Foldable Phone Market
$29 Billion in 2025
https://mspoweruser.com/idc-claims-the-foldable-phone-market-will-skyrocket-to-29-billion-in-2025/
Any opinions on the future of the foldable phone market? I remember the 3D TV craze. Should we be skeptical?
Conversation 18 comments
-
thejoefin
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I have zero interest in a folding phone, and I cannot see any killer use case for why a folding phone would be more useful than a single screen.</p>
-
bats
Log in to Reply<p>Yeahhhhhh…..but a folding phone IS a single screen. Is it not?</p>
-
thejoefin
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>Fair, but have we seen a folding phone with one screen? All of them have some sort of external display for notifications or whatever except the duo which is physically screens. I remember seeing some Huawei concept where the screen was front and back and opened up, but I don’t know if that ever was released.</p>
-
wright_is
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>The advantage of the original flip phones was that they were compact and, as you brought it out of your pocket, you could flip it open with your thumb, before it came up to view or to your ear.</p><p><br></p><p>That doesn’t work with a foldable screen device, like we have today.</p><p><br></p><p>Even folded out, the screens are too small to be useful for productivity and the fold makes it weaker that a traditional smartphone. I’ll stick with a decent sized smartphone for on the move, a tablet for couch surfing and a desktop for real work.</p>
-
paradyne
Log in to Reply<p>It’s sometimes forgotten that half the population would really struggle to buy jeans with pockets deep enough for even smaller smartphones from a few years ago. I know someone with a Z-Flip who loves it because it folds to half the height (even though it’s thicker) and also uses it partially open on the desk for video calls.</p>
-
yaddamaster
Log in to Reply<p>Yeah – I had the Moto Razr V3 and it was awesome. Probably still in a closet somewhere. It was the perfect phone for its time. it was long when unfolded so hearing and speaking clearly was functional but thin enough that when folder it was still less thick than the average wallet. I loved it.</p><p><br></p><p>But it’s no longer a practical form factor for today – at least with today’s technology. You can’t flip it up like you described. And from what I’ve seen it’s simply too thick when folded.</p><p><br></p><p>Phablets are a problem as well…..but it seems to me that 6.1" is a sweet spot.</p>
-
2ilent8cho
Log in to Reply<p>I’m not that interested in them my self, but we need to wait until Apple does it as it will be more thought out and will have developers behind it. Yes Samsung may have been there first, but it’s bad. I played with the large one that folds out to the tablet, its awful, you load the Facebook app and its not optimised for all that space, it just blows up the standard app. </p><p><br></p><p>Their are plenty of products that Apple was never first to such as Tablets, Smart Phones, MP3 players but they don’t take off until Apple shows how it should be done and I think folding phones will be one of those. </p>
-
navarac
Log in to Reply<p><em>…it just blows up the standard app…</em></p><p><br></p><p>That’s the apps fault though. Same as Android phone apps on an Android Tablet. Generally not optimised.</p>
-
wright_is
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>And that is the general problem with Android tablets (and foldables), the apps are made for smartphone screens and few developers bother to make their app work on bigger formats, so the bigger formats never gain traction, because the experience is bad, because the format doesn’t gain traction, nobody develops for it… It is a vicious circle.</p>
-
wunderbar
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I own a Z Fold 3 and it has meant I no longer carry a laptop and an iPad with me. I pulled the iPad out of my bag and no longer carry it on a day to day basis.</p><p><br></p><p>the screen on the Z Fold 3 is about the size of the previous generation iPad Mini. that’s big enough for me for a tablet. And I can put it in my pocket.</p><p><br></p><p>Prices need to come down a bit, and the durability of the screens long term is still a question. But there is absolutely going to be a place for foldable phones.</p>
-
bats
Log in to Reply<p>The 3D craze? Was there one? From what I understand the reason why there is no 3D televisions anymore, was because there was no craze. Anyway, the foldable phone market is different. We are talking about a larger than normal single screen phone that can be physically miniaturized by a single foldable action. I can’t see anything negative about that, if there is a reasonable use for it. Bigger the screen the better, especially if one can fold it, thus cutting it’s size, and taking it everywhere you go. </p>
-
j5
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I think the smartphone manufactures have started foldable phones only because the tech peaked years ago. There nothing else they can put in smartphones that’s actually innovative, it’s all just speed increases and small increases in camera technology, nothing new nor innovative. So foldable phones is something new in hardware only, not in tech features, so it’s really just a gimmick really. It’s one of those quick psychological tech highs to your brain when you buy one and use it for a few minutes…after a few minutes you’re still use the same apps you did on a regular smart phone, in the same way, </p>
-
anoldamigauser
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>The problem with foldable phones is that there is no problem that they solve. The idea is that they could replace a tablet or a laptop perhaps, but they are compromised as phones since they have to be unfolded to be used. Add to that the fact that they are more expensive and, if the screen is folding, they are likely less durable.</p><p>I am intrigued by the Duo design, but not as a phone. I think it could be an interesting notebook/journaling/planner device, similar to the original Courier concept, and perhaps with a Continuum or Dex like functionality it could act as a portable computer in a pinch. The problem is that that is a niche use case, and these are expensive devices.</p>
-
rob_segal
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>A folding iPhone could be popular because the iPad is so good. An iPhone that folds out to something similar in size to an iPad Mini would be great. Apple can pull this off. The Android tablet experience is so far behind the iPad, there is much less benefit to a folding Android phone.</p>
-
boots
Log in to Reply<p>Yes, be sceptical. It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.</p>
-
bigfire
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I have the Fold 3, and I won’t be buying a non-folding phone in the future. Discussion around folding phones reminds me of what people thought of the ipad. "A bigger iphone? Who cares?" But size does make a difference. I read a lot on my phone (NYT, Kindle) and there’s no comparison between consuming content on a regular phone versus the larger folding phone. I have the Ultra 21 (as a camera phone when I travel on vacation) and it’s a great phone, but I feel frustrated when I’m trying to read something on it.</p><p><br></p><p>A few random observations:</p><p>1) Durability is a concern. I started with the Fold 2, and it started evidencing some screen distortions in the middle after about a year when I was about to trade it in (and the trade in went fine).</p><p>2) I often don’t open the phone unless I’m consuming content. Which is why I’d really like a wider screen on the front. But the point being that it lets me use the convenient form factor, rather than limiting me).</p><p>3) I have not had any problems with apps not resizing correctly. I’m not saying they take maximum advantage of the extra real estate, but it’s not like using an iphone-only app on an ipad where it just looks awful. Facebook, in particular, looks great on the bigger screen.</p><p>4) The Duo is horrible. I was intrigued by it and grabbed one when it first came out, but regardless if they ever fix all the software bugs, not having a screen on the outside to allow you to do quick options and take calls is a terrible idea for a phone.</p>
-
andrew_graham
Log in to Reply<p>Horses for courses. I have had a Surface Duo for many months now and I love it being a mix of tablet and phone. I have no trouble with unfolding it to take calls and when fully open it is a very portable 8" tablet replacement. I can be productive on it in a way that I can’t on my Pixel 4a, Note 9 Pro or even my large Mi Max 3, phone and, luckily, I do not seem to suffer from bugs the way other people say they do.</p><p><br></p><p>One of the killer apps on it is the Kindle reader which really takes advantage of the dual screen layout. The camera is admittedly a bit mediocre but I’m not a photographer and it is good enough for occasional use, like when I need to send an image of a document or location. I’m not sure that I would pay the full price for a brand new one but I would sorely miss mine if it failed.</p>
-
Mary Alice
Log in to Reply<p>I haven’t had a folding phone in a very long time, I’m comfortable using a smartphone with just a screen.</p>
Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox
Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday
"*" indicates required fields
-
Sections
-
About Thurrott
-
Contact
-
Our Other Sites
-
Subscribe
© 2024 Thurrott LLC