I think the biggest thing I missed is the 4-finger pinch on the Open to zoom out, leaving all 4 apps on screen at once. I've talked about it many times in the past, but I omitted it here. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PKf7xLLeH5w.htmlsi=5Bh0pSJ44H14Dwzx&t=278
The best foldable phone reviewer on RU-vid. Also, i only use 2 apps max at the same time. If i need to use 3 or maybe 4, the bottom quick app switch on pixel is good enough for me
The Duo only had a nice UI which allowed more independence between sides. It wasn't taken further to allow more than two apps as M$ failed & never made the Duo3 that they already had designed
For apps that provide some sort of video feed, I get a lot of mileage out of throwing that up in picture-in-picture mode, which displays just fine over app pairs on the P9PF. Not quite the same as a RU-vid floating window, but maybe close enough.
Not a great option if the app doesn't support PIP (or locks it behind a paywall), or you are watching a stream/video in a browser. Floating window is the way to go in those cases.
Thanks Shane for this. It’s the most important differentiator for me right now. If google made a little more effort on this front, I could consider their product. Shame the Oneplus isn’t subsidised with any operators in my country too as their UI offers some different approach: having a quickly accessible 3rd app that isn’t on the screen looks very usable.
Thanks for the video Shane. I appreciate that Google now has the ability to save 2 apps. The only 2 apps I run at the same time are maps and a messaging app. Take care everybody and enjoy your Pixel 9 pro fold 😊😊😊
I have had all three phones now, and have kept the Pixel 9 pro fold and the Galaxy 6 fold. I never thought I would say this, but I had to use the Galaxy fold for a month while waiting on the Pixel pro fold, and when I switched, I missed the Galaxy z fold 6. It is so much easier for on hand use, it fits in my pocket so easily, it really is a two phone experience. A small phone and a tablet. I get more use our of the inner screen and it is a great inner screen. I wish the OnePlus open had better support and I could trust OnePlus customer service, but you can not trust them. I miss hold for me and call screening, I also do not understand why Samsung cannot come up with a decent visual voicemail, but overall I have kept my sim in the z fold 6, and as a pixel fan, I am surprised.
I have both as well. I bought Z fold 6 at launch. Pre ordered pixel 9 pro fold and have had it for a couple weeks. Just put my sim back in my Z fold 6 and love it. The single hand use is sweet spot for me. Then boom, open it up when I’m sitting. I love it. Pixel 9 pro fold is cool. I thought I wanted bigger front screen but realized that I don’t. I do miss screen call and hold as you said on pixel. I’m getting ready to pack my pixel 9 pro fold back up o send back to Verizon. Z fold 6 for the win 💪🏽🔥
@@bigdrews4360 should be able to search for "Text Call" in the system settings and then just toggle it "On." If you've done that, is there something else you're struggling with?
Shane, is there any news on the galaxy fold special edition? I thought the launch date in Korea was today, 25th September but I see nothing online :( you heard anything different?
Multitasking on my P9PF works well for me. Today, I had Google Messages in a Bubble, RealCalc in a FreeForm floating window, 2 apps in Split View and a RU-vid video in PIP - all running at the same time😂
Having a text bubble is on every Android & not multitasking. Having RU-vid PIP is on every Android & not multitasking. Having a floating window is not available on every app & not multitasking. Just accept that your Pixel is running a handicapped Operating system not fully optimized for a foldable yet.
I agree with basically everything you said here. I do think the Open probably has the best multitasking functionality of the 3. Samsung like you said has the most consistency in terms of being able to make basically every app conform to its specific implementation of multitasking. I also generally only need 2 apps to run at a time and also very much agree that Pixel software in general is far too basic and needs more customization and functionality.
You might have said something previously, but do you notice a difference between all of them in regards to screen clarity? The Open has a very high PPI, so just wondering if it's noticeable to you. Also, has the crease of your Pixel Fold Pro gotten worse or stayed the same after a bit of use? I like the OnePlus Open for multitasking the most. It's really nice to have a mostly semi-full app experience and 2 smaller apps or 3 full size ones that you can bounce between easily.
If you really look hard the Open might look a teeny bit clearer, but it's hard to spot and I might be imagining it lol. Bigger difference in the way the handle color. Crease is the same as it was after maybe a day or so.
Why is there not a third party software to improve multitasking on the pixel? That's always been the benefit of Android, you can adjust things to your liking.
There is. There are at least a couple of options, such as Taskbar and Smart Dock. The issue is that neither will be as good as a natively optimized UI like on the Z Fold or Open.
Dude, turn the damn task bar off when not in use on the fold 6 for god sakes. It erks me to see the real estate you're missing out on when viewing content in particular when multitasking.
At this point, Dex is the only thing keeping me from other options. My remote workflow revolves around its consistency. Given the glaring hardware deficit and narrow software gap between Samsung and everyone else, a rock solid desktop experience from Honor, OnePlus, Huawei or Google would have me giving them the $2,000 instead.
Im an architect (unlicensed) thinking of getting the Oneplus Open. Is it worth getting, meaning how well is the inside screen after a while of using it? Any "finger nail" streaks etc? If i do get it, i would like to get the pen as well, because it works. Though, it may have the same effect as finger nails, which is why im wondering how well does the inside screen hold up. Edit: Also, theyre warranty options are confusing. What option would be best?
I am hoping that Android 15 release allows google to fix and add much needed features and updates to the overall usability of the software. I am awaiting that release before I make my final decision on which foldable to buy.
Personally, I prefer Samsung's multitasking capabilities. However, the feature I love most about Samsung devices, and that I miss on others, is the Goodlock Sound Assistant. This allows me to set different volume levels for each individual app. So, I can play a game while watching RU-vid and easily adjust the game's sound to focus on the RU-vid video. It's a fantastic feature!"
You can enable full screen when in splitscreen to have more screen space on the z fold 6. The two finger swipe gesture also works from the bottom of the screen and the left side, so you can setup your splitscreen session from whatever side that works best. For triple splitscreen on the z fold 6, it's perfect for certain use cases. The flexibility also helps because you can resize the windows whenever you want and rotate the setup to find a layout that works. Google definitely needs to step up though imo. Oneplus and Samsung are actually making use of this foldable form factor with their software, while the pixel folds have been doing the bare minimum, which is fine for some people, but google literally makes android so they should be leading in some of these core android features imo.
Nice comp! I use multitask by quickly swiping to accessing apps on the edge feature on samsung so i can hide the bottom toolbar launcher. Also nice to use Reminders as quick note taking and create notifs thru it. Using goodlock 1handed i quick launch a floating window for calculator or music app with a gesture on the left. Double tap home for voice recorder when needed. But mostly i use split window top|bottom split in portrait with some kinda combo of notes, email, browser and of course yt. Bruh. Love the enthusiasm. Keep doin work!
Great vid. At 12mins in he just sold me on the samsung! The issue I had with the narrower external screen is that running two apps side by side on the inner screen would also be too narrow. Its great knowing that these can be tighter resolution to act like two single normal phones.
you can also turn your phone and because the screen is very tall, its gonna be very wide too. if you then open two apps next to each other, they wont be narrow at all.
That's a bloatware app to shrink your apps so that you need a microscope to see it on that lower resolution screen. It's better to just rotate the zfold phone 90° to get 2 normal width apps, but the will be shorter. Either of these work arounds become a huge nuisance to do all the time, so it just doesn't compare to the other two phones much more convenient aspect ratios.
@@Maxx134a "That's a bloatware app to shrink your apps so that you need a microscope to see it on that lower resolution screen." - Tell me you've never used it without telling me.
I just bought z fold 6. After much research I concluded its the best of the three even though there are some things they are holding back which are understandably pissing people off. The real issue is that there are two types of people who buy these phones. The first is some1 who doesnt actually need a super large screen majority of the time but they are buying a fold because its a cool form factor or the hype etc. Those people are really upset about the cameras and more existential stuff because they dont actually need a fold per se. They just really need a phone and multitasking is not that important. I saw a comment on a video where someone said they were upset about the zfold6 screen size because they rarely open the fold so they need the outer screen to be the same as a regular phone. That makes no sense. Buy a tablet in that case no? The second set of persons actually need a device that can do multiple things hence the larger screens. I actually use 3 screens simultaneously for trading and it would be very annoying to keep swiping back and forth as per one plus or only two app as per the pixel fold.. I went to Best buy and tried to do the same things on all three phone and everything is much harder and less intuitive on one plus and pixel fold. The camera works well on all three. I would say more that the camera is the more overhyped and fickle selling point in reality. I cant think of one real life scenario for majority of persons that hinges on whether your picture was taken with a zf6 or pixel or oneplus. They all will look fairly good. That being said all three phones are expensive so they should give us every feature in existence for my money 😂
This all day. 100% I bought the fold 6 on major discount after owning a fold 4 and s22U. I found the s22U an amazing phone but the versatility of the fold is no comparison. I'm in the category of consumer that bought the fold6 for the inner screen as main and outer as quick one handed mode. I think of my use case as a more advanced version of using a flip 6: the inner screen is the one to use a good 80% of the time.
I agree with what you're saying, but honestly there's other factors as well. Like the crease, lack of wireless charging and slow charging speeds, smaller battery than the s24 ultra!? Thickness, no s pen on cover screen ect.. Samsungs software is honestly unmatched in my opinion (I had a Z Fold 5 and switched to a OnePlus Open) but after 6 years of foldables, I'd expect them to be a little more innovative? Samsung seems to be taking a safe route. Nonetheless a fantastic phone and I'll never knock anyone for buying it
7:15 Similarly, you can "fling" floating windows off to the edge of the screen on the Z Fold (tap on them to refocus them on screen). I do this quite often in lieu of a proper multitasking taskbar on the Z Fold (I hate minimizing windowed apps to the floating bubble). You can have up to 5 active apps off the edge of the screen in addition to up to 3 apps in split screen all at the same time. Super versatile. Also, if you size a floating window to a "landscape" ratio on the Z Fold it'll toggle that app's tablet UI, including GMail, RU-vid, and RU-vid Music, even if the device is in portrait orientation. 11:55 Multi-window screen zoom is massively underrated and makes multitasking on the Z Fold that much better.
Despite the size of the fold 6, the software and lack of bugs keeps me from jumping to pixel. My experience with the 6 pro and then with the pixel fokeptas kept me terrified of trying google again
This was good overview for me, and is actually giving me some pause before buying the Pixel. I really like some of the OnePlus shrinking that you showed. Looks useful to me.
Another great video Shane. I feel like Google is trying too hard to compete with Apple when it comes to software and experience,instead of competing with other Android devices.
Hi Shane, thanks for the video. Just a little note: I'm an android developer and the tablet layout thing is an application behavior rather than a system behavior. So the application decides whether to go tablet layout or not after the system notify the application of layout changes. For the RU-vid example looks like the it is programmed to switch to a tablet layout on a specific DP. Since pixel fold has the slighty wider display, it may have reached that dp limit to switch to tablet layout.
Some people love Pixel phones 'cos there's no bloatware but after watching this, there's..... nothing. I love Samsung features and the ego system but the hardware on foldable...meh.
Just like to mention something about the Pixel Fold. Don't over look the ability to swipe the bottom bar to switch over to another app or app pair very quickly. I think it is just about at useful or more than the OnePlus open canvas would be. Keep the content coming. Nobody covers the foldables like you do.
have been using Fold 4 for the over two years now, and an unfornate event happened, so I am consider to get a new foldable, (Once got on the foldable ship, it is hadrd to get off), some of the cool gesture on the onePlus. I am acutally using 3-4 apps the same time a lot, especially I don't pay for youtube premium, so to keep the youtube going, I have to have the video on top. Or taking notes while on zoom/MS Team, while check details on doc/email Both Google or Oneplus' lack of Dex or similar solution of desktop mode on display is a big NO for me. I know there are 3rd party solutions, like taskbar, I have try that, it is just not as good. Besides, at least at this moment, I would not consider One Plus. As Canadian Carriers are terrible in allowing non-official phones to function fully on their network, even some basic functions, lots of those Chinese phones would not be able to connect VoLTE/Wifi Calling, phone calls/text would fall back to 3g HSPA network. Anyway, I would say, choose what fits you, as Shane has mention, everyone has different needs and preference.
Great video! This made me curious on how far I could push my Honor V Purse in multitasking. I just had 5 apps open at once (for absolutely no other reason than to push the limits): two apps side by side, two floating windows, and youtube in picture-in-picture mode. And wildly enough, they all ran smooth as butter even though the phone has a midrange Snapdragon 778G.
Imagine having 16GB of RAM and only being able to run 2 apps at once. On the Z Fold 6 you could do full screen while in split screen mode. This is pretty nice and is all I really need along with a floating app. This is why the Z Fold 6 works for me just fine. DeX is a game changer as well.
The oneplus open would be an absolute no-brainer for me if it wasn't for the software look. I really like AODs that stay in place like the Fold 6 and the Pixel Fold. Having it drift around like that and not have a proper animation to the lock screen is a deal breaker for me its just such a large part of the user experience that I see all day every day and it drove me crazy on my S23 Ultra. If you know of any fixed-aod or wallpaper-aod features on the Oneplus Open that no one has addressed (I haven't actually used one, but based on other OnePlus phones I don't think that exists) please let me know and I will go out and buy one. Or maybe the 2 when that comes out.
Long story short, the OnePlus blows the other two out of the water. You can even write on the outer screen with an Oppo Pen active Bluetooth stylus. The Z-Fold does not allow writing on the outer screen with its S-Pen. Plus the Z-Fold is too thin to use folded. The Pixel isn't with mentioning.
When you launch a phone app and google keep app in split screen, make a call from the phone app to take notes when in call, it is going to open a full screen app coming out of split screen mode. This is something very frustrating on my Pixel Fold. I now moved to ZF6 and multitasking is as it should be. I hope it is fixed on Pixel Fold.
The one+ multitasking is the best one. I wish Google did it like that. Personally I dnt care about 3 apps if it looks like the z fold multitasking and long as RU-vid shows up as a floating window with 2 other apps open, I'm food with that on the pixel fold.
Just curious but have any other Pixel 9 pro fold owners have an issue where you clean your inner screen (say with the normal spray like Swoosh and the proper cloth) After you clean it with the screen off you see its totally clean and not a mark on it. Then you close the phone for a while and when you reopen the inner screen parts of it look smudge or milky. Then again you clean the inner screen and it goes away, close it for a while and it comes back. (Nutz)
Samsung software is far ahead of the others. And the pixel fold nor the open can compete with samsung dex. And i do t think either of those phones have link to windows available.
really hope at least floating windows get properly implemented finally There is a time or two every week when havine a mini app would be useful for me.
Great vid as always Shane. While google does have more to add. If they just added floating windows, I'd be set honestly. I don't need 3 apps or open canvas
You keep affirming for me that the Open was a good purchase. I find the situation with floating windows on the Pixel weird as many non foldable android devices have them. My previous phone (Motorola) has them...
Floating windows were rolled out in Android 7. The fact that Google hasn't done anything meaningful to improve them (or natively implement them for that matter) on their various tablets and foldables since then is a joke.
One thing that drove me nuts when I had the 9ProFold before I returned it, was the tablet view for RU-vid. I much preferred the phone layout of the Fold6 with the video stretched out. Unfortunately RU-vid removed the theater mode so you can’t even resize it unless you want full-screen mode which not what you want most of the time. Unfortunate.
Great video. Getting the Apex edition and not waiting for the new Pixel fold was a good choice for me. I am surprised by how many times I use 3 apps at once during the day. Plus having the ability to have a 4th app open when needed as a floating window was a great surprise. If the OnePlus had wireless charging and the aspect ratio of the Surface Duo, it would be the perfect phone, but it is great as is.
I could kick myself in the head for not getting the OnePlus Open when it came out last year. I fell for the scare tactics and camera bump complaints. The liberating feel of this phone is just a breath of fresh air. Lighter, cooler, more efficient in everything I do with a phone. Superior camera & battery life, finish, screen resolution & crease. I haven't found a single thing it doesn't do better than my past pixel & zFolds. Just amazing.
I thought pixel has desktop mode with freeform windows where you can launch four apps together and also desktop mode through external display. Isn't a feature on phones? Maybe with android 15 I will get that. Btw, I do think OnePlus open canvas is a good feature beside freeform windows because you can launch multiple apps together in phone/tablet view and drag two into viewable screen like a glass window 🪟. Although for long time I don't think people would love to use it. Maybe once a while to do some work? Ipad OS pop up is also noce where you can stack multiple apps in a small third window and scroll through them easily. Maybe google can fix that with desktop mode with 4 apps stacked so user can switch between them just like iOS. With multiple separate stacks so that users can have a virtual desktop with as many stack groups they want. This way the user can just use dual apps or full screen apps in most of the time while use multiple windows for the work or when things need to be done.
@@hilmyakatsuki1665 as Shane said at 6:35, you can enable freeform windows on the Pixel in Developer Options, but it's not a fully fledged feature on the Pixel and does not behave very well. It's not comparable to the Open, let alone the Z Fold.
I could be wrong but I’d be willing to bet 99.9% of the multitasking on a foldable is just 2 apps in split screen - even on foldables that offer more options.
Hi love you channel. I have had all the folding phones out there and have come full circle back to the fold. One thing I want is the ability to get the keyboard automatically in the app draw. Can you help
I think I'll use three apps more often than not as I'm looking to do analysis and trading on-the-go also, also how much of a problem was the Z fold 6's, less capable battery, narrower front screen and more apparent crease for you? I ask because I've been using the galaxy for about the past 10 years and would hate to leave but the oneplus has a few important features that I like and because of that I have been trying to decide between the Fold and the Oneplus for a few days.
The crease on the Open is definitely better, but aside from a technological marvel point of view, the difference between it and the Z Fold is negligible when in use.
He literally said that in the video. The issue is that it's not a "stable" feature and doesn't work nearly as well as it does on the Z Fold or Open. Hilarious considering freeform windows were rolled out way back in Android 7.
ZFold 6 is CLEAR WINNER but OnePlus has truly embarassed Google here. "It was our first try" isn't an excuse. They are woefully behind on the software front. Shane says that hes OK with this or that feature being absent for the most part. Thats fine for his use. The problem is that at this price point, I shouldn't have to be OK with any missing features. Samsung understands this. OnePlus does a great job, but the lack of unique home screens per display is a glaring omission, not to mention support issues. I just had a damaged inner display (my fault) on a Fold 6 replaced same day at a uBreakiFix today. Google? Maybe. OnePlus? HA. Its not the device. Its the product.
I genuinely just don't think they think it matters much. They said at I/O that something like half of Pixel Fold users use split screen. The number of people going beyond two apps is likely *very* low.
@@scaryifliteral I'm sure you're right about this. Again I go back to price point. I don't need another Apple telling me how to use the device. Give me all of the things! Even if it's 20% of users it should be enough to put it in your phone. Foldables are supposed to open up more possibilities not limit them.
Ultimately, Samsung wins primarily due to its mature software. If/when Samsung matches the hardware to surpass the others, it will really clean up in this space. The Samsung camera is adequate for snapshots, but really falls off quickly for telephoto shots.
Cool vid but as a five year fold 1,2,4 and 5 owner, the hype of foldable devices are extremely overrated now. Don't get me wrong, from 4k TVs, to home appliances and phone devices, Samsung is the brand that you bank on. No one ever goes into a Bestbuy or Walmart looking to buy anything One Plus, Honor, Xiaomi, or Huawei. But the hype on the $2000 mini iPad/laptop (because laptops fold close as well) folding phone is a done deal. The device opens and folds close...big deal.
6:03 This proves how embarrassingly useless the Samsung tiny box view is for multitasking. It's a farce to say Samsung can multitask usefully beyond 2 apps.
It entirely depends on what you put in the third window. It's great if you want to have a stream tucked up in the corner or a music player or a chat etc.
11:42 It is under stated how bad dual apps on Samsung's narrow screen is. Many apps do not format correctly on that aspect ratio, so it is imperitive to use this shrink feature to have apps working normal without missing buttons. The problem is that this makes the app as useless as the 3box multitasking. It is comical to believe anyone would be able to see & use the app when its shrunken that small. This proves the error of Samsung's design. The reality remains that users will be forced to rotate their devices 90° in landscape orientation, every - single - time. It is just glaringly obvious that the OnePlus Open remains what the zFold6 should have been.
