At the end of this 2019, we can finally say that the leaflet revolution has arrived. In fact, the first smartphones of this type have landed on the Italian market and the public is slowly becoming familiar with the products.
As with any self-respecting new technology, however, doubts arise regarding its diffusion and real usefulness. Let’s go, then, to see what are the characteristics of folding devices, which are trying to bring innovation into a now saturated market.
What is a folding smartphone for?
“Are we really sure we need a folding smartphone?“. A question whose answer obviously varies from person to person, but it is important to note how this same doubt has arisen in the past in the face of every respectable novelty in the mobile device market. In 2006, when LG introduced Prada Phone, one of the first smartphones with touch screen displays, the public did not react exactly well and many believed that the game was not worth the candle. Re-reading the comments to the GSMArena review today makes you smile. For example, a user wrote “1600 Canadian dollars? Is it so expensive? Are you sure?“, while others advised to read the manual carefully before using this device and to avoid buying the protective case because it could easily scratch the screen.
Don’t you remember the situation that happened recently with Samsung Galaxy Fold? In this case the company had to say not to remove the protective film, but the concept behind it is the same and the price criticisms as well. Yet after Steve Jobs introduced the first historic iPhone in 2007, people began to realize the true potential of the touch screen. From that moment on we all know how it turned out. In short, every new technology that respects itself needs to be refined before it can really convince the mass public.
But let’s get to the crux of the question: the usefulness of a folding smartphone. Well, in 2006 users were wondering the same about the touch screen. The truth is that often one only realizes the usefulness of a technology if tested by hand and for longer.
In the case of the touch screen, the revolution was the possibility of carrying out the various activities faster, while as regards the leaflets, we are clearly talking about the possibility of having wider screens in the pocket, which is not insignificant in a society in which multimedia content becomes increasingly important.
Folding technology does exactly this: potentially makes tablets obsolete and allows you to purchase a single device, while renewing product design in a market that needs a breath of fresh air.
In addition to this, you can go back to putting your smartphone in your jacket pocket, which is remembered with a pinch of nostalgia by fans a little later with age. Summing up, the potential to revolutionize the sector is all there, it is only to be seen if the companies will be able to convince the public with prices suitable for the economic availability of the mass, but it is a situation already seen several times over the course of the history of mobile devices.
What are the smartphones to keep an eye on in the short term
Samsung Galaxy Fold was the first folding smartphone to officially arrive on the Italian market. The price for our country is set at 2050 euros on the official website and includes the Galaxy Buds wireless earphones, a protective cover, Galaxy Fold Premier Service, a dedicated support system active 7 days a week via toll-free number and Care + insurance from duration of one year.
The second smartphone to keep an eye on is Motorola RAZR, which will arrive in Italy in January 2020 through the TIM telephone operator. The price in this case is 1599 euros, but it will also be possible to purchase the device through 30 monthly installments of 39 euros and an initial contribution of 299 euros.
Motorola RAZR will also have the distinction of being the first smartphone to arrive in our country without a physical SIM slot, given that everything is done via eSIM. For more details on the device, please see our Motorola RAZR test.
As for the remaining folding smartphones, Royole FlexPai is already on the market, but it is still in a version designed for developers and can only be purchased on the official website. The price in this case is set at 1388 euros for the 128GB model, but at the time of writing it is necessary to contact the company directly to get it from Europe. In short, we are not exactly talking about a mass product.
We must not forget the now famous Huawei Mate X. In this case, although several months ago the price of 2299 euros for Italy was announced, there is still no official information and time is running out, so much that many think that the launch could jump due to the problems related to the ban suffered by the United States of America. On the other hand, the latest rumors speak of the possible arrival of a new version during the MWC 2020.
Also not to be underestimated is the Xiaomi folding smartphone, which according to the latest rumors could keep company with the other solutions described over the next year. Also write down the name of OPPO, given that already at the beginning of the year a device of this type had been seen made by the Chinese company. The prize for the strangest folding smartphone instead goes to the Escobar Fold 1, made by Pablo Escobar’s brother and sold for $ 349.
