The return of the folding phones, but is there a future for them?

We have seen their comeback, first the nostalgic ones like the Razr by Motorola then Samsung followed with the Fold, and the more compact Z Flip. Microsoft joined the chorus with the Duo, but just like Sammy’s Fold, they both open and become a tablet size rather than adhering strictly to a phone format. While we are still waiting for Apple’s input…but, moving on.

Folding devices are cool, compact, handy and portable. There are those who keep staring with a sense of disgust at the hinge “it still shows on the display man”, and while the designs are dope, they are still made of glass and expensive. Also, mechanical moving parts will get strained by time, with the use, wear and tear. What if dust, crumbs or small stones get trapped in between the hinges?

Recent upgraded folding phones have been catering for that and on a better display too, a one that doesn’t get dented easily, or literally stripped off the front, like MKBHD did in error thinking it was a screen protector! Well, being the YouTube tech guru, Samsung replaced the device in a jiffy for him. If it was the undersigned doing that, I would have probably had to live with guilt forever.

Then there’s the battery, I mean with foldable mechanisms and thin design, the space for a big battery starts to get limited, but with all these super chargers coming out, that can be easily resolved. Heck, even wireless chargers are increasing their watts. If all this will result in a shorter battery life it’s another subject altogether, though suppliers calculate that phones are generally replaced after say a two year period on average, so if the devices or indeed their batteries make it that far is fine. The use of graphene for example can be a valid option for new age batteries, and it is being considered by more than one renowned companies. The future of batteries is interesting.

So, considering all this, is there still a future for folding phones or are they a momentarily trend destined to be over soon? Well, in my humble opinion there’s still a niche for them yes, being collectors, nostalgic customers, reviewers or plain ballers, as price tags don’t come cheap. Then again even non-foldable flagships nowadays are priced as much as laptops, at first we were shocked, then we sort of accepted to cough up the extra hard earned bling, as long as we put our hands (quite literally) on the bleeding edge, top of the notch (not necessarily Apple`s), crème de la crème tech.

Just like gaming phones, like the Asus Rog series, the foldable phones are here to stay, and I welcome that, cause variety and competition is necessary in a world were smartphones have become the usual rectangular slab of glass with either a notch, left or middle punch-hole, quite boring and predictable really.

Let’s embrace change and novelties! Folding phones are bringing fresh ideas to the tech table, innovative, vintage concepts with modern tech under the hood, and you know what, I am all for it.

Let me know your views. Do you own a foldable phone? Comment below.