Are Foldable Smartphones The Future? || Gadgetsinfo180

Are Foldable Smartphones The Future? 

 I recently came across an article from time with an interesting title that suggested foldable smartphones are “about to be everywhere”.

  This is Greg with Apple Explained and if you want to help decide which video topics I cover, make sure you’re subscribed and this voting polls will show up in your mobile activity feed.

 Curved displays offer no functional benefits. They don’t eliminate the left and right bezels, and if you’re trying to achieve the thinnest bezel possible, you can do it without curved edges. In fact, one of the first smartphones to feature a curved display was the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge in 2014 and they actually utilized the curved section of the display to feature app shortcuts and notifications, but this capability was removed in later Galaxy devices, despite their displays still having curved edges. This officially made its curved display pointless, except maybe for differentiating the device from others on the market.

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So here’s the big question: Will foldable display technology go the same way as curved displays?

 Or will it become the new must-have feature of every flagship smartphone? Well, let’s take a closer look at what we know about it so far. Both Samsung and Huawei have announced foldable smartphones to be released this year, and each manufacturer has implemented the technology in slightly different ways. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold features two separate displays. One on the front to be used when the device is closed, and a second, larger display that’s used when the device is opened. It’s definitely an interesting setup, being able to watch videos or browse the internet on the go on a large 7.3” display that fits in your pocket is a very appealing concept.

 But there’s a catch. For some reason, Samsung decided to make the front display just 4.7inches. Leaving an uncomfortable amount of bezel at the top and bottom, which makes the display one of the smallest on the market. Now I’m not sure why Samsung didn’t fill the front of the Galaxy Fold with a more proportional display, but it’s one of the biggest issues with this device. I mean, who wants to use a 4.7” display on one of the heaviest, thickest, bulkiest smartphones on the market? The industry has just spent a decade trying to remove bezels from smartphones and now they are back and more invasive than ever with this $2,000 GalaxyFold.

 And if you’re thinking, well just unfold it and use the larger display instead, I don’t think that’s the answer. If I’m sending a text, checking a notification, or making a call, I don’t want to have to unfold it and essentially use a tablet for those tasks. So for me, the Galaxy Fold would make for a great portable tablet, but a very clumsy smartphone. Now there’s one last concern I have with this device, and that’s the battery life.

Foldable Smartphones Battery Capacity

 Samsung’s Galaxy S10 Plus has a 6.4” display with a 4,100 milliamp-hour battery, while the Galaxy Fold has two displays at 4.7” and 7.3”, but is only equipped with a 4,380 milliamp-hour battery. That’s a 7% increase in capacity for a 33% increase in total pixels that need to be powered. Now Samsung hasn’t released any details about battery life, but I would be very surprised if it had the same twelve-hour battery life as the S10 Plus. And I think an all-day battery is a very important feature for smartphone users, especially if it means being discouraged from using the old in tablet mode since it’ll likely consume more battery than using the front display.

 Now let’s take a closer look at Huawei’s approach, which I think should be commended for because Mate X’s design is very creative and streamlined. They decided to fold the display in the opposite direction as Samsung, eliminating the need for a second display on the front. Instead, they utilize the OLED’s unique ability to turn off individual pixels and create what appears to be a true black bezel that blends right in with the hardware. Also, you might notice that their X doesn’t fold right down the middle.

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Mate X Foldable Smartphones

 Instead, it features an off-center crease that allows room for various hardware components in a vertical sidebar when folded. And that means there’s no notch or bezel cutting into the display while opened or closed. This double-sided display also eliminates the need for a front-facing camera and allows for a beautiful 6.6” edge to edge folded cover display. A very competitive size compared to standard flagship smartphones on the market. And because there’s a display area on the back, the Mate X features some pretty neat software features.

 For example, when you’ retaking a photo of someone, they’ll actually see get to see a preview and make sure they look okay for the shot. And if you want to flip the camera around for a selfie, just turn the phone around. The device detects which side of the phone you’re looking at and switches displays automatically. One last feature of the Mate X I really appreciate its hardware design. Unlike the Samsung Fold, which is essentially two smartphones stacked on top of each other, Huawei did a great job making their hardware feel as seamless as possible by rounding both sides of the device and folding the display up against the vertical sidebar.

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Galaxy Fold Foldable Smartphones

 Which makes it look less like two sandwiched smartphones and more like one cohesive product. So it’s clear I prefer the approach Huawei took as opposed to Samsung, but there are still some serious compromises with both of these devices that need to be addressed. First being battery life. Now neither company has shared how many hours of use we can expect to get from their devices, we only know how big their batteries are. With the Galaxy Fold coming in at 4,380 milliamp hours and theMate X at 4,500. And these capacities are more comparable to other smartphones on the market rather than tablets.

 This leads me to believe battery life may be a compromise, although I should add processor efficiency and power management also play a big role in battery life. So we’ll have to wait and see if these devices can actually achieve an all-day battery, which I think is a very important feature for smartphone users. The second compromise is size. The average smart phone's thickness is about 7-8 millimeters, and while we don’t know the Galaxy Fold’s dimensions, we do have that information for the Mate X.

Foldable Smartphones Mate X is over 50% larger than the S10 Plus

 It comes in at 11 millimeters thick when closed, which is about a 50% increase over what many of us are used to today. We haven't seen a flagship smartphone with that level of thickness since the original iPhone twelve years ago. But it isn’t just the thickness of these foldable devices, its also the weight and volume. The Mate X is 10.4 ounces, that’s 70% heavier than the Gallaxy S10 Plus. And volumetrically, the Mate X is over 50% larger than the S10 Plus, which is already pretty big phone. Now the reason why I’m comparing these dimensions to other smartphones instead of tablets is that those are the devices these new foldable phones are supposed to replace.

 After all, they’re called foldable smartphones, not foldable tablets. Now the third compromise actually has to do with the folding display itself. See, we’re used to interacting with solid glass displays that don’t have any surface imperfections. But when you want a display to be foldable, there are sacrifices that need to be made. And I think the most noticeable change for longtime smartphone users will be the plastic display with a visible seam and lack of rigidity. And that may be part of the reason why Huawei isn’t adding pen support to the Mate X.

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 Because by using it, you’d have an easier time feeling the imperfections of a plastic surface rather than glass, which may result in a disappointing drawing or writing experience. And the last compromise I want to mention is the cost of these devices. At a time when smartphone prices are at their highest point in history, these foldable smartphones are asking at least twice as much. Which I think puts them into a niche category and prevent them from experiencing even modest sales success.

So that means foldable smartphones aren’t a viable product and will never become widely adopted, right? Well, I’m not so sure. Because there is one aspect of these phones that we haven't considered. And that is, this is first-generation technology, and it’ll only improve over time. The curved display scenario that I described earlier in the video doesn’t apply to fold display technology. 

 Mainly because curving a display is simply an aesthetic decision that has virtually no impact on utility. But folding a display allows for some incredible new features that were previously not possible. And just because the foldable technology we’ reseeing today is expensive and has room for improvement, doesn’t mean the concept has no future.

 In fact, I think this situation is more comparable to what happened with smartwatches. The original Galaxy Gear released in 2013 had some interesting features, but also an awkward implementation. Some of its components wherein the band which made it very rigid and uncomfortable, and it was generally received negatively among tech critics. Samsung went on sell very few of the watches and Best Buy actually claimed the Galaxy Gear had a 30% return rate from their customers who weren’t happy with the product. Now Samsung went on to say the market simply wasn’t ready for smartwatch technology, and that’s why they sold so poorly, but I disagree.

 I believe it was the technology that wasn’t ready for the market. And once it was further developed, smartwatches did become a big hit among consumers. And I think we’re seeing a similar situation playing out with foldable smartphones. Sure, they’re large, heavy, expensive, and missing some great qualities of traditional smartphones.

 But all of that can change with time. And consider what we’ll be getting in return: a device with a display that can be small and compact, but also large and roomy on the fly. That way consumers can have the best of both worlds with virtually zero sacrifices.

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