SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Wednesday’s event from Samsung announcing its latest folding phones – the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5 – got me thinking. About three years ago, I knocked a phone off a chest-high customer service counter onto the concrete floor of a Lowe’s hardware superstore. The couple in line behind me gasped.
But the phone was fine. Not a scratch.
The couple couldn’t believe it. I was relieved but not surprised. Because the device was a foldable, one of a new and fast-growing class of premium smartphones. The sturdy hinges help buffer falls. And the flexible screens inside don’t crack.
At least, a jittery phone-fumbler like me hasn’t been able to crack one. Not after four years evaluating more than twice as many foldables. And who knows how many drops onto tile and pavement, as well as concrete.
Of course, foldables’ buy-now/maybe-save-later sensibility isn’t the only draw. The flexible displays, central to the foldables concept, are an ingenious feat of engineering. They give rise to new uses and conveniences, like hands-free video calling and at-distance selfies.
What’s so special about today’s flip phones?
Foldables are thicker and heavier than traditional smartphones, naturally. But they are useful, fun and cool. And in a sea of skinny rectangles, barely distinguishable from one another save for their signature rear camera clusters, foldables are emerging as statement phones. They stand out and get noticed. With the pandemic clearly in the rearview, that’s becoming important again for many premium phone buyers.
What’s new this summer – at least in the US – is a selection from suppliers other than market pioneer Samsung. The electronics giant has dominated the global market, and enjoyed the domestic foldables scene pretty much to itself up to now. But that’s changing.
Is a folding iPhone or Apple flip phone coming soon?
No, Apple isn’t joining the fray. The country’s largest smartphone maker hasn’t shown much interest in foldables. So it could be years – if ever – before it crashes Samsung’s party. But others are giving chase.
The competition could help turn this into a breakout year for foldables in the US. It certainly did that for China last year. As impressive as overall foldable sales growth was in 2022 – the global market climbed 59% – China far outpaced it, with shipments nearly tripling.
In addition to Samsung and Motorola, big Chinese electronics makers like Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi all supplied both foldable varieties: that is, the compact-shaped flip-type devices that unfurl to reveal full-sized smartphones, and book-style models that are basically smartphones on the outside and tablets on the inside.
What about Google and Motorola flip phones?
And now, choices are expanding in the US. Just weeks ago, Motorola’s Razr+, a flip-style foldable, and the Google Pixel Fold, a book-format alternative, both came available in the US. And OnePlus, an Oppo brand, is widely expected to disclose at least one model for the US market in the coming weeks.
And of course, Samsung is refreshing its line of flagship foldables. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5 on Wednesday. The devices are thinner, thanks to a new hinge design that allows them to lay flat when folded. The phones are also lighter than last year’s Flip4 and Fold4.
As for the competition, the Razr+ is a touch thicker and heavier than the Flip5, though its displays are slightly larger. Motorola’s flip also runs on an older processor. The primary difference between the Fold5 and the Pixel Fold is the shape. True to its roots, the Fold5 is tall and thin when folded, while Google’s is shaped more like a traditional smartphone. I prefer the tall and thin because I find it easier to type one-handed with it. But that’s more a matter of taste. The Pixel Fold is also a bit thinner and heavier than the Samsung model. And its internal display, while bright, is not as radiant as Samsung’s.
Get Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5, Watch 6, Tab S9:Pre-order officially opened on new Samsung Galaxy devices
The most notable Flip5 enhancement is the outer display. The 3.4-inch screen is much larger and more useful than its 1.9-inch predecessor. The resolution is also much higher, with a new suite of widgets that you can cycle through with your fingers, much like a smartwatch. And the selfie camera is also designed to capture three times more light for better performance after dark.
The Fold5’s big display is now as bright as the S23-series screens. This means it’s bright enough to read in daylight – even here in the unrelenting desert summer sun. There’s also an optional S-Pen that’s thinner and more responsive.
The new Samsung models are slated to be on store shelves on Aug. 11. The Razr+ and Pixel Fold are already there, waiting for them.
Once the OnePlus models join in, US shoppers will have a half-dozen options to choose from. But unlike the traditional premium smartphones up there on the top shelf, they’d likely survive the fall.
USA TODAY columnist Mike Feibus is president and principal analyst of FeibusTech, a Scottsdale, Arizona, market research and consulting firm. Reach him at mikef@feibustech.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeFeibus.
