Back in the day, mobile phones came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, featuring folding, flipping, and sliding designs, as well as built-in keyboards and other advanced (for the time) features. Then, with the rise of the touchscreen smartphone, that stopped: over time, phones may have become thinner and their screens bigger and brighter, but they have all been roughly the same shape.

Until now.

First introduced in the late 2010s, folding smartphones look and work a lot like regular smartphones. However, with the addition of flexible screens and ergonomic hinges, they can fold in half to become more pocket-friendly or even expand to the size of a tablet. With many manufacturers adding folding ranges to their yearly launches, it’s safe to say folding phones are no longer a fad.

If you’re considering switching to a folding phone, or are just curious about what makes them different from regular smartphones, we’ve listed some of the features, advantages and disadvantages you may encounter below.

What kinds of folding phones are there?

Flip

These clamshell phones fold in half at the middle like a classic flip phone, allowing them to transform from the size of a standard smartphone to a compact, pocket-friendly size.

Left to right: Xiaomi MIX Flip, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7, Motorola Razr 50.

Flip phones are useful for:

Travelling Light

Flip phones can fit more easily into bags and small pockets, making them ideal for all kinds of trips and holidays.

Hands-Free Filming and Photos

Using the built-in cameras and outer display, some flip phones allow you to film and take photos while being set down on a table or another surface. No tripod required!

Exterior Screen Fun

Flip phones feature small exterior screens that give you quick access to app controls, notifications and other features.

Image courtesy of Samsung.

Fold

These phones open like books to reveal a large interior screen, allowing them to be used similarly to a small tablet. Their outside screens are just like those on normal smartphones, allowing them to be used normally when closed.

Left to right: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, HONOR Magic V3.

Fold phones are useful for:

On-the-Go Creating

Bring an expansive canvas everywhere you go, perfect for drawing, editing and other creative tasks.

Working Wherever You Are

Turn your folding phone into a mini laptop computer with a stand and Bluetooth keyboard.

Big Screen Viewing

Stream videos, movies and shows to the larger display, catching every detail.

How do they work?

Flexible Screens

Folding phones don’t use the same glass as regular smartphones for their screens. Instead, they use specially-engineered plastic or ultra-thin composite glass. One of the most common screen technologies used on folding phones is POLED, which works similarly to OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology, where each pixel that makes up the screen is also capable of adjusting its own brightness. Unlike the glass OLED screens you find on televisions and other devices, POLED combines OLED technology with a flexible screen that can be folded repeatedly without damaging the diodes. POLED screens are also used in situations where glass screens would be unsuitable, such as smartwatches with small, round screens, as well as curved monitors.

Hinges

Sitting on either side of the flexible screen are a set of hinges, which give the folding phone structure and help to protect it from damage. These hinges work in the same way as a book's spine, joining both halves of the phone's body together and preventing the screen from being twisted or folded incorrectly. Often, the hinges of a folding phone are designed to allow the phone to be kept at an angle between being open and closed, introducing new ways to interact with content. The hinges are the most important part of a folding phone's design, and will have been manufactured and tested rigorously to withstand everyday use.

Slim and Split Components

Not all of a smartphone's components can be made to bend. Instead, the internal components of a folding phone are designed to fit on either side of the folding mechanism. To ensure the phone has enough battery life for daily use, it may use a slimmer battery or a battery that is split between both sides. This keeps the phone light and slim, allowing folding phones to stay a similar size and depth to non-folding phones.

Image courtesy of Oppo.

What are the advantages?

What are the disadvantages?

Although folding phones are an exciting new development in smartphone technology, new users may encounter problems and issues that they would not while using a regular smartphone.

• May not fold completely flat: depending on the model and any accessories used with it, such as cases and screen protectors, a folding phone may not lie completely flat when it is unfolded. If a folding phone that used to lie completely flat stops after being used for a while, it may be a sign that something has changed in the hinge, and the phone may need to be repaired.
• Wear and tear to the screen and hinge: the more moving parts a device has, the higher the risk of wear and tear is. On folding phones, the parts that move the most are also the most critical to the device: the screen and the hinge. Although folding phones feature specially engineered hinges and screens designed to withstand repeated use, a phone that has been used for a longer time or is folded and unfolded frequently may still show signs of damage.
  
• Greater risk of water/dust damage: in order to transform from its folded to unfolded form, a folding phone's moving parts leave small gaps in the phone's surface. These openings leave the insides of the phone more open to damage from dust and liquid.
• More expensive than regular smartphones: compared to the standard phones they are released alongside, folding phones can be more expensive for the same level of hardware, storage and memory. 
• Smaller battery life: despite the unique battery technology used by folding phones, many users have reported that the batteries run out more quickly than comparable non-folding smartphones. 

Conclusion

Folding phones present exciting new possibilities to users. Combining all the premium features you've come to expect from smartphones with greater portability, innovative design features and new ways to work and create, a folding phone brings a fun twist to the smartphone world and can elevate how you stay connected..

Does this mean that traditional smartphones will soon be obsolete?

At the moment, this is unlikely. Although every generation of folding phone improves over the last, there are still durability, price and battery concerns that will need to be solved before they overtake the familiar smartphone. Whether you choose to make the switch or have been convinced to avoid the risks, folding phones open up plenty of new possibilities for all types of users.