The Future Is Foldable

Refined and ready to take on competition, it's the shape of things to come

- Ashwin Rajagopalan

IN February 2008, Nokia unveiled a concept mobile device — Nokia Morph, at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. While this was just a peek into the possible future of the functionality of smartphones, it wasn’t till 2013 that Samsung presented several concepts — codenamed Youm, for smartphones with flexible displays. While Samsung has been a pioneer in the foldable smartphone space, it was Chinese start-up Royole that released the first commercially available foldable smartphone with an OLED display —the Royole Flexpai.

Soon after this launch in 2018, Samsung teased the prototype of its foldable device that finally debuted in 2019. We saw the much-improved Fold 2 and the Flip series with its unique clamshell-style foldable display. Motorola also revisited its iconic Razr with a stylish 2020s version and a foldable screen. This year Samsung unveiled two showstopper devices at its annual Unpacked event. The Galaxy Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 are the clearest indications that Samsung is betting big on foldables.

SAMSUNG GALAXYZ FLIP 3 5G

IS THIS a fashion statement or a device that brings a whole new functionality? We think it’s a bit of both. Samsung expands the cover screen; it’s now 1.9-inches, allowing you to catch key alerts and notifications without flipping the screen open.