I recently came across an article from TIME with an interesting title that suggested foldable
smartphones are “about to be everywhere.” And that got me thinking, is foldable display
technology going to be the next leap forward for the smartphone market? I guess that is
one possibility, but I think there are other paths foldable devices might take that need
to be considered. And that’s exactly what we’ll explore in this video. This is Greg
with Apple Explained and if you want to help decide which video topics I cover, make sure
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Now flexible displays have been a highly anticipated feature going back quite a while. Bill Gates
even mentioned it in an All Things Digital conference twelve years ago. [clip] So the
development of foldable displays has been carefully monitored by tech companies and
enthusiasts alike. Over the years, we’ve actually seen the industry slowly adopt prerequisite
technology by first implementing curved displays like in the Samsung Galaxy and Huawei Mate
20 Pro. But it’s interesting to note that not all manufactures have jumped on the curved
display bandwagon, despite the technology being available for over five years. So this
begs the question, do curved displays offer an improved user experience? Because if they
did, companies like Apple and Google would’ve surely included it in their devices. Similar
to what happened with multi-touch technology, fingerprint sensors, and OLED displays. All
of which have been adopted by virtually every major smartphone manufacturer at some point
in time.
The reason I’m putting such a big emphasis on curved displays is because I want to make
this point very clear. And that is, new technology doesn’t necessarily make a product better.
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.
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 4.7 inches. 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 Galaxy Fold. 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.
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 equip 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 of the S10 Plus.
And I think all day battery is a very important feature for smartphone users, especially if
it means being discouraged from using the Fold 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 they should be commended
for because the 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 the Mate X doesn’t fold right down the middle.
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’re taking 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 is 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. 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 the Mate X at 4,500. And these capacities are
more comparable to other smartphones on the market rather than tablets. Which 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 all day battery, which I think is a very important
feature for smartphone users.
The second compromise is size. The average smartphone’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. 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, it’s also the weight and volume. The Mate X is
10.4 ounces, that’s 70% heavier than the Galaxy S10 Plus. And volumetrically, the Mate
X is over 50% larger than the S10 Plus, which is already a pretty big phone. Now the reason
why I’m comparing these dimensions to other smartphones instead of tablets, is because
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 smartphones 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. 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’ll 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 folding 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’re seeing 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 where in 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.
That is, once the technology has fully matured.
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Alright guys, thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.