Is there configuration for the "your entries take the color of your blocks" thing? I've launched the update and am seeing these bold colors along my timeline and I just feel it didn't look that way before. My blocks aren't really set up and meaningful right now, so while I could go change their colors I don't feel like I should go do that work right now.
Anything else I can do about it?
As far as I saw or remember, the Z Fold 6 prices did not drop when the Z Fold 7 came out. But I've seen people say waiting for the Fold 8 may give better prices. What to expect this time around?
Backdrop: I've had my Z Fold 2 since launch. When the Fold 7 came out, I fell in love with it but decided to wait for when I got updated income and a great sale. That didn't really happen, and I then thought I might as well see what the Fold 8 brings. Now my phone not only has enough lines across the screens to be really annoying, but a breaking of the back camera glass made it hard to focus on certain images (It's a bit better now with the shards cleared away). So basically it felt like the right thing to start securing my phone replacement.
Of course, the balance of future-proofing and affordability make a tough choice.
Factors on my mind:
- Obviously the Fold 8 Ultra is coming out soon. It will be more performant and efficient, battery and charging a bit better, but not seeming like a huge no-brainer upgrade from the F7. Don't know if it will get a better dust rating, which could be important. It won't be as pretty as the blue. Most importantly, it will be new phone price and probably higher than last time.
- The Oppo Find N6 is there. Though I've been a Samsung guy for so long, they don't have as much of a moat anymore so I looked up the N6 because it just seems less compromised. However at its price I'm not comfortable with the methods of obtaining it, plus the fact I can't hands-on first, and I'm just not sure if I'd love it.
- I have an Amazon credit card that gives me 12 months 0% interest (equal payments) and a Best Buy card that gives 24 months 0% interest. This highly influences my purchase comfort. At 24 months, the differences between some prices become near invisible.
- I don't know how comfortable I am with the renewed/refurbished market. Other than having my phone feel like mine, you just don't know what the phone has gone through before it got to you. Plus I like feeling like you have the option to return the phone in case of issues.
- 256 vs 512.. I've been struggling with a full-disk 256GB phone for a while but that's because I have years of photos and videos on there and not cleaning them off. It seems like I should be able to deal with a 256 but we're now in an era of both higher resolution media and AI models being downloaded to the phone. Yet it doesn't feel like a couple hundred dollars more should be worth it. Of course I want the 16GB RAM but the 1TB phones are just unreachable.
- I'm trying to develop mobile apps so I need to be able to test on a modern platform like other people have (maybe with on-device AI) and better specs also help, but at the same time maybe too cutting edge isn't representative.
- I keep phones. It's unlikely that I'm trading in every year for something new.
- A 1yr manufacturer warranty isn't the most meaningful thing, since the problems usually pop up after the yr. But maybe it at least represents less risk of receiving a dud.
So far:
During Amazon's Prime Day sale, Best Buy had their Tech Fest sale with Folds discounted. Amazon had already sold out of most variants (new). I ended up ordering a blue F7 246GB 'Open Box - Excellent' from them (which I understand to be basically new phones as in they have the manufacturer 1yr warranty) for about $1200, after eyeing their new 256s and 512s at about $1500 and $1620 respectively. I extended the pickup date to the max July 10th so I'd have more time to mull it over and see new Fold 8 leaks.
I did look at backmarket.com, I like their warranty policy, and there was a good sale at the time on a 'Excellent' condition, but not having the same payment options gave me pause (and that deal passed).
Prices:
So of course both the new and the open box prices shot way up on BestBuy after I placed my order and the sale ended. I looked up Z Fold 6 and the 'clearance' price now is ~ $1800 with open box ~$1000 - I think that was higher when I looked earlier - and of course it's a 2yr old model. At least Fold When the F7 came out, I saw F6 still expensive. I'm just not sure on what basis I should expect that on release of the F8, when these retailers have a new model to push, I should expect to see discounts on the old. Of course, there will be a flood of Fold 7s traded in, opening up the renewed + refurbished market. However I just don't know what state those will be in.
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My phone's not unusable yet, I could wait a bit. But if I cancel this order I no longer have the same phone available at the same price.
So my questions:
- Should I expect even lower prices on unsold new or open box Fold 7s at the Fold 8 launch, or should I expect as seen on Amazon, Fold 7s will be mostly sold out and unavailable? Can I at least expect to do better than $1200 in the immediate term?
- Is a Z Fold 7 in this age just a bad idea, given its subpar battery and the hardware will be behind? Is a 256GB a bad idea?
- Based on the (euro) price leaks we're seeing, is a Z Fold 8 Ultra (with at best, free storage upgrade or a couple hundred dollars of incentives for preorder) even worth the large premium over what is available today?
- Should a price sensitive consumer just suck it up and buy refurbished, or are the cons too many? In my case it lessens the ability to split into tiny futured payments.
Thanks in advance for your input