The Futuristic Retro: Design and Users of Foldable Phones

At the end of 2019, Motorola and Samsung revealed their first folding phone models, to the interest of tech enthusiasts and not many others. Now, four years later, their status is in the process of changing from a pricey novelty to relevant flagship models. Samsung and Huawei have multiple folding models that have seen some success in their home markets of South Korea and China. Meanwhile, Apple has just recently confirmed that it is experimenting with its own folding iPads and iPhones, though have not yet decided whether they will bring any to market. 

What is the interest of these compared to the existing and proven successful styles of smartphones? Going against the grain is part of the answer, as ever since the iPhone model dominated and tactile buttons died, phones have had a consistent form with increasingly difficult to distinguish internal hardware upgrades. The visible and tactile differences and experimentation in design with folding phones brings freshness to the mobile scene, giving consumers a choice in their devices besides OS, screen size, and budget. This relates to the niche but growing subsection of consumers who are interested in alternative physical formats of smart devices, and can potentially help revive a lackluster market.

One of the interesting things about the folding smartphones is that there are two styles on the market right now, and both are favored by different groups of consumers. The vertical-folding style, also called a tablet or book style, has a normal (though often thinner than standard) phone screen in the front, which then folds out into a miniature tablet screen. The horizontal-folding style, also called the compact or clamshell style, folds like flip phones, with the standard screen inside, and the outside having a range of screens from a simple notification/clock area to a full fledged square screen. These multitudes of screen styles, including possible future alternative folding styles, brings up some new design considerations.

Generally, when making a flexible app or website, one could assume that these different screen sizes were accessed on different devices with different purposes. But with foldable devices, it is encouraged to actively move freely between all these different sizes, with folding and unfolding the device, and having multiple apps open at once. This means that apps need to be designed with this in mind, that the standard phone, tablet, and now “square” sizes will be switched between at will, requiring consistency and fluidity between all these designs. 

Apps that previously got away with simply refusing to have tablet or phone versions available now have to consider that users technically have both modes on the same device, and so such restrictions will not be acceptable. If you take a look at any message thread on the topic, it will show that a major grievance for users now is that apps and websites either are displaying badly on these devices, or are slower to update than the standard version – even Samsung has delayed its OneUI updates for its Flip and Fold users. Leaving behind these early adopters will discourage them from coming back, and cause concerns among potential new users.

Besides considering the fluidity of app sizing, there’s also entirely new form factors to take into consideration, the most obvious being the partially folded style. This is the one that is shown off in most advertising campaigns, splitting apps in half, with a common example being video or game controls on the bottom side and the actual media on top. For vertical folding devices, there is the book form which is less used and promoted, but could have potential interesting uses, such as e-reader apps. The form factor of the folded device is more comfortable to hold than standard phones or tablets, though this must be done carefully as any text or image that falls on a visible crease immediately affects the legibility by a large amount. Another physical factor that concerns the design is the hardware, particularly the battery. These devices tend to have weaker batteries due to not being able to have a standard long one, while also being powerful devices. Battery optimization is a must more than ever before.

Users and Needs

Vertical folding tablet styles have been found to be more popular in existing markets, particularly South Korea. From my own observation, they’re the favorite style of tech influencers and reviewers, and are usually the ones such people recommend. It’s easy to see why – they’re extremely versatile, with most boasting that they can open up 4 windows at a time, juggling these multiple applications smoothly, and allowing for vertical, horizontal, and special folded modes. They’re the multi-taskers dream, and could theoretically replace your smartphone and tablet, along with other tech devices such as e-readers. In the future, they could even theoretically replace laptops for lightweight users, working as something like a miniature Microsoft Surface.

Meanwhile, the compact clamshell style tests as less popular, though is currently outselling the tablet style: from Samsung’s reports, 70% of all their foldable sales were to their Z Flip model as of September 2022, and even now as of Q4 2023, the Z Flip 5 sold a million more units than the Z Fold 5. There are two main reasons pointed to as this being the case, first being the price difference. The Flip generally runs for CDN$999.99, while the Fold starts at CDN$1679.99 and can go for over CDN$2,000. Second is the user intimidation, as it’s easier to convince new people to try out something like their phone, but more portable, than it is to convince them to try out a whole new style of mobile.

From my observations with the foldable phone scene though, there is a different type of user that I don’t see brought into consideration that often. It’s relatively safe to say that most people interested in these devices are power users who are comfortable with smart devices and want a change to their experience. This usually leads to considering those who want the powerful, multifunctional suite of the tablet style. But the ones I see come up on social media most often, the ones I see happily discussing and actively looking to buy these devices in the American and Canadian market, are those who want to either downsize, or look to the past. 

There’s been a trend of digital downsizing, leading to the development of phones like the Hisense E INK, The Light Phone, and even using old or imported flip phones to replace smart devices. Usage of these devices don’t tend to last that long however, as the modern conveniences and even necessities of the smartphone are too important for the vast majority to cut out of their life. But the clamshell smartphone hits all the main points of incentivizing less phone usage (requiring opening up your phone to use it creates just enough delay to consider whether it is really worth doing), while still having all the apps, services, and entertainment people require. All this, while still being modern and stylish, to the degree of being brag-worthy devices for those who own them.

It relates back in some ways to the paradoxical Y2K nostalgia that is mostly seen in those too young to have engaged in it themselves, something that I and my peers have fallen into to some degree or another. In particular, there is a demonstrated desire for having multiple options on the market to show off your personal taste, and to just have some personality in a device that is attached to you 24/7. The want for something besides the same glass slab that every other person you know owns with the only standout thing to argue about being the logo on the back.

Future Viability

There have been mixed thoughts on the future of folding devices. Honor’s CEO, George Zhao, believes that foldables are the future of smartphones, in the same vein as electric cars are to the auto industry. But how likely is that? Currently, potential users’ main concerns are the high prices, the utility of the devices, and how fragile they may be. These are significant enough concerns that foldables only make up 1.3% of the smartphone market. The sales have also fallen up to 6% on Samsung’s side, but this can be attributed to Google, OnePlus, and other developers entering the market with similar specs – and lower prices. Many analysts are holding their breath for Apple to enter the scene in order for foldables to truly take off, particularly in the Western scene, in order to see the true potential of the market. But Apple has other plans for 2024 at least, seemingly wanting to focus their attention on spatial computing instead.

Whether the trend survives long term, dies off, or is replaced with something else, I believe that it has shown that there is still a strong desire in consumers to have more variety and personality in their modern technology. While this perhaps benefits the hardware manufacturer, it can lead to issues with designing for these different form factors in a smooth and forward-thinking way. However the market turns, and whatever challenges this ends up bringing for developers and designers, I look forward to the challenges if it brings back some life and personality into tech for those looking for it.

Sources

• Smartphone makers bet on foldables to revive lacklustre market
• I switched to Samsung’s foldable phone and now it’s hard going back
• I saw the future of folding phones at CES 2024
• Apple is developing a clamshell foldable
• Will 2024 be the year of the foldable phone? Not if Apple doesn’t dive in
• Report says Galaxy S23 selling really well, but Galaxy Z Fold/Flip 5 not so much
• Research on user needs for gesture interaction of foldable smartphones: comparison between current and potential users
• The Effects of Foldable Phone Types on Product Attitude and Purchase Intention: Moderating Effects of Pursued Benefits and Gender
• Header Image – Amy Kim/CNET