When the idea of the folding phone was first floated, consumers encountered it as a joke — another evolution of the standard smartphone that no one was asking for. Yet, a year later, manufacturers are still chasing the ideal of the folding phone, regardless of how challenging it appears to be to implement.
Is this really the trend of the future? Let’s take a deeper look.
Why Do Manufacturers Want to Fold Your Phone?
Look at the most popular smartphone brands, and you won’t see anything that far off from the original iPhone that came out over a decade ago. The original iPhone’s encompassing screen and brick-like format remains unchanged, and manufacturers continue struggling to distinguish themselves from each other. In recent years, it’s been about curved screens and even more cameras. New phone models have to be released to sell more phones.
In terms of screen size, there’s a practical limit, and that limit is what a standard pocket will hold. Folding screens can theoretically increase that limit, allowing for additional utility, as well as a bold new look. But that depends on being able to actually achieve a folding screen, which remains a challenge.
The Manufacturers of Folding Phones
- Samsung. The original folding phone, Samsung was caught short by quite a lot of reviewers. The Samsung folding phone is basically a large tablet that folds in half, but it’s been shown to break down remarkably quickly.
- Huawei. The Huawei is similar to the Samsung but it folds the other way; the screen is on the outside rather than the inside. This small change in format makes it a lot more useful because you can use the device when it isn’t folded, but the folding technology itself remains a potential failure point.
- Motorola. Motorola is launching a brand new version of its previously popular RAZR clamshell phone, which will flip up into a single long screen. This is an interesting and compact device that differs from the others in that it’s a small format and that it will ultimately have a screen about the size of a regular phone. In other words, it’s for those who are not interested in the large tablet devices that other options present.
Right now, every manufacturer is encountering largely the same issue: the phones can only fold so much. Anything that folds will have a failure point measured in the amount of folds. Every person opens and closes their phones a different amount of times. Some may check their phones ten times a day, and others, ten times a morning.
Consumers interested in purchasing folding phones can start checking reviews now and looking into their options, but the technology isn’t likely to be solidified for some time yet. Early adopters are likely to see their screen fracturing eventually, so anyone interested in being the vanguard of the new tech should also get a warranty.
