Current folding phones have several common weaknesses that hinder their success with the general public.
Every release of a new foldable phone attracts public attention, but that attention seems to be lacking The latter does not translate into a large number of sales. The sales of folding mobile phones are expected to grow at a good pace, but the reality is They are still far from “mainstream”.That is, as popular as conventional smartphones
There are a few reasons that explain why phones are still foldable far from achieving great success with the general public. For example, we can mention that they still exist Terribly expensive, which turns away buyers who don’t have big budgets. The fact is that these smartphones are interesting because they are very innovative, but today they maintain Many areas for improvement That drives users away.
Why current folding mobiles are far from successful
It was 2019 when we at Andro4all discussed the major issues with folding mobile phones, which took a long time to enter the market. We refer to such things Durability, the little use that Android was made for or the high price. Three and a half years have passed since that article, but most of the weaknesses of folding models still exist.
screen
Recent foldable phones that have hit the market have improved this category, but the screen is still one of its weak points. And this is what we continue to find in many of these models The panel that offers a very fair performanceGenerally a much cheaper smartphone, for both Contrast according to brightness and viewing angle. We know that making a screen for a foldable mobile is not easy, because it has to be flexible.
This fold raises another problem that folds must solve: wrinkles displayed on the screen. As we saw in our analysis of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G, Samsung still hasn’t finished that central fold.
Limited specifications
Another problem with folding mobiles is that many times, Its technical sheet is limited If we compare it with conventional smartphones. To get that eye-catching fold design, manufacturers have to create a series of cutbacks. This is what the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 5G case is equipped with A battery of only 3,700 mAh, a very fair autonomy.
Despite being a 1,000-plus-euro mobile, the Z Flip 4 is also limited in terms of photography, only Two 12-megapixel cameras Back. Something similar happens with this Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, without wireless charging And no resistance to water and dust. For now, manufacturers are forced to make these cuts to make the folding design work perfectly, although they should achieve this in the future Flexibility and improved data sheet compatibility.
presence
Samsung, Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO, Huawei… Many manufacturers have already presented their folding phones, though We can’t easily find them in the market. This limited availability is another issue that separates foldable phones from “mainstream” smartphones. For example, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 that we talked about earlier. Only available in ChinaSomething that also happens with the OPPO Find N.
We must highlight the work done by such brands here Samsung and Huawei, which lead to the global market Their folding mobiles. For example, the Huawei P50 Pocket is usually sold in stores the amazon.
Precio
Once the problem of market availability is overcome, users face another problem: High cost of terminals. For example, Huawei Mate XS 2 goes on the market for 1,999 eurosWhile the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G in the lower memory configuration has a suggested retail price of 1,799 euros.
This year we learned that the world’s best-selling folding mobile is Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3More comfortable design and for use A more affordable price for pocket In fact, the price of the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 5G starts at 1,099 euros.
The success of the Z Flip family confirmed that the public preferred clamshell-type folding mobiles, outselling book-format models. Despite the problems mentioned above, folding phones continue to increase their sales significantly. In fact, that’s what they expect from Samsung Your foldable smartphones will surpass your regular mobiles by 2025So it looks like it’s still a few years away from becoming “mainstream”.
Recommend this article objective and independent Products and services that may be of interest to readers. Andro4all receives a commission when the user makes a purchase through certain links displayed in this news join in On Andro4all Bargain Channel Learn about the best deals before anyone else.