Everyone wants to have their folded smartphone. A full list of bent phones that will soon appear on the market

We had a chase for the slimmest smartphone casing. We had a pursuit for the thinnest frames. For not indenting in the screen. For the largest number of megapixels in the camera. Now everyone is chasing that the smartphone can be ... folded.

Foldable smartphones are a new obsession of manufacturers. Over every large manufacturer is currently working on such a project, and some of them are already practically ready for mass production.

Let's look at what the giants of mobile technologies are preparing for us.

Samsung Infinity Flex

Samsung has already unveiled the card. Infinity Flex was shown for the first time at the Samsung Developer Conference and there are many indications that the sales variant of this device will soon go to stores, probably under the name Galaxy X.

The screen has a 7.3 "display. After folding, you can put it in your pocket or use it as an ordinary, though slightly thick smartphone. The prototype shown is not one of the most beautiful devices in the world, but you can expect that the final version will be a bit nicer to the eye.

Royole FlexPai

Samsung wanted to show the functional folding phone first, but it failed. It was preceded by a brand unknown to the western consumer, Royole, presenting the FlexPai phone, which could be played at CES 2019 in Las Vegas.

As Piotr Grabiec wrote then: "if the future is to look like, then I get off." As you can see, being first does not always mean being good.

Lenovo has a folded smartphone for years

Speaking of being the first, it must be clearly stated that the first in the presentation of functional, folded phone was Lenovo. Already three years ago, I had the pleasure to see live prototypes of two bent phones: one wrapped around the wrist and one folded on the Samsung Infinity Flex.

However, it is not known when the Lenovo prototype will become the final product and will go on sale. Which proves that there is still a lot to refine, since despite having a prototype for three years, we still have not seen its improved iteration.

Xiaomi does not let go

The Chinese giant can not be chased away by its Korean rival. Therefore, we could already see the functional prototype of the folded Xiaomi phone, which was presented by the company's co-founder, Bin Lin.

Xiaomi is more cautious than Samsung in his promises. Instead of guaranteeing the product to be marketed, it carefully "considers" such a move if interest is not reduced.

Huawei is supposedly ready

Everything seems to indicate that Huawei already has a final version of his folded phone, which he showed behind closed doors representatives of Korean telecoms. If they actually manage to release a phone that looks like the one above, I will be impressed. 8-inch, frameless display, slim design and 5G as standard.

Well, I will believe it when I see.

Oppo is arming himself at the MWC

Oppo also has its patent for a folded smartphone. From the sketches submitted to the patent office, one can read that the device will be confusingly similar to the upcoming Samsung prototype; after unfolding it has to be a large tablet, and after folding a handy smartphone with a display on both sides.

At the moment, we do not know any details about the Oppo folding phone, but the company's representative announced that we will find out more soon, probably at the MWC in Barcelona.

ZTE already has one "foldable" smartphone behind it

ZTE Axon M was not completely "folded" in such a way, as we imagine when looking at Royole FlexPai, but the fact is that it was folded. However, it turned out to be a complete misfire and a tragically unadorned product, reminiscent of more folding PDA from the time of the splitting pixel than a modern telephone.

However, this does not prevent the company from working on a new incarnation of the folded telephone. ZTE filed two patent applications at the office: one for a folded smartphone, and the other for a wound-up screen. Judging by the sketch above, ZTE can show a phone that can actually be folded comfortably, without a bizarre "hump" on the hinge.

LG does not stay behind

Municipal news is that in addition to LG G8 at MWC, we will also see the first prototype of a folded smartphone from Samsung's home rival. However, I did not find any credible premises that would confirm this rumor, so for now I consider this information highly unlikely.

Though to be honest ... I would prefer that the news about the folded LG phone is true, not the information that the LG G8 would have an additional screen attached.

Intel joins the race

The patent for a smart smartphone also has Intel and as a former lover of Windows 10 Mobile, I would love to make this vision come true.

The folded Intel device is to be slightly thicker than the rest, due to the triple instead of the double hinge. In return, however, it has to offer much more opportunities, as well as a place for a feather that would hide itself after the device was placed.

Rumors also say that the Intel device is to work under the control of Windows 10. I'd like to believe it, but it's probably just another wet nerd dream, dreaming about the return of mobile tiles in glory and glory. Although who knows - Intel and Microsoft might be preparing something behind the scenes, but will not reveal the cards until the device is ready.

Motorola is preparing the return of the legend . Supposedly

As I wrote above, Lenovo has been in possession of a functional prototype of a folded telephone for years. And it's possible that the final incarnation will be Motorola Razr V4, which presents a completely different approach to "folding" the phone than Samsung or Xiaomi.

Instead of folding the phone screen to the outside, the Motorola patent provides for folding the screen inwards, with a second, auxiliary display outside. The design after deconstruction resembles the cover of old Motorola with a flap, and after unfolding it looks like a typical modern smartphone.

As far as I am concerned, such a vision of a folding screen appeals to me much more than the monsters Samsung and Xiaomi are preparing for us.

Apple will come to the party, when everyone will be able to make fun of it.

The patent for the folded phone also has Apple, but there is nothing to be deluded that we will see any product resulting from it this year. The company managed by Tim Cook has never been the first to chase innovation for innovation.

Knowing Apple's practices, the company will show folded phone long after Samsung, Xiaomi or other Oppo do it, but unlike them, it will show a fully functional, polished product with eye-pleasing aesthetics.

Everyone will then shout that "Apple is copying and is not innovative", which I would usually applaud, but ... this time the giant from Cupertino is right.

Foldable smartphones in their current form are art for art.

Mateusz Nowak has greatly argued in his text, so I will not repeat myself. For the purposes of this article, I will just add that in the current form, a folded smartphone is simply pointless. Excluding the Motorola patent, which really appeals to me, I can see really marginal benefits of a folded smartphone.

And certainly there are many compromises behind it, beginning with a filigree, susceptible to damage construction, through the need to reduce the battery to the price, which probably will be breathtaking during the first years of existence of such phones.

It is clear that the technology is not yet ready for the world to see a functional and nice folding phone. Unfortunately, due to the fact that several players on the market have already shown their visions on the subject, the other producers felt obliged to join the race. And instead of devoting days to calmly pampering products in the depths of R & D departments, they devote days to developing the best marketing strategy to overtake even some rivals.

The vision of a folding smartphone is intriguing. Anyone who saw the Westworld series could see the potential benefits of such a construction ... assuming that technology allows it to be realized.

Unfortunately, at this moment the technology allows to create at most half-broken tablet, with thick-walled, and at the same time unstable casing, exposed on each side to scratch or crack the screen.

Against the background of current, yet large smartphones, the current vision of the folded device is simply regressive in the world and I do not see any greater chances for it to speak to the general public in its existing form.

Folded smartphones? I'm like this. But not now.

Everyone wants to have their folded smartphone. A full list of bent phones that will soon appear on the market