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Cashing In on Foldable Technology
February 16, 2020
Strategy Analytics says that Foldable phones are already here and coming with full force, joined together by the latest technology wonders: AI, 5G and drastically improved batteries. The idea behind the foldable screens is to provide maximum screen size like the tablet but keeping a minimum phone size like mobile phones. They say the trend is coming just in time as our appetites for watching videos, TV shows and even sports matches on our phones and tablets are raising. Streaming live sport to a mobile device couldn’t be more straightforward for sports enthusiasts and bettors, as reading a SportsBet review would show. The foldable phone flexible screen technology and their sizes will football watching experience even more enjoyable. Even though we have seen some great foldable devices in recent years, manufacturers are still researching intensely on proving us with a device without their issues or compromises. The most important aspect of the foldable phones is their so-called ‘hinge mechanism’, and it can be the first part to fail. As of 2019, foldable smartphones have displays made out of flexible plastic and can bend both ways. However, companies are working to replace the flexible plastic with foldable glass, with the potential of eliminating the crease and increased scratch resistance.
In regards to battery life, foldable phones have dual battery capacity that uses and recharges both cells to prevent overcharging. Most of these phones are packed with a fast-charging mechanism which reduces the charging time to 30 minutes for 80% charge.
They forecast a future where a single device acts as a mobile, tablet, and desktop system all rolled into one and cite sitting at a café texting a friend, unfolding a device into tablet mode to read a news article on the train home and the phone into a monitor-and-keyboard-connected dock that turns it into a full desktop system when at home to finish off some work. For consumers, prices will likely look different than what we’re currently used to paying. An all-in-one device is going to need to pack some serious computing power. The first generation of foldable devices is shockingly expensive; the Huawei Mate X costs$2,400, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip costs $1,380, and Lenovo’s Motorola Razr costs $1,500. However, the next few years is likely going to see these versatile devices drop in price. Instead of $4,000 for three different devices, the price could drop to somewhere around half of that for a decently-spec’d all-in-one device.
One of the biggest roadblocks to this technologically utopian future, though, is operating systems. Windows is, undoubtedly, the industry leader in the desktop OS landscape and has been for decades. While Microsoft has tried to catch up with the innovations in new device forms, they’ve always been a little slow to adapt.
The tech industry is already desperately waiting for Windows 10X, which was announced back in 2019. Then there’s the fact that Windows Phone very notoriously failed, meaning Microsoft isn’t even particularly well-suited to providing an all-in-one OS that people will want to use. Google, on the other hand, have an amazingly popular mobile OS, though their Chrome OS for desktops has barely even made a dent in the global market. Shockingly enough, Apple is actually in the best position, at least now at the beginning of 2020, to provide us with the holy grail of devices. Apple’s iPad OS is already bridging the gap between mobile and desktop systems. If Apple keeps going in that direction, their head start could very well end up with people all over the world, giving up Windows and Android for Apple’s all-in-one offering.
Strategy Analytics predicts, global foldable smartphone shipments will grow from under 1 million units in 2019 to 100 million by 2025. Samsung, Motorola, TCL, Huawei and Royole lead the way. High pricing, low display-yields and questionable durability are holding back the foldables market today, but those problems will be solved in the long-term.
Figure 1: Global Foldable Smartphone Shipments Forecast in 2019 to 2025
February 16, 2020
Strategy Analytics says that Foldable phones are already here and coming with full force, joined together by the latest technology wonders: AI, 5G and drastically improved batteries. The idea behind the foldable screens is to provide maximum screen size like the tablet but keeping a minimum phone size like mobile phones. They say the trend is coming just in time as our appetites for watching videos, TV shows and even sports matches on our phones and tablets are raising. Streaming live sport to a mobile device couldn’t be more straightforward for sports enthusiasts and bettors, as reading a SportsBet review would show. The foldable phone flexible screen technology and their sizes will football watching experience even more enjoyable. Even though we have seen some great foldable devices in recent years, manufacturers are still researching intensely on proving us with a device without their issues or compromises. The most important aspect of the foldable phones is their so-called ‘hinge mechanism’, and it can be the first part to fail. As of 2019, foldable smartphones have displays made out of flexible plastic and can bend both ways. However, companies are working to replace the flexible plastic with foldable glass, with the potential of eliminating the crease and increased scratch resistance.
In regards to battery life, foldable phones have dual battery capacity that uses and recharges both cells to prevent overcharging. Most of these phones are packed with a fast-charging mechanism which reduces the charging time to 30 minutes for 80% charge.
They forecast a future where a single device acts as a mobile, tablet, and desktop system all rolled into one and cite sitting at a café texting a friend, unfolding a device into tablet mode to read a news article on the train home and the phone into a monitor-and-keyboard-connected dock that turns it into a full desktop system when at home to finish off some work. For consumers, prices will likely look different than what we’re currently used to paying. An all-in-one device is going to need to pack some serious computing power. The first generation of foldable devices is shockingly expensive; the Huawei Mate X costs$2,400, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip costs $1,380, and Lenovo’s Motorola Razr costs $1,500. However, the next few years is likely going to see these versatile devices drop in price. Instead of $4,000 for three different devices, the price could drop to somewhere around half of that for a decently-spec’d all-in-one device.
One of the biggest roadblocks to this technologically utopian future, though, is operating systems. Windows is, undoubtedly, the industry leader in the desktop OS landscape and has been for decades. While Microsoft has tried to catch up with the innovations in new device forms, they’ve always been a little slow to adapt.
The tech industry is already desperately waiting for Windows 10X, which was announced back in 2019. Then there’s the fact that Windows Phone very notoriously failed, meaning Microsoft isn’t even particularly well-suited to providing an all-in-one OS that people will want to use. Google, on the other hand, have an amazingly popular mobile OS, though their Chrome OS for desktops has barely even made a dent in the global market. Shockingly enough, Apple is actually in the best position, at least now at the beginning of 2020, to provide us with the holy grail of devices. Apple’s iPad OS is already bridging the gap between mobile and desktop systems. If Apple keeps going in that direction, their head start could very well end up with people all over the world, giving up Windows and Android for Apple’s all-in-one offering.
Strategy Analytics predicts, global foldable smartphone shipments will grow from under 1 million units in 2019 to 100 million by 2025. Samsung, Motorola, TCL, Huawei and Royole lead the way. High pricing, low display-yields and questionable durability are holding back the foldables market today, but those problems will be solved in the long-term.
Figure 1: Global Foldable Smartphone Shipments Forecast in 2019 to 2025
Source: Strategy Analytics
Strategy Analytics, said, "Foldables will be the fastest-growing segment of the premium smartphone market for the next decade. "Foldables pack a big screen into a small design. Consumers can surf rich content, like video, on a large display, and then fold the device away neatly into a pocket or bag. Samsung was the world’s number one foldable smartphone vendor in 2019, followed by Huawei in second place. Samsung is top in Western regions, like the US, while Huawei is focusing on its home market of China. Rival brands, such as Motorola and TCL, will deliver their own new models in 2020 and look to grab a slice of the foldables pie. By 2025, every major player should have a foldables portfolio, including Apple. For now, the foldables industry has several hurdles to overcome, including very high pricing, low yields of bendable displays, and questionable durability about whether the hinges or screens will last for more than a few months. However, the technical problems for foldables are not unsolvable, and we expect the issues to be addressed in the coming years."