The Foldable Smartphone Dream
May 15, 2017 Despite the recent volume of mundane smartphone upgrades, there may be a silver lining on the horizon. As we have reported previously, companies and users alike have long touted the idea of a foldable smartphone. Samsung Display’s Kim Tae-woong claimed that foldable displays would take two years to become reality and said, “Samsung Display is expected to commercialize foldable phones in 2019”. This news contradicts earlier leaks suggesting that the launch of foldable smartphones in 2017. There are numerous reasons why some believe foldable smartphone technology is still some ways off
Samsung is not the only company investing in foldable smartphones. Nokia, LG, OPPO, Microsoft, Huawei, JDI, Lenovo and Vivo are all also developing their own designs. Current technological limitations mean that we probably won’t be seeing completely foldable smartphones in the near future. More likely, these devices will have a rigid spine holding all the components that can’t be flexed, while the rest of the device is flexible. Another possible implementation could be folding along a set boundary allowing for “flip phone” like designs. We also previously reported on the possibility of a Samsung manufactured a foldable smartphone that unfurls into a tablet form factor. There is a lot riding on the idea of a foldable smartphone. In the smartphone industry, it is often the company, which packs the most innovation in its devices that tastes the most success. A report by Strategy Analytics claims that foldable smartphones could capture as much as 12% of the global smartphone market in 2022! This would indicate that the market for foldable devices is a lucrative one, and companies will want to take advantage of this fact. |
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