The complaints about folding phones should sound familiar at this point. They are too expensive, they can be too thick, and there’s always concern about their fragility. Oh, and there’s a crease on the screen that apparently drives people into furious rage. I’m not going to focus on those obvious issues (though they do need to be fixed). Instead, I’m using my vast foldable phone experience to highlight other areas that could use improvement—before Apple jumps into the game with a phone or tablet with a folding screen.
Clamshell Phones
Phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Motorola Razr+ take large slab phones and fold them in half so you can easily pop them in your pocket. They get a lot of things right. When open, they feel and operate like regular phones. When closed, they remain useful for quick tasks, and, more importantly, they’re easy to carry about.
Motorola Razr+ (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The outer screen’s functionality is key to the future of clamshell-style phones. Motorola’s approach gives you virtually unfettered access to all of your apps on its outer display. Meanwhile, Samsung carefully curates the experience, limiting its functionality (unless you jump through hoops to modify it via Good Lock). Either way, the second screen generates a different feel to every interaction. These screens and their UI should be as large, bright, and pixel-dense as possible, with refresh rates that match the inner display. The outer screen is not just a novelty but a core utility.
Left to right: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Z Flip 5 (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The rear camera placement needs some work. Trigging an up-the-nose selfie is far too easy since the cameras tend to sit at the bottom right edge. This placement is sensical when the phone is open but less so when closed.
Also, make sure the clamshell opens easily, preferably with one hand. The Z Flip 6’s squared-off design leaves little room to separate the two halves of the phone, while the Motorola Razr+’s rounded edges make it easier. If any phone companies need inspiration (ahem, Apple), look at past flip phones to see how this was accomplished.
Book-Style Phones
These phones, which open and close like a book, feature the largest screens you can fit in your pocket. The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold features an 8-inch display, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 7.6-inch screen. These inner displays are expansive (and expensive) and made of super-thin glass that allows the screen to bend in half. They should be a magical place to enjoy movies and YouTube. So, what’s the biggest problem with these inner screens? The aspect ratio.
Left to right: Google Pixel Fold, Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Z Fold 6 feature essentially square inner screens. Displaying a 16:9 video on an almost 1:1 display leads to a tremendous loss of usable screen real estate. Yes, you can zoom in so the video fills the entire screen, but then you aren’t getting the whole picture. So the big inner screen often feels not so big.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Then there’s the elephant in the room—a big-screened Android device actually behaves like a tablet. Android tablets are generally not as popular as the Apple iPad for a reason. Moreover, Google’s pure version of Android on a tablet is nowhere near as useful as the modified versions made by Lenovo and Samsung. Those companies push the limits of what a tablet can be. It would be great if phone makers could look to add more large-screen-specific enhancements.
Otherwise, they will have to wait for Google to optimize Android further for large screens, which may take a while, considering the first Android tablets were released in 2011.
The Future Is Bright
A few years ago, folding smartphones were just a pipe dream. Now, they are a reality. Each generation of flexible phones has been better than the last. Apple is reportedly obsessed with eliminating the crease with its rumored foldable devices, but who knows how long that will take? As this technology advances and flexible display production costs decrease, more players are bound to join the fray. I am excited to see what comes next, whether it’s from Apple or not.
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About Iyaz Akhtar
Mobile Analyst
