We’ve been there before. Actually the first flip phone was launched back in 1973 by GTE and it looked something like this. You can still get one if you want to from eBay.
The GTE Flip-Phone was small enough to fit in one hand, “the size of a large stapler”, and weighted just seven ounces (200 grams) […] designed for compactness and something verging on portability […] the unit shipped with a 14-foot (4 meter) cord, “twice as long as a conventional cord”
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And more recently we had all of these. Ok, recently might be far-fetched for some, but still.
And now we’re looking at devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip or Microsoft’s Surface Neo and I’m wondering, how long will this new generation last?
One thing about this form factor is that it came and went over and over again. It came to solve the problem of size and it went away when technology caught up with our needs. So it was always like an intermediary step. And saying that, a question comes up: what is next? What is the next generation of smartphones going to look like? What’s it going to take to end the flip phones once again?
Instead of trying to bend and fold the existing display technology, we need a new one to replace it. The issue we’re trying to solve is display size. We want as big a display as possible in the smallest form factor.
What are the alternatives?
Holographic displays. Who needs a secondary physical display taking up space and unfolding using an ultra-sensible hinge when you can have a virtual displays pop up to the left and right of your phone. Of course, the technology is not yet there, but we are not that far either. There are already working prototypes and we will eventually get there.
Projected displays. This is not at all new, but there are still a few issues to be resolved. From power consumption to readability in daylight, and that’s just to name two. There’s already a few options available to buy like Blackview’s Max 1 if you wanna go for it.
What do you think?
