Foldable phones: Fad or future?

We, humans, are a skeptical bunch. When new tech like a foldable phone hits the headlines, there’s always a mix of raw excitement and uncertain eyebrow-raising, and for good reasons. Remember Google Glass? Fad. Hoverboards? Don’t even get us started. Just because something is new, fancy and makes us feel like we’re living in a sci-fi flick, doesn’t mean it’s actually useful.

So what’s the deal with the foldable phone – is it just another passing gimmick, or is it really the future of the smartphone? Well, after trying them out ourselves, we’re very much convinced that foldable phones are here to stay. Here’s why.

SMARTPHONE OR TABLET: THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

When you compare smartphones with most tablets, the trade-off is obvious. Do I want to pass up a pocket-friendly size to get a bigger display? There are definitely times when we’d swap one for the other, like when streaming and gaming on the phone or when trying to cram a tablet into an overflowing backpack.

One of the most significant benefits of a foldable smartphone is simple: it can pretty much double the screen size of your phone without making the device itself much bigger (if at all), giving you the best of both worlds. This means you get all the great perks of a tablet with a device that still fits in your pocket:

Incredible immersion: Every game, movie, TV show, YouTube video and TikTok dance you watch looks better on a bigger display.

Smooth multitasking: Most phones can run more than one app at once, but it can get a little tricky on a small screen. With a foldable smartphone, you can run multiple apps at full size.

Turn two devices into one: When your phone doubles as a small tablet, you’re running out of reasons to own both as separate devices. A foldable smartphone means you may not need to own both a phone and a tablet.

Plenty of power: Foldable phones are getting more and more compact, but they do need space for all that extra display. This extra space, and the added demand of a bigger display, mean they often boast powerful processors for max performance.

THE TECH IS EVOLVING RAPIDLY

Our very first glimpse of foldable phone prototypes in 2018 left us with mixed emotions. They were cool, but a little chunky and not quite ready for the world. But in just a few short years, massive leaps have been made to skyrocket the tech and create seriously incredible devices.

Samsung foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 are some of the coolest phones on the market, packed with features that prove the concept is much more than a meaningless craze. The same goes for Huawei foldable phones like the Mate Xs, along with the new Xiaomi foldable phone: the Mi Mix Fold. Even the Galaxy Z Flip shows folding tech can be applied in more ways than one.

As if the features we’re already seeing aren’t enough, just the sheer investment from brands like Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei into foldable phones is enough to prove they aren’t going away anytime soon.

5G WILL UNLEASH THE FULL POTENTIAL OF FOLDABLE DEVICES

The rise of foldable phones is coinciding almost perfectly with 5G, one of the biggest tech trends of 2021 and beyond. Make no mistake: 5G will shape the future. It’s making it possible to get mobile data speeds up to 100x higher than before and unlocking serious potential for rapid and lag-free streaming, downloading, sharing and video calling.

As 5G becomes the standard, we’ll all want phones that can take advantage of these speeds. Enter the world of foldable phones, which are perfect for gaming, bingeing and chatting on the go with a massive display that tucks away neatly when not in use. Treat yourself to a shiny new upgrade (the smart way) with Circles.Life Combo Plan today!