they know something we don’t.
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Having seen the insides of a few broken fold 3 and fold 4’s you have different components moving around in different motions and amounts, relative to the other parts.
Somewhat counterintuitively (to me anyway), the enclosure is most “full” when it’s in the mini laptop “posture” with a bit of empty space on each edge when fully closed and some, but less so when fully open.
In other words to add a pen silo, they would have to make an already big device even bigger and possibly heavier, which is also a current criticism of the device, and/or make it asymmetrical which we’ve been told multiple times would be they feel a no-go in the market.
PS: and just to be clear, I would LOVE to see a silo pen in the fold, enough so that it might make me consider buying back in. I’m just relaying with the perspective of an engineer and what I hear from the people we talk with, why it’s not likely to happen.
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Hands on with the new Tab S models. I want to see it in person, but I like in the pictures anyway, the new beige color.
Samsung Tab S9 Ultra Hands-on: A Tablet Bigger Than Most Laptops (gizmodo.com)
BTW: We are supposed to get our own hands on with them Friday and as always I’m curious about the displays, especially in the 11 with the switch to AMOLED
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NO, I think you are spot on, and I am coming to terms with the fact that it is me that is the problem. Pen users (other than artists) are a minor minority, and stick users are just a fraction of that. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw a Note or S series users using their S Pen in public - going back to before Covid (hey - does that mean we can’t start using “BC” again - never mind). I’ve seen the videos of the Honor V2, with its Duo-like thinness, and we can say good bye to any thought of silos going forward with folding phones. It is time for Cross to come back to the rescue…
The slimmed down Pen Case for the Fold 5 is a pretty good looking compromise - my problem is that it is ME that is losing interest in MPP or any other non-Wacom or non-Apple Pencil solution. In fact, it may be OneNote that gets kicked to the curb next…
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Not to me. There is a way to design a case that could hold the pen in a better way. So, you are all correct, that we are likely pissing into the wind. But, I’m not inclined to buy one as much as I am curious about the design. For the record, I don’t see anything that is better ATM, but the new designs out there make me want to wait even more. I’m likely to upgrade to the S23U and leave it at that. I suspect that Verizon will have it as a free upgrade before too long.
It looks like my Fold 3 will hang on for at least one more year. I’ve got it back in the Spigen thin fit p case with the pen holder on the side and that seems to be the best solution for me. I wish I had a kickstand sometimes, but I like wireless charging and how it lays stable and flat on a table.
I’m mildly tempted by the upgrade to the S9 with the S8 trade in. I could get amoled and double my storage for about $300. But I’m not using the S8 much now that I have the Boox Tab Ultra C.
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Deeply appreciate the explanation. Meaning that when the hinge is moving it is not only in the center there is action, it affects most of the inside on the device. Interesting, I hadn’t considered that.
When they started talking about foldables I just assumed the challenge was in the glass, but it was also related to the mechanics of the moving parts in the hinge. And although we are now on the fifth generation there is probably a long way yet to go before it becomes simplified enough to also go down in price.
Thanks!
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The mechanism does not extend to either of the outer edges.
No, this is a design choice they have been making. They’d rather the device be slimmer and thinner than have room for a silo. It’s that simple.
I’m dying on this hill.
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Maybe next year Google will let you have a pen with the Pixel Fold 2…
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Not an engineer - I used to play one at work - but aren’t the Oppo/Honor devices basically the footprint of the Fold turned sideways, and thinner? Not sure where the extra space would come from.
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Photos are enticing. Tempted but for two things: aspect ratio and MS’s terrible OneNote implementation on Android.
The alternatives seem to be platform specific and feature limited - probably for the same reasons the pen users are a minority.
That’s my understanding from those that have seen them (I haven’t had hands on with the newest models yet.)
That being said the previous model used other space saving methods that have dubious benefits and/or downsides such as thinner and thus less effective Fresnel and polarizing layers in the display assembly and of special possible concern to those that game on them, lower quality and or less heat management materials.
If they do, it’ll be half-derriered USI bull. Which they will then forget about.
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I’m going to put this here:
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“There’s a lot to consider. You can’t just stick a pen in there. If you stick in a pen in there are other cost consequences. For now, we decided not to have the pen in the Fold.”
Second verse, same as the first… DJ Koh said the same thing between the Fold 2 and Fold 3 and we got all hot and bothered that it would be there in Fold 3 - ZONK!
Nice that it’s not just me saying it for a change…
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I struggle to think what is so relatable about “If you stick in a pen in there are other cost consequences”. 
Kind of clickbaity.
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