Last year it was already in many prediction lists, but 2019 turned out not to be ripe for the folding phone. They had already announced several smartphone makers, but eventually problems with this new type of smartphone. In 2020 we expect more from that special, foldable smartphone.
In 2019, Samsung was one of the first major telephone makers to come up with a foldable telephone. The Galaxy Fold should be a huge success, but when he did not reach his release date of April 26 due to a problem with the plastic film on the phones, he finally appeared on September 27. However, at that time the enthusiasm was considerably less, because people still had less confidence in that foldable technology – which turned out to be vulnerable. Another factor is that it is not a cheap device: you spend around two thousand euros on it.
Foldable phones from Huawei and Motorola
Another large folding phone that we had expected more in 2019, is Huawei Mate X. Now, of course, Huawei had something else to bend over, namely the trade ban that means it will no longer be able to use Google on its new phones. services such as Gmail and Google Maps. Yet we had hoped to see more of Huawei Mate X, but here too there has been a delay more than once. Motorola Razr V4 has also been postponed because Motorola says it cannot handle the big demand.
Fortunately, the new Samsung Folds appear to have no problems with the protective layer and hopefully foldable phones are able to regain confidence with the general public so slowly. Fold is now for sale, but Samsung skips the Netherlands. That has nothing to do with our country, but just like with Motorola with supply and demand: too few phones have been produced. It is hoped that 2020 will be a year in which factories run to full capacity to meet all demand.
Flexible or hinge
Some foldable phones use a hinge, such as the new device that has already been teased a few times by Xiaomi. However, there are also many manufacturers who have opted for a flexible screen. Motorola for example, which is around five hundred euros below the price of the Samsung Galaxy Fold. This is partly because there is a less good chipset in it. However, it is a good development, because it will ensure that foldable telephones will hopefully be lowered in price in 2020 and therefore more attractive to the general public.
This year, however, many more foldable phones are expected, such as an LG device. However, the telephone company still depends on Google. If there are no apps on the Play Store that can be displayed properly on a foldable phone, the manufacturer is not satisfied. After all, it wants the price of a foldable phone to be considerably lower, and that is possible if there are accessible apps for it. LG, however, does not seem to be completely waiting, because telephones with different dimensions have already been discussed during an investor meeting.
2020: the year of folding phones
There are rumors that Apple, Oppo, Google and Sony are also working on telephones with a fold, but there is still little concrete about this. Even the company of the brother of Pablo Escobar is planning to take over the smartphone world with a folding debut device. The fact that there is a lot of teasing and that there are already large manufacturers with folding phones, that means that this year must be the year of this new type of smartphone. After the struggle in 2019, 2020 is the time. If nothing foldable comes along at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, then fear not: phone makers will probably choose to create their own moment for such an announcement.