Analysis: Is foldable phone a buy in 2023?

Since the collapse of Steve Jobs' theory that the 3.5-inch screen is the best fit for our hands, the screen size of our smartphones has been growing larger and larger.

Now a 5.42-inch display is called "mini" for iPhones, and our urge for a larger screen has finally inspired phone makers to bring back the foldable form factor.

With the invention of flexible screens, all major phone makers except Apple have set up their lineup of foldable phones – not only the good old flip phones, but also horizontally-folded phones equipped with 7-inch-plus, borderline-tablet screens.

The history

The story started back in October 2018, when a Chinese company called Royole debuted what they call the world's first foldable smartphone "FlexPai."

When folded, FlexPai's giant 7.8-inch screen faces outwards, which used to be super cool compared to all the normal touchscreen phones we all use.

Unfortunately, Royole failed to impress the market. We don't know how many FlexPais were sold but I never met anyone holding this phone on the street.

In 2019, major smartphone makers like Samsung and Huawei released their own versions: Galaxy Z Fold and Mate X. Huawei followed FlexPai's design to let the screen remain outward when folded, while Samsung decided to hide the screen inside and add a secondary screen on the "back" of the phone.

The year 2021 was big for foldable phones, when Huawei gave up FlexPai's design with the Mate X2, and many more brands joined the fight: Oppo Find N, Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold and Moto Razr.

And that's basically how foldable phones settled with the fold-in display and a secondary screen.

Recent market data shows that foldable phones only occupy a bit more than one percent of the entire smartphone market. With that said, a total of 100 million foldable phones are expected to the sold in 2027.

The good, the bad and the ugly

Foldable phones are supposed to be high-end, expensive and cool. Samsung stated on their website that these clamshell gadgets "pave the way for the future."

Of course, we will never buy such marketing brainlessly. A foldable screen does bring a lot of benefits. But the problems it causes may stop you from considering it again.

As of 2023, foldable phones are no longer bulky. The Huawei Mate X5 is only 5 grams heavier than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Though it's still significantly thicker than a candy bar phone, the Mate X5's 1.11-cm thickness is well within range of manageable.

In return, you get a 7.85-inch screen that can display two full-size apps at the same time. You can also drag-and-drop stuff between the apps, a feature that turns your phone into a computer-like device.

Watching videos on the go is a much more enjoyable experience on the big screen. You even have enough screen space to see the comments section while watching.

It's also great for video gaming – the wider view is a critical perk that might end up being a game changer.

But foldable phones are far from mature. Two key problems limited the use of this form factor, and the industry hasn't figured out a great solution.

The first problem is the crease. Whatever the phone makers use to defend their designs, the crease is still there and gets worse day by day. When the whole point of foldable phone is the large screen, a crease is a great bummer that ruins the experience.

What's worse, the soft touchscreen feels much worse than its glass counterpart on candy bar phones. So it looks bad and feels bad.

The next problem lies in the software. Among the hundreds of apps we use, only a small portion has been optimized for big, square screens. Some of them even look better on the secondary screen.

Foldable phones are also fragile. The screens can be easily scratched and pricked. The hinge is a complicated mechanism that can get jammed by dust – both Mate X5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 are rated IPX8, where "X" means they are not dust-resistant at all.

We pointed out these problems when we first wrote about foldable phones back in early 2019. One and a half years later, we see no hope for any phone maker to fix them.

Should I try it?

For most users, it's still too early to adopt this foldable trend. These clamshells are still way too expensive for most people, and they are not reliable enough for extreme conditions.

But if you are a mobile multitasker who is fed up with chunky tablets, these foldable phones are a great choice for you to consider.

It's also a buy if you have a big budget and want to try the latest phone technology. With all the problems, they are still one of the coolest gadgets we can get.

What's more, a foldable phone is a great gift. Though most people will hesitate to spend $1,000 on a phone, they will be more than happy to try it for free. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros received a Huawei foldable phone in September from the Chinese side and showed it off at a press conference.

Finally, is foldable phone a buy in 2023? The short answer is still no. Foldable phones are still a niche form factor unless phone makers find a better screen protector and roll out better software. But if you are fine with the price tag, trying it doesn't hurt much anymore.