This feels like one of those nonsensical questions at first glance. Is a hotdog a sandwich? If dogs wore pants, would those pants have four legs or two? If baguettes could move, how would they move? But it’s more meaningful than any of that. Well, that is, until the baguette uprising, but I figure the French will be their first target, giving the rest of us time to figure out whether or not they move more like a snake or a worm.
We no longer have to think of foldable phones as hypothetical devices. The foldable phones of tomorrow are here today. They’re unique, despite sharing the same basic idea. Take the Samsung Galaxy Fold, for example. It has two screens, the outer screen and the large tablet screen in the center. It also has six cameras, so you can take photos in just about any position. The Galaxy Fold folds in on the tablet screen.
However, there’s also the Huawei Mate X. This is a phone that has one screen, and just one camera array (a triple camera system, like the Mate 20). It’s less complex and expensive to design and manufacturer, and it may increase the life of the screen, but it could also lead to more scratches on that plastic display.
So, which design will win? Will our phones fold inwards, like a book, or outwards, like a newspaper? It’s not a meaningless question. The answer could define the longevity of our devices.
Smartphones Should Fold In!
Samsung is currently the champion of the inwardly folding smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy Fold closes like a book. Because the whole point of these folding devices is the fact that it can be used either way, Samsung placed a small screen on the outside “cover” of their phone book.
The main advantage of this design is scratch avoidance. The folding display must be made out of a flexible material. This means a manufacturer cannot use strong scratch resistant glass or sapphire. Instead, they have to use plastic, which is prone to scratches and damage. On the outside, a manufacturer could still use Gorilla Glass or sapphire glass, making the phone more scratch resistant.
The downside to smartphones that fold inwards is simple physics. The inner plastic will, over time, form a crease where the screen folds sharply. Samsung has made the fold here less drastic with a wide hinge mechanism, but this makes your phone “fold” into a wedge. It’s more like a doorstop or rolled up newspaper like this. It won’t fit in pockets or purses well, which is the point of a foldable phone to begin with!
Smartphones Should Fold Out!
Photo: Vlad Savov/The Verge
By placing the screen on the outside, a manufacturer can reduce costs by giving themselves just one camera array and just one screen. They can also give the screen a more rounded space when folded, so it doesn’t get a crease. Furthermore, since it’s folded outwards, both sides of the phone, when folded, have a screen. Finally, this method means a more compact design that can fold flat.
Folding the Mate X closed
The negative to this is that plastic display. It’ll now be on the outside of the device, increasing your chance of damage. It’s possible to use “self repairing” polymers, but these aren’t perfect. I’ve gotten plenty of scratches on self healing polymer screen protectors. They’re not foolproof.
What About Origami?
You could even use this design to prop up your phone. Photo: Vlad Savov/The Verge
Okay, no to origami. However, folding outwards seems to be the obvious choice. While it could be scratched more easily, customers could either be extremely careful with their phones or use screen protectors that can flex with the display. This is a better solution than getting a crease in your display, breaking a hinge mechanism in your pocket, or needed two screens and six cameras on your device. Huawei seems to have the right idea. However, until the technology becomes affordable and long lasting, foldable phones will remain for the rich with more money than sense. These are still first generation products, and their designs make that painfully obvious. Huawei’s hinge looks cheap and fragile, and Samsung’s while elegant and strong, folds your device into a fat wedge. These aren’t products that are ready for mass market yet. Fortunately, those $2,000 price tags will keep them out of the hands of most people.
The Huawei Mate X, especially, shows the full capabilities of a tablet that folds up into a phone. It’ll be released later this year, and I hope it’s a sign of smartphone designs to come.
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