Is the folding screen mobile phone the future trend?

Samsung officially released the first folding screen phone on February 20, （Full screen phone – Samsung Galaxy fold）while Huawei consumer CEO Yu Chengdong released the first foldable screen phone during the World Mobile Communications Conference in Barcelona on February 24. (Huawei Mate X – Full screen folding mobile phone）Mobile phone manufacturers such as Apple, Xiaomi, OPPO, Motorola, and LG have also begun to develop folding screen phones. The recent folding screen theme has a higher degree of attention.

Is the folding screen a trend in the future of mobile phones, or is it a demand made by mobile phone manufacturers?

A folding screen is a design that folds a larger screen to the size of the original phone. This design probably has several benefits.

First, the screen is larger and more portable, which means more applications. For example, you can watch videos on a split screen; you can get a better game experience, and while you get a big screen, you can put it in your pocket like a mobile phone and it is easy to carry.

Second, the camera is two-in-one. Since the screen can be folded, the main camera can be used either for the current camera or as a rear camera, so that the manufacturer’s design or the user’s experience will be greatly improved.

Third, the appearance is beautiful, more technology, which is of course an important reason why many people like to change their mobile phones frequently.

The screen size of the iPhone is constantly increasing, and to some extent, the increase in the screen of the mobile phone is indeed a trend. However, the real situation of the folding screen may not be as expected.

First of all, is the folding screen mobile phone really portable? The size can be folded, but the weight can’t be folded. When we use it, the experience is getting better or worse. Now the weight of the mobile phone is about 200g, but currently The weight of the foldable phone is 380 grams, which is close to the weight of the original two phones.

A 308 gram iPad mini (small size tablet). Even if it is rarely used at home, the most important reason is that it is tired with one hand and does not meet the habit of using electronic products such as mobile phones. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to use a 380-gram phone for a long time. There are very few people using flat panels on the subway, and there are also reasons for this.

Second, the price is expensive. At present, the production cost of Samsung folding panels reaches US$180, far exceeding the production cost of traditional panels. The price of Samsung folding screen mobile phone Galaxy Fold is expected to be around US$2,000. Even by 2022, the production cost of folding panels will fall by half, but the average price of terminal phones may also be around $1,500. And this price is estimated to be unacceptable to most people.

In fact, the so-called folding screen technology is looking for a balance between user experience and price. Is it worthwhile for everyone to spend so much money on a technology that doesn’t improve the user experience perfectly? Perhaps it’s something we deserve to think about.