Folding mobiles have been with us for 2 years now. Beyond the experiments of Royole, a pioneering company that has not achieved great repercussion either, it was at that timeMobile Wolrd Congress of 2019 when the ban on this new category of futuristic mobiles was opened, with Huawei and Samsung as the main leaders.
Over time we have seen Motorola enter this category with a somewhat different approach (in which Samsung also has its own model). We knew that several brands worked on folding mobiles, and Xiaomi has made theirs official, a mobile that at first reminded us of the Samsung terminal in a year in which Huawei has also taken the same path.
What happened and why does everyone “copy” the Galaxy Fold?
Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold: from the prototype to the final model
Despite the fact that Xiaomi presented its first folding mobile today, already in 2019 they began to share videos of prototypes that they had in operation in which we even saw several folds in the same terminal.
Final design of the Mi MIX Fold.
Of course, that was just one more prototype that was never marketed. In this long way, Xiaomi has patented several models with all kinds of formats. We cannot so lightly say that they have been copied, but simply through testing and experimentation they have come to the conclusion that this style was the best they could create.
New Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold: Xiaomi’s first foldingXiaomi has presented the company’s first folding, the new Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold, which stands out for its design and photographic section.
Huawei and its recent commitment to the inferior model
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We practically met the original Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X at the same time, models that we could see in showcases at theMobile World Congress. The Samsung mobile impressed us, but shortly after it lost much of its prominence to a visually spectacular Mate X.
While Samsung opted for a large internal screen and a small screen, Huawei used a single external screen which acted as a large mobile when folded and as a tablet when opened.
Huawei X2 Pro.
The CEO of Huawei himself stated at the time that they had prototypes similar to the Galaxy Fold, but that they found them so bad that they finally decided not to use them. Rectifying is wise, and it is that two years later the company would opt for the design that in its day they considered as inferior.
With today’s technology it seems the way to go
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Since the launch of the original Mate X we questioned a lot about whether Samsung’s approach was the correct one. Incorporate two screens into one smartphoneIt is expensive, both economically and in the engineering of the product itself, since in the end you have to compromise internal space to add a second screen, sacrificing more weight or worse battery.
Why is the second screen a great solution?Mainly because of the fragility of the first screen, especially in the crease area. Today, folding mobiles use either plastic orUltra Thin Glass, a material that although it is better does not reach the degree of resistance of glass (which although it seems fragile, protects a screen much better).
Rather than copy Samsung, it seems that everyone has realized that it is the best solution with current technology.
Keeping the most delicate and expensive item on the outside isextremely risky, no longer only to impacts. In your own day to day, putting one of these mobile phones in your pocket next to the keys could be an unnecessary risk.
Seen from this perspective, the use of an external screen is taken as a solution that allows us to quickly consult information while minimizing risks on the main panel and the one that matters most to us.
It is a market that still has room for evolution
Despite the fact that mobile phones with folding screens are cutting-edge technology and are models with years of development behind them, we have to remember that they are still products that are in their first generations. The clearest case was the notorious evolution of the Galaxy Fold to the Fold 2, and although this terminal is spectacular, it still has room for improvement.
To this day we have seen folding screens applied in three types of format, being two of them on mobile phones and one on computers, we know all kinds of crazy patents and very promising ideas, such as the TCL roller concepts and the LG Rollable.
We are very clear that in the future folding mobiles will be very different, but it seems that for now Samsung managed to get it right in these first generations.
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