Foldables are remembering how not to be boring

Foldables already feel stagnant despite having hit the market a mere 6 years ago, but one new device this week showed that there are still new ideas to be had. So, what do you want next?

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Foldables first really hit the market in 2019 with the launch (and subsequent re-launch) of the original Galaxy Fold. That established the first form factor, the “book-style” device that has an outer display which opens along its vertical axis – like a book – to reveal a tablet-like display. Just several months later, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Flip with a second new form factor which has come to be compared to traditional flip phones, unfolding along its horizontal axis to reveal a full smartphone display. The Motorola Razr (2019) beat Samsung to the concept, and also established the idea of having a large outer cover display well before Samsung finally got around to that in 2023’s Galaxy Z Flip 5.

In the time since, that’s pretty much all the market has put out, though.

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There have been several generations of foldables now, and virtually all of them boil down to one of these two designs. There have been some noteworthy upgrades, such as improving the hardware with bigger batteries, much thinner hardware, better outer displays, and more. But things haven’t really been particularly exciting for a while, especially as prices haven’t gone down in any meaningful way. Ironically, Samsung is the one that can take most of the blame for stagnation, as the company effectively stopped pushing the boundaries after just a couple of generations, instead delivering tiny year-over-year upgrades, seemingly until the competition forced change.

But things are changing, and largely thanks to a name that hasn’t mattered in the Android space a while.

Last year, Huawei unveiled the Mate XT Ultimate as the world’s first “tri-fold” (referring to the three displays) smartphone, delivering the market’s first truly new form factor in quite some time. That device has even gone on sale outside of China at this point. This week, Huawei kept up that momentum with the launch of the Pura X, a new foldable that fits somewhere in between the current book-style and flip phone form factors with its unique aspect ratio and size. It might not be for everyone, but at least it’s fun and unique!

*Huawei is pushing the boundaries of current foldables*

It’s obvious that foldables in their current state are stagnant, both in terms of design and features, but also in customer reception. Samsung fully admitted last year that the majority of people buying the company’s foldable phones already owned a prior model and simply upgrade to the latest model. The pressure of competition is also clearly moving Samsung towards some bigger moves in foldables this year, including a much thinner Galaxy Z Fold 7, a much bigger display on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and a “tri-fold” of its own.

But I want more. Devices like the Pura X and these new “tri-fold” devices just make me want to see so much more experimentation. Let’s give the smaller form factor of the Pixel Fold or Oppo Find N/N2 another shot. Or how about a true foldable tablet, something like an iPad Mini mixed with a Surface Duo? This technology is getting better and better, and the use cases are pretty much endless.

What do you want to see next?

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