The foldable phones reminds me of Sony Tablet P. Although not with 'foldable screen' (uses 2 screens instead), large bezel, smaller screen, and no phone call (I believe), I think it essentially works the same way as these folding phone. I really like the idea of the P but could not find one in my area so I settled with S instead.
Wow, so many going with the Mate X. Honestly, I think they're delusional and as usual, being wowed by form over function (although both are more form than function at the moment). Comments such as "dated", "premium" and "too big bezels" just scream opinionated.
Honestly, the Fold looks better. The main display is protected better. Cases will fit better. It's less wide when folded. The second display actually offers something different to the unfolded display, as it looks like you could actually use it with one hand. Why do you need a big folded display when the damn thing unfolds?! The software looks better. Sure, there's the notch, but at least it's across a wider display, so takes up proportionally less room.
It looks like Huawei went for solution with better "backwards compatibility". It is basicaly a regular big smartphone with added feature of unfolding the phone. You basicaly dont need any support from sw developers to be able to use it effectively and just unfold in case some app supports it.
Samsung is bringing back one handed solution (which is something I really miss since I got rid of iPhone 5S), but it is still too tall for being comfortable in pocket. They also ate away a lot of space by its camera position in unfolded state.
Samsung's small display is half the area of a normal phone, it's some 4.55 mm wide and high aspect ratio. Plus, the thickness is 17mm on one side and some 5 mm less on the other. Might weight up to 300 grams. You can't use it as a phone and it's certainly not comfortable, in hand or pocket.
What kind of pockets do you have (unless you're a midget, in which case fair dos)?! Maybe you were too young to have a mobile phone during the 90s and 00s.
Huawei had no choice but to fold outward because this was the only screen available to them. Only Samsung can make infolding screen in the world, this is a Samsung exclusive technology.
I was thinking about that too, BOE stole some of Samsung's flex screen technology but I suspect their products won't fold as flat as Samsung's with practical reliability.
Whoa, no. The Mate X looks WAY better, no stupid corner notch, and it's not too tiny when folded. I NEVER use screen protectors and my phones simply do not get deep scratches. I don't put them in pockets with keys. The fold's small screen is exposed to scratches, too..
The foldable screens are plastic, not to mention your screen protector will most certainly not protect your device from a drop on the hinge. Just wait for comparisons, the Huawei was released without passing drop tests, for sure.
It will basically turn on two factors - Can huawei's software sort out the "2 or 1 screen active" question properly to apps (phone calls, messaging, camera etc.) - Can huawei's screen survive the real world
I agree, the front size of the phone can be one hand usable. I do miss my 10 years ago phone had a very small screen for so long. Well done Samsung. I do like the big notch when unfolded, it wins the size from iPhone. I also like the idea of separating of phone screen and pad screen, makes you feel you are not immerse in what you are doing. I also like the thick bassel in both mode. When you drop , it has margin of cracking the screen 👏👏 Samsun wins
The Huawei seems completely impractical to me. It turns from a huge, thick phablet (seriously, how is anyone supposed to use that with one hand) to a small, squarish aspect ratio tablet. On top of that the scratch prone plastic screen is exposed on back, front and one side.
It does look wow at first glance, but look deeper and nothing about it makes sense outside of being a cool tech demo.
It's strange to see such unanimous preference for the Huawei, but I suspect most will change their tune once they get to handle both devices.
Actually all of them have had access to both of them and all of them are writer's and editors on well known teach sites. If they all favoured the Huaweis design then there is certainly something to it.
If you noticed they cleverly avoided to share their own opinions regarding it as all quotes are from authors from other teach sites. Batteries are still replaceable and in most cases not so hard. SD card support is as you wish it to buy one with or without it. For me stupid notches & tall displays where (& still are) much more annoying abominations.
I don't think I know anybody on that list who's actually shown a capability to do some really professional work, except Andrei, who only welcomed the idea without commenting on the practicalities. OTOH I see some serious amateurs up there, the Verge, Cnet...Cnet just "yawned" the 12.4EV Nokia 9 you know.
This reminds me of Wandering Earth's promotion events, James Cameron only wished them good luck yet they somehow managed to twist that into an acknowledgement of the movie as a successful hardcore sci-fi. It's in fact genuinely *soft*core with loads of BS cliché and the only person James was interested in talking to was the original author of the book, not the director of the childish adaptation.
Phones haven't been sized for one hand in years. That's just how the market is. Full of copy-paste, unimaginative crap. At least the foldables are interesting.
Screen on the inside or on the outside, that is the question. From a pure aesthetic standpoint, on the outside seems like a clear winner. Although as some of the reporters are hinting at, that pretty much precludes use of anything other than a flexible, thus scratch prone, polymer as screen protector.
More generally, I don't at all agree with Judy form Gear Diary's opinion that this is a solution looking for a problem. Clearly people see utility in increased screen real estate on their phones, why would we otherwise see ever increasing phone sizes and shrinking bezels. Soon we're at the limit for what consumers can tolerate in regards to physical size, and bezels are almost gone. Foldable phones seem like the logical progression from that point on.
"Clearly people see utility in increased screen real estate on their phones, why would we otherwise see ever increasing phone sizes and shrinking bezels." I still don't understand why the brands do that. Most people I know think that a 5 inch screen is great and would rather want a smaller phone. Instead the brands decrease the size of the bezels but also make the phone larger and larger. When the first note came out with a 5.3 inch screen most people thought it was just too big. Now they are calling a 5.8 inch phone a _small_ phone.
I had a Note 2 with a 5.3" display. Technically my current Oneplus 6 has a "larger" display at 6.3", but there's no doubt about which is the bigger device in the hand.
I agree that these companies should still explore something in the 5" diagonal area though. Something with that display size could easily fit in an iPhone SE-sized body. It's kinda what I thought Apple would do, to be honest.
The typical usage scenarios (e.g. social media, web browsing, media consumption etc) all benefit from a larger screen estate, and I guess consumers don't really mind the decrease in one-handed usability, given how well large devices like the Note series sell.
"Clearly people see utility in increased screen real estate on their phones, why would we otherwise see ever increasing phone sizes and shrinking bezels."
why would folks look forward to 4:3 (so, so 80s) after all this time with Cinerama?
My commute is a 45 minutes train ride one way. I like reading during that. Not books but tech stuff. I loathe reading PDFs on my smartphone. Or articles with tables. Yes I can lug around an extra tablet. But a foldable phone will work almost as well and allow me to ditch the tablet and replace 2 devices with one.
Thing is, this isn't the first time we had the screen on the inside or on the outside argument. It cropped up with flip phones. *Every* manufacturer put the screen on the inside to help protect it when not in use. Most of these reporters are judging the two based solely on how they look. You have to remember that in practical use, this is a device which has to survive being carried in your pocket with coins, keys, and occasionally dropped.
You don't even have to envision any rough treatment. It's not clear how you could ever cover it with a screen protector, so any and all tiny abrasions (screen-against-cloth, screen-against-soft-surface) are going to build up. Even better, they're likely to appear unevenly on the left and right-hand sides of the display (rear and front respectively when folded).
They're right that the Mate X looks like a more finished product, but I don't think either of them will actually be good products.
I think people should watch the Galaxy fold event again. I just did and noticed the same crease on the Fold as well, just right before the presenter launches Netflix look up when the light glares, also while playing video on the Netflix app, look at the middle you can see the light distortion and the crease can be seen.
So that makes, both phones flawed to hell. As expected, Generation 1, no fool should buy it expecting refined device like an S9 or so.
That guy that thinks we'll all use foldable phones in 10 years, is he allergic to glasses? Samsung had a patent with kind of a pseudo-rollable solution on both sides but could be done on only 1 side. That kind of thing if slightly evolved, would solve the camera z-height issue. Ofc fully rollable and/or stretchable solves it too. Prices to become somewhat sane might take up to 3 years but we'll see if all China players agree or some try harder. Size matters too, the larger the display, the more value upside vs normal phones. Samsung screwed up on that too. Tabs will take even longer, much larger display and yields go down hard.
BTW super funny that Huawei Mate X is the tablet with the thinnest bezels.This is how much folks care about making good tabs. Nobody has made a tablet worth buying in ages.
Yeah... that is real problem! Now I carry a phone and a tablet with me. Good foldable phone would allow me to carry only one device... the problem is... My phone is the last real compact phone Sony XZ1 and I am not willing to give up that form factor. Problem two is that the really big screen would reguire really big battery and that would mean more heavy and thicker foldable... when we need is paper thin foldable screen that use solar power to work... I may have to wait 50 more years for that to appear to market.
Once the prices come down to planet earth, I would definitely be interested in a foldy. The large, not sliver-like screens could go a long way to allow me to leave my laptop at home more often. I presently own a large phablet, not for gaming, but for reading, writing and editing emails and documents. And that gets better and easier to do with bigger screens. For now, I hope TCL's design will "disrupt" the $ 2,000+ club of Huawei and Samsung and bring prices down.
This is the first time I have seen Andrei! In my mind he always looked fat and angry (love u man). On to the fordables, the Huawei looks better but I think the Samsung has a more durable screen, apparently Samsung sued some of its contractors for selling the recipe for the lamination process of the screen to the Chinese (lamination being from my understanding the hardest part of manufacturing that ensures no crease in the screen, a process that has taken Samsung years to perfect). I don't know if the current BOE screen has this new lamination but next years model (or maybe even the commercial version since the current mate X seems to be a prototype) is sure to have it.
First of all, it’s $1980 for the Samsung vs. $2600 for the Huawei. You can’t compare Euro’s to dollars, and say it’s “slightly” more expensive. $600, in that price range isn’t slight.
Secondly, these aren’t these two vendor’s “next generation foldable devices”. They are their first generation foldable devices. I know what you meant to say, but you didn’t say it.
Both of these are publicity stunts. I can’t imagine either being useful. Someday, maybe, if the problems with batteries, size, weight and to a certain extent, price are solved, along with an SoC powerful enough to drive a screen of that resolution as well as they do lessor screens, then maybe, for those who can afford them, this will begin to take off. But there is nothing from Qualcomm, or other vendors on the Android side that has anything near what’s needed, and Apple sure as hell isnt going to sell them their SoCs.
20% VAT. Some states and cities have no taxes. The highest is less than 10%. The $2600 I’ve seen quoted is supposed to be USA pricing, without tax included.
I not sure even though it is cool - it worth to have $2000 phone. It best to wait to prices come down. Even though I have a Samsung Note 8 and love it - not sure this is worth it.
I am a little concern about quality of Samsung products lately when I got Samsung 40in HDR for my bedroom, I purchase two Samsung 4K UHD Blu-ray players for both it and downstairs TV. But I seem several time that a normal Blu-ray would not play but would on one of my other Blu-ray players. No wonder there is reports that Samsung is stopping creating opitical players because there players are piece of junk.
I just don't see putting a scratchable plastic screen on the outside. It seems to me one of the main purposes for folding the phone is protecting the screen, not exposing it to damage.
My question is this how long before the screens start to show wear at the folding points and become useless to use or just out right fail all together. When I think of folding screens I pictured screens that would roll up when not in use but hey that's probably not for another 10-15 years from happening yet.
"how long before the screens start to show wear at the folding points and become useless to use"
some years ago I went patent hunting on foldable LCD screens. turns out there were/are quite a bunch. one (no, I've no recollection from whom) even had a schematic of use in a phone. said phone was, approx., today's form factor when open. closed just like an old flip phone. but the interesting bit was that the screen (on the inside, naturally) 'folded', more like 'rolled', into a fairly large radius. thus reducing the potential for stress fracturing.
there is, sort of, an analog in materials engineering. years ago O'Reilly used something called RepKover for its books. all paperbacks, IIRC. what made the binding different was that the spine was a tough piece of cambric (cloth) and the pages were attached with a (then new?) super-thin cold glue. the covers were hinged, much as quality hardcover books of the day (no one even does quality hardcovers anymore). the things laid flat on all but the first and last dozen pages or so. since the pages were edge cut like any other paperback, not Smyth bound like quality hardcovers, they were as flexible as a Chinese acrobat. they stopped using the binding some years ago, regressing to common perfect binding.
so, yeah, things can be figured out. but not everyone will be willing to pay.
I would rather agree with Charlie "All foldables are stupid." Especially for the price, for which you could buy iPhone Xs + iPad Pro (that is priciest bunch insert here your favorite phone+tablet combination). There is no benefit... All notches on the phone are stupid as well (again no benefit)...
I think both are an implementation of a new technology, desperate to be the first, both have the hardware but without the software. Samsung has a nice phone but impractical. Huawei made a better aesthetic and functional approach, but with serious durability problems on its screen. Huaewi has, by far, better developed the functionality of the cameras with the design. Samsung put cameras everywhere. Surely many manufacturers join the fashion for not staying out of the picture, but the long term will tell the truth of this technology. I think it is a transition towards a new implementation of future technologies that will better solve the ability of a smartphone to display information to the user and new ways of interacting. The current phones reached a situation where practically all are similar or aesthetically equal, there will come a new branch in the evolution of these devices and in my opinion this technology will be of transition for some time.
I like the form factor of Mate X better, but the device is simply impractical in so may ways:
-Scratch prone plastic screens are exposed when fold state. One need a fully enclosing sheath to protect it - and then you need to take it out from the sheath every time you use one. -Unfolding is counterintuitive. One need to press the center of the screen to unfold one - which brought a number of false touch inputs even during the demo. -All cameras are in one side. No selfie/conference call during tablet mode, and phone needs to be flipped in phone mode. -Hinge does not look supportive enough (unlike strong, geared hinge of galaxy fold). The demo device already show heavy wiggles in the center area. -Even more expensive than Galaxy Fold, in spite of being a Huawei device with Kirin processor.
Galaxy fold has some drawbacks (lack of S-pen, too small display size, price tag etc) but at least it seems to be a practical, usable device for me.
So basically Huawei and Samsung are taking different approaches here: The former created a phablet that can be extended to use as a tablet, whereas the latter produced the foldable tablet with the small additional display to check notifications/take photos, similar to old flip phones but substantially larger.
For the time being Samsung's idea is better because the infold design protects the soft polymer display which is prone to scratching, something Huawei's Mate X will suffer from unless you use the official full protection case. However, once non-scratchable polymer, or some kind of flexible glass panel is invented in future, Huawei's solution will work out so much better. It's far more intuitive in my opinion, and more importantly it allows far slimmer, lighter design by its nature. Huawei just did it way to early - it's indeed ahead of time in terms of design, but for now it's not necessarily a good thing.
The screen aspect ratio on the Mate X looks strange - it's almost square, whereas most web content on mobile assumes a portrait orientation and videos are in landscape.
Hwaeii mate x definitly has better design(who can deny?), but the problem is it's just a prototype. Ture meaning of outfold phone is a lot harder to make. Their are several techs needed for outfold smart phone. First strechable flexible display. Hwaweeii do not have tech to build OLED , even for Samsung it will take more than 5 years to make it. Second, way to protect soft fragile plastic flexible display. Without it durabilty of outfold phone will be zero. Even for Samsung who has better tech on flex , outfold smartphone was mission impossible. That's why they decide to go infold. I really hope hwaouweii will lauch trustable flex phone this year.
They should make these phones three way foldable with a 1.72:1 aspect ratio. That way you can have a 5.5" x 3.2" (6.36" diagonal) phone when folded and a 9.6" x 5.5" (11.1" diagonal) small laptop when unfolded. It'll be a bit thick, but I can handle 12mm for that functionality.
Xiaomi kind of has method implemented in their prototype, only the sides are half the size so the width only doubles (as opposed to tripling in the case you described)
A response to all the 'hands on' videos that popped up on Youtube before no-one actually had any hands on, but they still photoshopped the images as if they had had a hands on.
Will be a great feelings to have a folding gadget in my bag. Planning to buy one but a confused after went through this article that which one to buy actually.
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mr_tawan - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
The foldable phones reminds me of Sony Tablet P. Although not with 'foldable screen' (uses 2 screens instead), large bezel, smaller screen, and no phone call (I believe), I think it essentially works the same way as these folding phone. I really like the idea of the P but could not find one in my area so I settled with S instead.Tams80 - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Wow, so many going with the Mate X. Honestly, I think they're delusional and as usual, being wowed by form over function (although both are more form than function at the moment). Comments such as "dated", "premium" and "too big bezels" just scream opinionated.Honestly, the Fold looks better. The main display is protected better. Cases will fit better. It's less wide when folded. The second display actually offers something different to the unfolded display, as it looks like you could actually use it with one hand. Why do you need a big folded display when the damn thing unfolds?! The software looks better. Sure, there's the notch, but at least it's across a wider display, so takes up proportionally less room.
Rhosta - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
I agree, but on the other hand:It looks like Huawei went for solution with better "backwards compatibility". It is basicaly a regular big smartphone with added feature of unfolding the phone. You basicaly dont need any support from sw developers to be able to use it effectively and just unfold in case some app supports it.
Samsung is bringing back one handed solution (which is something I really miss since I got rid of iPhone 5S), but it is still too tall for being comfortable in pocket. They also ate away a lot of space by its camera position in unfolded state.
jjj - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Samsung's small display is half the area of a normal phone, it's some 4.55 mm wide and high aspect ratio. Plus, the thickness is 17mm on one side and some 5 mm less on the other. Might weight up to 300 grams. You can't use it as a phone and it's certainly not comfortable, in hand or pocket.jjj - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
45.5 mm wide ,the small display not 4.55 lolTams80 - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
What kind of pockets do you have (unless you're a midget, in which case fair dos)?!Maybe you were too young to have a mobile phone during the 90s and 00s.
SamitBasu - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
@RhostaHuawei had no choice but to fold outward because this was the only screen available to them. Only Samsung can make infolding screen in the world, this is a Samsung exclusive technology.
s.yu - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
I was thinking about that too, BOE stole some of Samsung's flex screen technology but I suspect their products won't fold as flat as Samsung's with practical reliability.Mr Perfect - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Whether someone likes the Fold or the X is always going to be an opinion.SamitBasu - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
@Mr PerfectAnyone who likes the Mate X is simply ignorant. The Mate X is a scratch magnet and there is nothing you can do about it.
There is only one foldable phone you can use in real life, and that's the Galaxy Fold.
flyingpants265 - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Whoa, no. The Mate X looks WAY better, no stupid corner notch, and it's not too tiny when folded. I NEVER use screen protectors and my phones simply do not get deep scratches. I don't put them in pockets with keys. The fold's small screen is exposed to scratches, too..Rhosta - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
Yeah, because all current smartphones use gorilla glass. But all those foldable displays are going to much softer surface compared to glass.s.yu - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
The foldable screens are plastic, not to mention your screen protector will most certainly not protect your device from a drop on the hinge. Just wait for comparisons, the Huawei was released without passing drop tests, for sure.SamitBasu - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
They don't know what's fundamentally flawed with the Mate X. Just wait a week after the Mate X launch before the "Scratch Gate" starts.wintermute000 - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
It will basically turn on two factors- Can huawei's software sort out the "2 or 1 screen active" question properly to apps (phone calls, messaging, camera etc.)
- Can huawei's screen survive the real world
If so we have a clear winner, and vice versa.
Spunjji - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
Agreed. If that screen takes scuffs from normal use, it doesn't matter how good the rest of the design aspects are.Blablabla123 - Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - link
I agree, the front size of the phone can be one hand usable. I do miss my 10 years ago phone had a very small screen for so long. Well done Samsung.I do like the big notch when unfolded, it wins the size from iPhone.
I also like the idea of separating of phone screen and pad screen, makes you feel you are not immerse in what you are doing.
I also like the thick bassel in both mode. When you drop , it has margin of cracking the screen 👏👏 Samsun wins
juicytuna - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
The Huawei seems completely impractical to me. It turns from a huge, thick phablet (seriously, how is anyone supposed to use that with one hand) to a small, squarish aspect ratio tablet. On top of that the scratch prone plastic screen is exposed on back, front and one side.It does look wow at first glance, but look deeper and nothing about it makes sense outside of being a cool tech demo.
It's strange to see such unanimous preference for the Huawei, but I suspect most will change their tune once they get to handle both devices.
Tams80 - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
They're analysts and journalists (and a Verge person... wristband anyone?). Especially with the former, what do you expect? Fads are their thing.ZolaIII - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Actually all of them have had access to both of them and all of them are writer's and editors on well known teach sites. If they all favoured the Huaweis design then there is certainly something to it.Tams80 - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
Yeah, they like form over function.Remember this is a site that posted a whole article railing against removable batteries and storage.
ZolaIII - Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - link
If you noticed they cleverly avoided to share their own opinions regarding it as all quotes are from authors from other teach sites.Batteries are still replaceable and in most cases not so hard. SD card support is as you wish it to buy one with or without it. For me stupid notches & tall displays where (& still are) much more annoying abominations.
s.yu - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
I don't think I know anybody on that list who's actually shown a capability to do some really professional work, except Andrei, who only welcomed the idea without commenting on the practicalities.OTOH I see some serious amateurs up there, the Verge, Cnet...Cnet just "yawned" the 12.4EV Nokia 9 you know.
s.yu - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
This reminds me of Wandering Earth's promotion events, James Cameron only wished them good luck yet they somehow managed to twist that into an acknowledgement of the movie as a successful hardcore sci-fi. It's in fact genuinely *soft*core with loads of BS cliché and the only person James was interested in talking to was the original author of the book, not the director of the childish adaptation.piroroadkill - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
Phones haven't been sized for one hand in years. That's just how the market is. Full of copy-paste, unimaginative crap. At least the foldables are interesting.MarcusMo - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Screen on the inside or on the outside, that is the question. From a pure aesthetic standpoint, on the outside seems like a clear winner. Although as some of the reporters are hinting at, that pretty much precludes use of anything other than a flexible, thus scratch prone, polymer as screen protector.More generally, I don't at all agree with Judy form Gear Diary's opinion that this is a solution looking for a problem. Clearly people see utility in increased screen real estate on their phones, why would we otherwise see ever increasing phone sizes and shrinking bezels. Soon we're at the limit for what consumers can tolerate in regards to physical size, and bezels are almost gone. Foldable phones seem like the logical progression from that point on.
Fergy - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
"Clearly people see utility in increased screen real estate on their phones, why would we otherwise see ever increasing phone sizes and shrinking bezels."I still don't understand why the brands do that. Most people I know think that a 5 inch screen is great and would rather want a smaller phone. Instead the brands decrease the size of the bezels but also make the phone larger and larger.
When the first note came out with a 5.3 inch screen most people thought it was just too big. Now they are calling a 5.8 inch phone a _small_ phone.
piroroadkill - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
I remember when 4.2" was considered "too big for comfort". I don't know what happened. My hands didn't get larger.Spunjji - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
I had a Note 2 with a 5.3" display. Technically my current Oneplus 6 has a "larger" display at 6.3", but there's no doubt about which is the bigger device in the hand.I agree that these companies should still explore something in the 5" diagonal area though. Something with that display size could easily fit in an iPhone SE-sized body. It's kinda what I thought Apple would do, to be honest.
Retycint - Monday, March 4, 2019 - link
The typical usage scenarios (e.g. social media, web browsing, media consumption etc) all benefit from a larger screen estate, and I guess consumers don't really mind the decrease in one-handed usability, given how well large devices like the Note series sell.FunBunny2 - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
"Clearly people see utility in increased screen real estate on their phones, why would we otherwise see ever increasing phone sizes and shrinking bezels."why would folks look forward to 4:3 (so, so 80s) after all this time with Cinerama?
remosito - Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - link
My commute is a 45 minutes train ride one way. I like reading during that. Not books but tech stuff. I loathe reading PDFs on my smartphone. Or articles with tables. Yes I can lug around an extra tablet. But a foldable phone will work almost as well and allow me to ditch the tablet and replace 2 devices with one.s.yu - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
I could see myself doing that too but Samsung really needs to put a stylus in there and call it a Note.Solandri - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Thing is, this isn't the first time we had the screen on the inside or on the outside argument. It cropped up with flip phones. *Every* manufacturer put the screen on the inside to help protect it when not in use. Most of these reporters are judging the two based solely on how they look. You have to remember that in practical use, this is a device which has to survive being carried in your pocket with coins, keys, and occasionally dropped.Spunjji - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
You don't even have to envision any rough treatment. It's not clear how you could ever cover it with a screen protector, so any and all tiny abrasions (screen-against-cloth, screen-against-soft-surface) are going to build up. Even better, they're likely to appear unevenly on the left and right-hand sides of the display (rear and front respectively when folded).They're right that the Mate X looks like a more finished product, but I don't think either of them will actually be good products.
s.yu - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
It'll scratch the most near the hinge, which ends up near the center of the screen...MartinR - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Just look at this:https://www.phonearena.com/news/Huawei-Mate-X-is-a...
Quantumz0d - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
I think people should watch the Galaxy fold event again. I just did and noticed the same crease on the Fold as well, just right before the presenter launches Netflix look up when the light glares, also while playing video on the Netflix app, look at the middle you can see the light distortion and the crease can be seen.So that makes, both phones flawed to hell. As expected, Generation 1, no fool should buy it expecting refined device like an S9 or so.
khanikun - Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - link
Both have a crease in the fold. Samsung was just better at hiding it. Even their butterfly background is designed to hide it.s.yu - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
The reason Samsung used a butterfly background, is that the larger screen folds symmetrically, unlike Huawei'sjjj - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
To expand the conversation a bit, let's not forget the TCL and Xiaomi prototypes and the pics OPPO shared.OPPO's pics, a Mate X with thicker bezels.
http://img1.mydrivers.com/img/20190225/3a774b75890...
http://img1.mydrivers.com/img/20190225/c42c8a26376...
http://img1.mydrivers.com/img/20190225/8b9959ec0f5...
http://img1.mydrivers.com/img/20190225/3e56c2f8d16...
That guy that thinks we'll all use foldable phones in 10 years, is he allergic to glasses?
Samsung had a patent with kind of a pseudo-rollable solution on both sides but could be done on only 1 side. That kind of thing if slightly evolved, would solve the camera z-height issue. Ofc fully rollable and/or stretchable solves it too.
Prices to become somewhat sane might take up to 3 years but we'll see if all China players agree or some try harder.
Size matters too, the larger the display, the more value upside vs normal phones. Samsung screwed up on that too.
Tabs will take even longer, much larger display and yields go down hard.
BTW super funny that Huawei Mate X is the tablet with the thinnest bezels.This is how much folks care about making good tabs. Nobody has made a tablet worth buying in ages.
WarlockOfOz - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Next up: double folding screens, with one convex and one concave hinge giving one panel on the outside and two on the inside when folded.Rοb - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
That will put another wrinkle in it: https://www.phonearena.com/news/Huawei-Mate-X-is-a...Ad.P - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
The Mate X looks better.. until you found a scratch on the plastic screen of your €2299 phone that is always unprotectedhaukionkannel - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Yeah... that is real problem!Now I carry a phone and a tablet with me. Good foldable phone would allow me to carry only one device... the problem is...
My phone is the last real compact phone Sony XZ1 and I am not willing to give up that form factor.
Problem two is that the really big screen would reguire really big battery and that would mean more heavy and thicker foldable... when we need is paper thin foldable screen that use solar power to work... I may have to wait 50 more years for that to appear to market.
eastcoast_pete - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Once the prices come down to planet earth, I would definitely be interested in a foldy. The large, not sliver-like screens could go a long way to allow me to leave my laptop at home more often. I presently own a large phablet, not for gaming, but for reading, writing and editing emails and documents. And that gets better and easier to do with bigger screens. For now, I hope TCL's design will "disrupt" the $ 2,000+ club of Huawei and Samsung and bring prices down.DieMusik - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Almost unanimous on Mate X? I expect things will change so their tunes once they get their hands on the devices. I personally prefer Galaxy Fold.porcupineLTD - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
This is the first time I have seen Andrei! In my mind he always looked fat and angry (love u man). On to the fordables, the Huawei looks better but I think the Samsung has a more durable screen, apparently Samsung sued some of its contractors for selling the recipe for the lamination process of the screen to the Chinese (lamination being from my understanding the hardest part of manufacturing that ensures no crease in the screen, a process that has taken Samsung years to perfect). I don't know if the current BOE screen has this new lamination but next years model (or maybe even the commercial version since the current mate X seems to be a prototype) is sure to have it.melgross - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
First of all, it’s $1980 for the Samsung vs. $2600 for the Huawei. You can’t compare Euro’s to dollars, and say it’s “slightly” more expensive. $600, in that price range isn’t slight.Secondly, these aren’t these two vendor’s “next generation foldable devices”. They are their first generation foldable devices. I know what you meant to say, but you didn’t say it.
Both of these are publicity stunts. I can’t imagine either being useful. Someday, maybe, if the problems with batteries, size, weight and to a certain extent, price are solved, along with an SoC powerful enough to drive a screen of that resolution as well as they do lessor screens, then maybe, for those who can afford them, this will begin to take off. But there is nothing from Qualcomm, or other vendors on the Android side that has anything near what’s needed, and Apple sure as hell isnt going to sell them their SoCs.
Tabalan - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
And why would you compare Euro price (Euro prices always have taxes included) to $ price (no taxes)?About issues with those 2 devices - you have to start somewhere. There is no way to get 3rd or 4th gen foldable device without 1st gen.
melgross - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
20% VAT. Some states and cities have no taxes. The highest is less than 10%. The $2600 I’ve seen quoted is supposed to be USA pricing, without tax included.So yes, that’s the way you compare them.
HStewart - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
I not sure even though it is cool - it worth to have $2000 phone. It best to wait to prices come down. Even though I have a Samsung Note 8 and love it - not sure this is worth it.I am a little concern about quality of Samsung products lately when I got Samsung 40in HDR for my bedroom, I purchase two Samsung 4K UHD Blu-ray players for both it and downstairs TV. But I seem several time that a normal Blu-ray would not play but would on one of my other Blu-ray players. No wonder there is reports that Samsung is stopping creating opitical players because there players are piece of junk.
pjcamp - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
I just don't see putting a scratchable plastic screen on the outside. It seems to me one of the main purposes for folding the phone is protecting the screen, not exposing it to damage.rocky12345 - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
My question is this how long before the screens start to show wear at the folding points and become useless to use or just out right fail all together. When I think of folding screens I pictured screens that would roll up when not in use but hey that's probably not for another 10-15 years from happening yet.FunBunny2 - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
"how long before the screens start to show wear at the folding points and become useless to use"some years ago I went patent hunting on foldable LCD screens. turns out there were/are quite a bunch. one (no, I've no recollection from whom) even had a schematic of use in a phone. said phone was, approx., today's form factor when open. closed just like an old flip phone. but the interesting bit was that the screen (on the inside, naturally) 'folded', more like 'rolled', into a fairly large radius. thus reducing the potential for stress fracturing.
there is, sort of, an analog in materials engineering. years ago O'Reilly used something called RepKover for its books. all paperbacks, IIRC. what made the binding different was that the spine was a tough piece of cambric (cloth) and the pages were attached with a (then new?) super-thin cold glue. the covers were hinged, much as quality hardcover books of the day (no one even does quality hardcovers anymore). the things laid flat on all but the first and last dozen pages or so. since the pages were edge cut like any other paperback, not Smyth bound like quality hardcovers, they were as flexible as a Chinese acrobat. they stopped using the binding some years ago, regressing to common perfect binding.
so, yeah, things can be figured out. but not everyone will be willing to pay.
Fedoruccio - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
I would rather agree with Charlie "All foldables are stupid." Especially for the price, for which you could buy iPhone Xs + iPad Pro (that is priciest bunch insert here your favorite phone+tablet combination). There is no benefit... All notches on the phone are stupid as well (again no benefit)...darkich - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
Anyone STILL praising this Mate X thing is either clueless idiot, either blind.WATCH THE HANDS ON VIDEO and see what the freaking screen looks like(..period
darkich - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
p.s.CREASES
It's literally a joke, piece of junk not worth discussing at this point.
Honestly, it's beyond me how any credible tech journalist can't see this much.
WasHopingForAnHonestReview - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
(((Journalists)))darkich - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
https://youtu.be/NnO08HnZf101:32
That is all.
Abandtech, you are a joke with this article, just like Huawei with their device.
Ian Cutress - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
You do realize this is just a series of quotes from press and analysts, right?MadManMark - Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - link
... plus one r-e-a-l-l-y badly photoshopped photo of you holding the two phones at the top ;)gagegfg - Monday, February 25, 2019 - link
I think both are an implementation of a new technology, desperate to be the first, both have the hardware but without the software.Samsung has a nice phone but impractical. Huawei made a better aesthetic and functional approach, but with serious durability problems on its screen.
Huaewi has, by far, better developed the functionality of the cameras with the design. Samsung put cameras everywhere.
Surely many manufacturers join the fashion for not staying out of the picture, but the long term will tell the truth of this technology. I think it is a transition towards a new implementation of future technologies that will better solve the ability of a smartphone to display information to the user and new ways of interacting.
The current phones reached a situation where practically all are similar or aesthetically equal, there will come a new branch in the evolution of these devices and in my opinion this technology will be of transition for some time.
nerd1 - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
I like the form factor of Mate X better, but the device is simply impractical in so may ways:-Scratch prone plastic screens are exposed when fold state. One need a fully enclosing sheath to protect it - and then you need to take it out from the sheath every time you use one.
-Unfolding is counterintuitive. One need to press the center of the screen to unfold one - which brought a number of false touch inputs even during the demo.
-All cameras are in one side. No selfie/conference call during tablet mode, and phone needs to be flipped in phone mode.
-Hinge does not look supportive enough (unlike strong, geared hinge of galaxy fold). The demo device already show heavy wiggles in the center area.
-Even more expensive than Galaxy Fold, in spite of being a Huawei device with Kirin processor.
Galaxy fold has some drawbacks (lack of S-pen, too small display size, price tag etc) but at least it seems to be a practical, usable device for me.
bogda - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
I think Charlie Demerjian summed it up perfectly.Saggitarius - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
So basically Huawei and Samsung are taking different approaches here: The former created a phablet that can be extended to use as a tablet, whereas the latter produced the foldable tablet with the small additional display to check notifications/take photos, similar to old flip phones but substantially larger.For the time being Samsung's idea is better because the infold design protects the soft polymer display which is prone to scratching, something Huawei's Mate X will suffer from unless you use the official full protection case. However, once non-scratchable polymer, or some kind of flexible glass panel is invented in future, Huawei's solution will work out so much better. It's far more intuitive in my opinion, and more importantly it allows far slimmer, lighter design by its nature. Huawei just did it way to early - it's indeed ahead of time in terms of design, but for now it's not necessarily a good thing.
serendip - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
The screen aspect ratio on the Mate X looks strange - it's almost square, whereas most web content on mobile assumes a portrait orientation and videos are in landscape.Alexa9834 - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
Hwaeii mate x definitly has better design(who can deny?), but the problem is it's just a prototype. Ture meaning of outfold phone is a lot harder to make. Their are several techs needed for outfold smart phone. First strechable flexible display. Hwaweeii do not have tech to build OLED , even for Samsung it will take more than 5 years to make it. Second, way to protect soft fragile plastic flexible display. Without it durabilty of outfold phone will be zero.Even for Samsung who has better tech on flex , outfold smartphone was mission impossible. That's why they decide to go infold. I really hope hwaouweii will lauch trustable flex phone this year.
deputc26 - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
They should make these phones three way foldable with a 1.72:1 aspect ratio. That way you can have a 5.5" x 3.2" (6.36" diagonal) phone when folded and a 9.6" x 5.5" (11.1" diagonal) small laptop when unfolded. It'll be a bit thick, but I can handle 12mm for that functionality.ianmills - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
Xiaomi kind of has method implemented in their prototype, only the sides are half the size so the width only doubles (as opposed to tripling in the case you described)cbutters - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - link
What's with the cheesy photo-shopped first image "holding" the two devices? :PIan Cutress - Saturday, March 2, 2019 - link
A response to all the 'hands on' videos that popped up on Youtube before no-one actually had any hands on, but they still photoshopped the images as if they had had a hands on.jcc5169 - Thursday, February 28, 2019 - link
Foldable phones, a real novel attraction for people with nothing else in their life.Diana Thenerd - Wednesday, March 6, 2019 - link
Will be a great feelings to have a folding gadget in my bag. Planning to buy one but a confused after went through this article that which one to buy actually.https://bit.ly/2EPuwIv
Roy2002 - Saturday, March 9, 2019 - link
Mate X looks way better than Galaxy Fold. Good job Huawei! Just home someday we can purchase it in US.jamesjohnnus - Tuesday, March 12, 2019 - link
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