Buzz
In recent years, the foldable screen segment has shown impressive growth with the entry of new manufacturers. However, when can we expect these foldable devices to be more common among regular consumers? Here are some essential factors for widespread adoption.
Affordable Pricing
Price is a major hindrance preventing user accessibility to foldable smartphones. Despite efforts by major manufacturers like Samsung and Huawei to reduce prices across generations, foldable smartphones are still relatively expensive and less accessible.
Hope for the future lies in abundant supply, increased competition, and a variety of models that could make foldable smartphones more affordable.
Durable Main Display
High price is not the sole reason users refrain from purchasing foldable smartphones. The inner folding screen is another factor that makes users hesitant when deciding to invest in these devices.
Currently, despite considerable improvements introduced by manufacturers, foldable screens are still susceptible to scratches and damage. This is inevitable as they need to use flexible and delicate materials for folding, which cannot be protected by toughened glass like Gorilla Glass used in conventional smartphones.
Manufacturers are continuously striving to enhance the technology, but it is simply not mature enough for users to use the device confidently over the years.
No Gap Between Two Screens
Another hardware issue some foldable smartphones encounter is a gap between the two screens. For instance, when folded, the Galaxy Z Fold4 does not lay completely flat, as doing so would risk damaging the internal screen.
To avoid that, the screen curves to a point, leaving a space where air, dust, and water can pass through. Foldable products from other manufacturers have addressed this issue.
No Wrinkles on the Screen
An unavoidable issue faced by all foldable phones to date is screen wrinkles. As you can see, the regular protective glass on smartphones (such as Gorilla Glass Victus) is static and can protect the screen well.
However, because the screen on a foldable smartphone has to continuously open and close multiple times a day, it will develop wrinkles, and this issue will become more pronounced with long-term use. This could impact the user experience as they swipe their fingers across the screen.
Creating a foldable smartphone without any wrinkles is a significant challenge. That is unless you are creating something like the Microsoft Surface Duo, which has no folds because it features two separate screens and a 360-degree hinge.
Dust Resistance
The water-resistant capability of IPX8 has been demonstrated on Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold4 and Flip4 smartphones. However, the challenge remains in addressing dust resistance, especially concerning the design aspect of foldable screens.
Dust poses a significant issue for foldable phones due to their numerous moving parts. If any tiny dust particle infiltrates the phone through any opening, it can lead to malfunctions and potentially damage the device. Therefore, it is hoped that manufacturers find a solution to this problem, providing users with more peace of mind during device usage.
Improved Battery Life
One of the weaknesses of current foldable screen smartphones is their battery life. Due to the need to allocate space for the complex hinge mechanism, these phones often come with relatively small batteries, usually not exceeding 5,000 mAh.
Having a large dual-sized display and a small battery compromises the battery life of these smartphones, failing to meet users' daily usage needs. Hence, it is expected that manufacturers will soon enhance this aspect in their future products.
Enhanced Hinge Design
The hinge stands as the most crucial component in any foldable phone. To make foldable products a dominant trend, manufacturers must reduce the number of moving parts inside the hinge and simplify the design.
This is because the more moving parts, the higher the likelihood of structural integrity issues. A damaged hinge renders your foldable screen smartphone unusable.
Optimizing Applications
Despite efforts from Google and Samsung to optimize the operating system for foldable smartphones, they still fail to satisfy most users. Developers have yet to fully optimize their apps for the large display of foldable smartphones, leading to wasted screen space and impacting user experience.
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