Flexible gadgets: fad or progress?

 In their attempts to sell an unnecessary new smartphone model, companies are ready to do anything. Every few months, another presentation of the revolutionary gadget takes place. Yes, recently, all the changes were quite predictable: more RAM, better camera, updated design. However, 2019 was marked by interesting new products: several companies introduced gadgets with folding screens. The developers made statements in such cases about a technological breakthrough and a new era of smartphones. However, only the market could put everything in its place. Toward the end of the year, smartphones and tablets with flexible screens began to go on sale.

Collectibles

There are many examples of unsuccessful products in the history of technology companies. Business giants were so keen on their own ideas that the result of the experiments was a strange and very expensive equipment that was not in consumer demand.

When gadgets with fading displays were first introduced to the public, analysts and ordinary skeptics wondered: does anyone really need this?

 Samsung became the pioneer again, the first to release futuristic gadgets in free swimming. Devices from the Galaxy Fold line can already be bought and until the end of 2019 they will be available worldwide.

So far, we can judge technology mainly from reviews made by bloggers and journalists. This is not surprising: Galaxy Fold devices are much more expensive than their most expensive competitors. But buying the latest iPhone model, you know exactly what you get: a powerful and reliable gadget with an excellent camera that will last for many years (or until you get bored). Give a few thousand dollars, albeit for a revolutionary, but still a pig in a poke, while few users want.

It makes no sense to talk about Galaxy Fold devices in familiar terms: in terms of memory and camera power, they are not inferior to the closest competitors. Of interest is not the diagonal of the external screen, but the ability to deploy the device to gain access to the huge internal display.

The idea is so incompatible with our idea of ​​smartphones that the reviews often recall the sci-fi series “World of the Wild West”. In it, the amusement park staff manages the androids using folding tablets with huge screens.

It is unclear whether Samsung employees were inspired by the impressive picture, or the creators of the series caught the idea that was in the air. It remains to answer the question: does an ordinary person really need a device with two screens - familiar and super-large? Will he find a place in everyday life and in his coat pocket? After all, mobile devices must be primarily mobile, otherwise their whole meaning is lost.

First reactions

 The main problem with a bendable screen is possible damage. It was because of them that Samsung postponed the launch of the line in the spring of 2019. Specialists finalized the technology so that the device was not so fragile. Now the folding screen is a flexible plastic that is not covered with glass. Everyone will have to judge how reliable this is. Samsung has decided that at this stage the technology is ready for use.

External and internal screens immediately begin to be used for different purposes. A regular sized display is used to check messages. You can quickly look at it to check mail, instant messengers, incoming calls.

The internal screen is a kind of mobile laptop that can be carried in your pocket. You quickly get used to its size: a feeling that is familiar to every gadget owner. A few years ago, modern smartphones seemed simply huge, but now it is unclear how such tiny phones could be used - you can’t see anything on them.

A bendable display is a workplace that is always at hand. On it you can reply to the message, view the document, study the video in detail. For people engaged in mental work and not tied to the workplace, the new devices from the Galaxy Fold line are a real find. They are convenient to use, lightweight, and allow you to be fully in touch anywhere in the world.

Those who use smartphones for communication and entertainment until they appreciate the futuristic gadgets. Their price remains too high for beautiful toys.

 What's next?

Invented technology can only fall in price. Very soon, similar devices from Samsung competitors will appear on the market. Huawei has already introduced its version of the flexible screen.

When the problems with the fragility of the internal display and the high price are eliminated, many will want to acquire futuristic devices. So far, companies must work hard in this direction.