The biggest barrier to widespread adoption of phones with these new designs is their high price. Samsung’s first foldable phone launched in 2019 for $ 1,980. Last year’s Z Flip cost $ 1,380, and Microsoft’s Surface Duo costs $ 1,400. However, these technologies will become a bit more accessible this year, according to industry analyst Patrick Moorhead, founder and president of Moor Insights & Strategy.
“There is a price issue. I can see that coming down this year,” Moorhead said. “If penetration prices could be used to get the entry level to $ 1,000, that would generate significant volume.” Moorhead also expects to see more of these folding designs at the Mobile World Congress trade show in June. (MWC usually takes place in Barcelona in late February, but the show was postponed to June due to the Covid-19 pandemic.)
Another barrier is reliability. Most high-end single-screen phones today have durable glass that protects the screen, along with an IP68 water resistance rating that protects it from accidental immersion in water. Still, the Galaxy Fold 2019 was paralyzed after dust particles made their way into the foldable phone’s hinge, delaying launch and forcing Samsung to adjust the hinge mechanism. It was an embarrassing stumbling block, but things have come a long way in a year.
“When Lenovo came out with the Yoga, it took years for the industry to get better about things like hinges,” says Moorhead. “We even saw year-to-year changes at Samsung when the second version of the Fold used a brush mechanism, while the previous version used a traditional hinge. That may not seem like a big deal, but in mechanical engineering, it’s huge.”
This brush mechanism wiped the inside of the hinge every time the phone was opened or closed, and it helped prevent debris from creeping into the Fold 2’s internal components. Moorhead expects this year’s foldable phones to exhibit the same durability we’ve come to expect from rectangular plate designs. Streit echoed Moorhead’s sentiments, emphasizing that machine building is playing an increasingly important role in smartphone design. “This industry has not needed many moving parts for the past 10 years,” he says. “The retractable machine has to be a very good mechanical experience that keeps the dirt out.”
TCL says it plans to launch a foldable or rollable phone in 2021, and LG has confirmed to Nikkei that the LG Rollable will go on sale this year. This is not to say that the traditional single screen phone experience will disappear anytime soon. After all, Streit notes that people still buy flip phones today. He also says these new display technologies are “a long-term strategy” for TCL.
Let the good times roll
LG’s mobile phone design was teased briefly during the CES press conference. We expect to hear more about it later this year.
Video: LGWe can expect that the first wave of devices with these new rolling displays won’t try to include too many new features. Otherwise, phone manufacturers run the risk of overwhelming consumers accustomed to traditional smartphone designs.