Recognition: Eric Zeman / Android Authority
Opinion from
Eric Zeman
Foldable devices are back in the news this week and that got me thinking, would anyone buy these potential new folding phones? Besides the foldable form factor, what would make it attractive to consumers? Is there one approach or design that is better than another? Let’s talk.
Huawei started with the Mate X2. The X2 represents a big change for Huawei. The original Huawei Mate X had a screen that was placed on both the front and the back of the phone. However, the X2 foregoes this approach for a more traditional foldable notebook that opens up similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold range. Based on my experience with the Mate X and the Galaxy Fold, Huawei took the right step here. The Mate X2 has an 8-inch main screen and a separate outer panel that allows the phone to be used when it is closed. Unfortunately, this phone is only sold in China.
Then it was rumored that Samsung is making folding displays for a handful of phone manufacturers, including Google, Oppo, and Xiaomi. Google and Xiaomi are looking at the display in the Galaxy Fold style, while Oppo is more interested in a design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip. This report confirms a story from 2019 that Google was interested in folding phones.
“We are definitely prototypes of the technology. We have been doing this for a long time, ”said the then Google Pixel boss Mario Queiroz CNET. However, Queiroz added a qualifier: “I don’t think there is a clear use case yet.”
The phones must not sell, or at least not sell well enough.
Rounding out the fresh foldable lining, Samsung launched a new offering that allows customers to try a folding phone – either the Galaxy Fold 2 or the Galaxy Flip 5G – before they buy it. The idea is to get people to try a form factor that they might otherwise bypass.
It’s that last story that really caught my eye. In early February, Samsung cut the price of the Galaxy Z Flip 5G by $ 250. Similarly, Motorola and Verizon Wireless cut the cost of the Razr by up to $ 500. Now Samsung is hoping that a free trial will keep users engaged in the life of the folding phone. Why? The phones must not sell, or at least not sell well enough. Damn that Wall Street Journal declared Foldables a flop in September 2020.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room: cost. Huawei’s new Mate X2 is nearly $ 3,000, the Galaxy Fold 2 is nearly $ 2,000, and the Z Flip and Razr-style leaflets are around $ 1,400, depending on the promotion. These prices are inconsistent with current consumer spending on smartphones. It is clear that prices would have to drop below the $ 1,000 mark before most people would weigh a leaflet. It is not yet clear whether new leaflets from Google, Oppo or Xiaomi would fall below this dollar amount. It’s doubtful.
The foldable prices do not reflect current consumer spending on smartphones.
Then there is the application of leaflets. The two main bearings are laptop-style and flip-phone-style, with the former requiring more stature and cost. A phone like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is intended for power users who want a giant tablet-style screen when they open the device. In the meantime, a phone like the Moto Razr is a more fashionable choice for those who want to minimize the phone footprint. Either of these are legitimate reasons for wanting a leaflet, but getting over the high cost is likely to outweigh them.
Trust is a problem. Execution is important, and both Samsung and Motorola get bad marks in this department. The original Samsung Galaxy Fold failed spectacularly and the first generation Moto Razr also suffered from hinge issues. These issues were largely addressed in subsequent designs, but this has left us wondering if first-time foldable manufacturers – Google, Oppo, Xiaomi – would be able to get it right with their original products.
With the Google Pixel line’s long list of hardware quirks over the years, it’s hard to be trusted. For the time being, folding phones are too expensive and untrustworthy. While the idea of a folding phone from Google is appealing at the base level, there are serious hurdles for the pixel maker to overcome.