6 major challenges that folding screen phones need to overcome to prove they are not technology 'soon and dark'

The phone screen is folded, yes, the technology product that consumes the ink of the experts has finally officially launched the first commercial versions, occupying the entire attention at the Mobile Exhibition. Global MWC takes place in Barcelona this year. But the favorite, is noticeable, but will users really hook up for this 'future' technology product? Especially when the screen phones fold up there are many things that need to be improved!

Last weekend, Samsung, the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, introduced a strategic product line for the first half of 2019, the Galaxy S10 with many new remarkable technologies. At the same time, the Korean manufacturer has also launched the first shot into the fold screen market with the release of the Galaxy Fold phone model - the smartphone can fold the first commercial version in the world. This luxury device, worth nearly $ 2,000, can be transformed from a phone to a tablet with just a few simple steps, and is being advertised as a 'taste' from the future of the phone market. mobile.

Following the first 'shot' of Samsung is the appearance of a series of folding screen smartphones from many other major manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi . In particular, Huawei products (Mate X) even have Price up to 2,600 dollars.

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1. Huawei has just launched Mate X, a compact, beautiful screen smartphone, 5G connection and slimmer than Galaxy Fold

Leaving aside these 'technological toys' aside, we return to the past a bit. In 2017, many 'face-to-face' experts in the smartphone industry have predicted that folding screen smartphones will not have a chance to succeed, not to mention launching a brand. trade. At that time, the judgment of the majority of experts stems from their skepticism about prototype screen folding products, and the emergence of many dual-screen phones that are well received by the market. pole.

In short, this is how it is: In 2017, many experts believe that technology that helps a foldable phone in reality is not yet ready. And now, even if you've been looking at Galaxy Fold's eyes at MWC 2019, many people are still more sure than ever that folding screen phones will be just a 'fad', a technology. Blossoming dark '.

The fact that Samsung does not feel confident enough for any journalist or expert to try Galaxy Fold on its own, especially when the device comes out two months after its first introduction, may be reasonable. by leading to complete skepticism.

In fact, folding screen phones look great when viewed and there are many interesting things to discuss. But it is clear that there are the technical challenges that need to be overcome so that these devices can become the future of the mobile industry, solutions that even Samsung may not have found. out to prove that my phone is not a star that suddenly flashed and quickly turned off!

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So what are those challenges? We will find out later.

1. The best technology products that are present at MWC 2019

Wrinkles in the fold of the screen

Take the Galaxy Fold, for example, without the appearance of big wrinkles when you fold half the screen. However, if you look closely you can see that the wrinkles run down the middle of the screen when the device is fully opened, but very blurry but not without, and in the long run, this can bring about uncomfortable, or even hardware related issues.

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In general, most foldable screens on the market today have a fuzzy fold. There is no way to fix it and there is no sign that companies will soon solve this problem. Just like having a visible matte fold when you fold a piece of paper, the wrinkles on the folded phone screen are something that many people are dissatisfied with, as well as a factor that makes these products lose. Take your advantage.

Reliability

After wrinkles of course many people will have to ask questions about durability. The Galaxy Fold is highly appreciated in part because of the beautifully designed hinges, according to many experts, the most beautiful hinge on the folding screen smartphones has been launched to date, It is very smooth, unlike the wrinkled curves like a folding door that looks so bad on the Royole FlexPai. But the question here is how many times this hinge can withstand? How will the durability here be assessed when users can fold and open the device dozens, even hundreds of times a day?

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Nothing is more harmful than dead pixels, or worse, a straight line appears on the screen of a phone that sells for more than VND 40 million! What happens if pixel points along the fold begin to die? Can any phone manufacturer ensure that the pixels along the fold of the screen will work stably for years?

What about using the case? How can a power unit be used on a folding screen phone? Oh, the questions are not answered!

1. Oppo 'chases' new folding screen smartphone, designed quite similar to Huawei Mate X

Software

Although sad, we must accept the fact that the software for optimal screen folding smartphones is not good at all. Google has 'thrown' a feature package that fully supports Android on devices that fold the screen, but that's not enough. If the spectacular failure of Android tablets has shown us one thing that it is crucial to tweak the software to suit each product line, then the support of third-party developers is also vital to the success of a folding screen phone.

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Getting developers to optimize their apps to be able to match specific frame rates on a folded screen phone will be an extremely difficult challenge. It is so difficult that application developers will be forced to design their application according to different '1 million' screen sizes and frame rates on Android, and now, the solution of power producers What is smart phone here? Getting developers to do what they want? Good luck with this mission!

At least with regular phones, there is a standard display frame rate for developers. What about the market of folding screen smartphones only 'struggling' some products? Take the Samsung Galaxy Fold for example: This device has an external screen with an aspect ratio of 21: 9 and an internal screen that opens with an aspect ratio of 4.2: 3. Both rates are uncommon and are almost exclusively for Samsung phones.

So what about the products of Huawei and Xiaomi? They will also have their own screen proportions, and that's the problem.

How many developers have actually updated their apps for tablets to date? Almost 9 years have passed and Instagram still has no application dedicated to the iPad or Android tablet environment. What makes device manufacturers think developers will suddenly come back to create tablet apps again? For tablets like this, what happens to the folding screen phone? I really did not find much hope!

1. Samsung Galaxy S10 is a great product, but is it worth the upgrade?

Battery life

Smartphones are only beginning to be equipped with large enough batteries that can sustain 'life' for nearly two days with basic tasks, and now do you want to take a step back in exchange for own a slightly larger screen? It will be worth thinking about!

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Perhaps many people are curious to see the Galaxy Fold's 4.380mAh battery will give how long it will be used when using the screen in tablet state. The 4.380mAh battery seems to be enough for a normal phone, but what about a 7.3-inch screen with a 2k resolution? It doesn't sound too good, right! Samsung's new Galaxy Tab S5e has a 10.5-inch screen and requires a 7.040mAh battery. To put this into a bigger perspective, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 5G has a 4,500 mAh battery and it has a 6.7 inch screen.

What I'm saying here is: Battery life will be a real problem for folding screen phones when they have to 'weigh' a huge screen, not to mention the continuous opening. Leaving and folding the screen will make the battery drop even more horribly.

Or we have to get a shorter battery life to ensure the overall design is compact enough, or phone manufacturers have to cram a bigger battery and can make the phone screen fold like a notebook? Please make your own choices.

1. This is an 18,000mAh phone . No, the 18,000mAh battery is equipped with the same function as the phone!

Thickness

As soon as it comes to battery capacity, we also need to discuss the thickness. Samsung did not disclose the specific dimensions of the Galaxy Fold, but you do not need to be an expert to realize how thick the device looks when folded. In addition, you can easily monitor the Galaxy Fold's thickness by looking at the USB-C connector at the bottom of the folded test device.

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A thick phone is acceptable, but only when it has an extremely large battery and can give the entire week of use after a single charge, can you look at the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop for example. But if not, do users have to spend money to buy 'a brick' and put it in their pocket for misery?

In short, folding screen phones need to be significantly thinner before being able to think of becoming the future of the smartphone industry.

Price

There is no doubt that the selling price is the most important factor, deciding the level of popularity or the future of the folding screen phone.

Samsung's Galaxy Fold will cost $ 1,980 when it is officially released on April 26, and to be fair, even in rich countries, this amount is still not small at all.

Besides, when Samsung thinks that they can sell this phone for nearly $ 2,000, there is no reason for other manufacturers such as Oppo, Xiaomi or LG to not price the product. I am in that range, and in fact the Huawei Mate X has been priced by the Chinese manufacturer for up to $ 2,600.

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Although Chinese phone makers are often known for lowering their product prices than Samsung and Apple, it is inevitable that these companies will sell their exorbitant phones. under the guise of bringing luxury experience to users, and this also happened.

Samsung has put a lot of expectations on the Galaxy Fold, they call it a luxury device designed for users who love to experience high-end technology. However, if they or any other smartphone manufacturer really wants screen phones to turn into the future of the smartphone world, the first thing is that the selling price has to be reduced. The simple fact is that a technology invention that wants to last a long time must first be used popularly.

1. New patent shows that Apple is ready for a foldable iPhone, sparking a new 'arms race'?

Breaking at MWC 2019?

Just because Samsung or Huawei cannot find a way to overcome these challenges does not mean that other companies cannot. Of course we all want to see a folding screen phone that can solve it all, or at least some of the 6 problems, but it seems that this will not happen at MWC years. now on.

Time is still long, now is the time for manufacturers to embark on a truly serious job if they want their technology products to become a true bright star in the technology sky.