Love them or hate them, there’s no escaping how crucial mobile phones have become. Owned by billions of people, these ubiquitous little devices are too useful to ignore, even if they can sometimes frustrate or overwhelm. If you’re anything like us, one of the things you enjoy least about owning a mobile is having to upgrade. The choices can be confusing, the specifications can seem arbitrarily complicated, and so it’s a change many of us put off.
Understanding this position, we’ve spent some time recently looking at the new trend of folding phones. Now in their fourth generation, these systems offer some serious advantages to mature users. Most importantly, they’re not as complicated as they first seem, and to help our readers get a handle on them, we’re going to break down exactly what you need to know about folding phones.
What’s in a Name?
The name folding phone refers to the device’s ability to open and close like a book. When closed, most folding phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 offer a screen on the outside like a normal slate-style phone. These outside screens work just like a normal screen would, with all the same functionality included.
Folding phones can be opened thanks to the screen being flexible in the centre. Once opened, the screen size of the phone is doubled, making folding systems more like small tablets than traditional smartphones. The addition of a folding element might make you think of durability concerns, but rest assured that these have been thoroughly tested. The first generation of the Galaxy Fold was tested to fold/unfold 200,000 times, equivalent to being folded and unfolded 100 times a day for five years, and they’ve only gotten stronger since then.
What are the Advantages?
The biggest and most obvious advantage of a folding phone comes from its increased screen size when opened. More viewing space isn’t just a gimmick, it’s a serious addition that can make folding systems the superior choice for many users.
Most importantly, bigger screens are easier to navigate for users with visual or dexterity concerns. Thanks to the ability to scale up icons and text in much the same way as a large print book, fumbling and squinting when using a folding phone are reduced. The extra space also means that they’re better for media engagement.
Consider what a common user might experience when engaging in an interactive activity like playing online casino games. This would start with checking out special casino bonuses and casino offers and comparing welcome bonuses and free spins. From here, users could navigate to the websites like LeoVegas and Casumo, sign up, and play with more ease than on a traditional mobile. The same could be said for watching videos from YouTube and other streaming websites. A folding phone can offer a more engaging experience than their small-screened cousins, so their potential should be taken seriously.
Finally, folding phones are also among the more powerful systems out there. If you purchase one, you won’t have to worry about another upgrade for years, and the systems won’t slow down and become frustrating to use anytime soon.
How About Disadvantages?
The most immediate disadvantage of folding phones is their cost. These are premium devices that start at around £1,000, so those after budget systems might not have many choices. That said, the long life span of a properly cared-for folding phone can prevent the need for faster upgrades, which could reduce overall phone purchasing costs in the long term.
It’s also important to note that while these devices are user-friendly, they’re not the type of smartphones made easy first and foremost. Folding phones also aren’t available from Apple yet, so if you’re hooked into Apple’s infrastructure and don’t want to learn an entirely new system, they might be too much of a jump. Plus, with how much they look like tablets, there’s always a risk of others borrowing yours to watch videos and being rough with it.
Folding phones aren’t for everyone, but they’re also not the alienating and complicated systems that they might originally seem to be. In the right hands, a folding phone could be the perfect purchase that enhances your mobile experience for years to come. If possible, consider taking one for a test ride, and you might set a trend that all your friends and family are eager to follow.
“Samsung_Galaxy_Z_Fold3_5G_002” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Juhele_CZ
