Take me back to the past or is it bring me to the future? Back in the day, owning a cell phone was really cool but owning a slip, metallic looking, flip phone put you a little bit above the rest of the crowd. There was just something satisfying about not having to press a button to take a call or end call, just flip open and start speaking. One such phone which stood above the rest was the Motorola Razr.
I remember clearly wishing on a star, wishing as I blew out my birthday cake candles, for this phone. It was trendy, it was hip, it was ‘The Phone’. Most importantly though, it was slim and foldable. It fit easily into your coat pocket, purse, even into your running pants. The phone was so popular with users that it is reported the made $130 million from sales.
Presently, there is talk and whispers of some of the tech giants bringing their own flip phones to us. What these tech giants are want to leverage on is the slim design and the phones been bendable. Two of such tech giants are Samsung and Lenovo. This will truly be a sight to behold. Although the year is steadily ending and we are yet to see these phones, there is still enough time for the phone manufacturer’s to make that big announcement.
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One such news that gives credence to the possibility of the return of flip phones is the introduction into the market of Samsung’s Infinity Flex display-based devices and the Royole FlexPai. These two devices further adds to the fuel that users will soon be able to purchase foldable devices which they can easily place in their pockets from their favorite brands.
The added possibility to this is these tech giants are not restricting foldable devices to just phones but there are rumors that they will also make foldable tablets. Yes, imagine the possibility. You would be able to fold your device into your pocket. It might just make carrying a backpack obsolete. We can all recall a time when owning a flip phone was the trendiest thing, well every soon we would not be able to imagine a world where foldable phones and tablets are also the trendiest.
The drive behind foldable displays stems mainly from the need for larger screens. As phone users constantly seek larger screens, manufacturers are also pushing the envelope. Imagine a Samsung flip phone with a 6+” display screen but folds into your pocket? That is truly something to live for. Therefore, there is progressive designing and redesigning of the different ways by which this can be achieved, and the flip phone is one of such ways if not the most popular.
Another driving force behind the shift towards the old time design of flip phone is, traditional phone designs have actually reached the largest screen size which a user can hold comfortably in one hand. Been able to hold your phone in one hand is the goal of most phone makers. So, if the largest screen size has been reached means unconventional or old ways have to be explored.
As much as these tech giants are constantly pushing the envelope in latest technology inventions, it is truly the market that is driving the return of flip phones. They are doing through the insatiable desire for larger phone screens which start from 5+”. This desire for larger screens comes from the ability of phone users to have more software, more services but most importantly, larger display of video streaming. Yeah, we can blame Netflix for that.
This isn’t an unrealistic expectation on the part of users. The reason is because our smartphone have become a third arm. We use our phone in virtually all areas of our lives. We use it for entertainment, communication, work, schedules, even in surveillance( watching our Wi-Fi spy cameras at home). So, our phones have become part of our everyday lives and activities, so there is the need for larger screens to enhance our experiences and use of applications.
So, larger screens, fits into the pocket, slim, incorporating all these features into a flip phone would most likely make it expensive when it is eventually released. That been said, it is a development most users are looking forward to.
2019 might not see the release of a lot of flip phone from different tech giants, Samsung has started on that path. With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the tech giant has shown that the needs and desires of the market will be met by them. The foldable phone which cost $2000, has a 7.3” Infinity Flex Display that is thinner than most other Samsung models. It has a precision-crafted hinge made with different multiple interlocking gears which are hidden. It serves two purposes. When it is open, it becomes a tablet, when it is closed it becomes a phone.
It is good to remember that this is a foldable phone not a flip phone. Although the innovation behind this model is revolutionary, it still doesn’t cut it like flip phones of the past. What users want is that slim design, light-weight, flip open and close phones but in addition to the flip phone been smart. There are rumours that Lenovo intends to release an upgraded design of the popular 90’s Motorola Razr, but with 5G capability. Well, our fingers are crossed and hearts hopeful that they do.
Presuming Lenovo can overcome the challenges which the creation of such a phone would present, they would be assured of a favourable response from the market. The phone manufacturers are currently stuck when it comes to innovative ideas to increase how new models of smartphones should be. Almost all of them release similar designs and shapes with the major difference been in the name of the brand. Welcoming flip phones into the market is bound to shake things up a bit as it’s becoming boring.