Smartphones

Oops! I was wrong about foldable phones

They’re here to stay in the years to come

Illustration by Migs Buera

Published

July 12, 2021

MJ Jucutan

When the first foldable phone came out, the words I blurted out of my mouth were “Who the F needs that?” At the time, no one really needed it. It was a showcase of what the future might hold; a glimpse of where we’re headed.

For someone whose work requires him to be appreciative of technology, I wasn’t particularly receptive to change. Inherently, I believe that necessity is the mother of the invention which is why I was hesitant about the whole foldable concept — and even called it a fad. Smartphones are doing fine, why change what’s not broken, right?

Yes, my thoughts are the same about the flip phones that resemble the phones of the distant past. An ex-lover and I were jokingly discussing how impractical these phones are, despite working in the electronics and technology industry.

But the same thing cannot be said to the most recent foldable phones anymore, especially in 2021. There’s a certain allure with the Galaxy Z Fold2 that you can only experience when you use it. And the same goes with the Huawei Mate X2 when Michael Josh decided to play around with it. And I couldn’t agree more.

Using the Galaxy Z Fold2 for quite a while now made me realize how it fills the gap in the smartphone industry, and how they can help keep the technology industry from pressing forward.

Not the usual smartphone, not yet a tablet

By now, you probably know this foldable’s form factor. So I don’t need to go into the technical details and let me speak from experience.

The first time I got my hands on the Galaxy Z Fold2, I was afraid. It felt like a delicate flower that evokes grandeur and beauty. When folded, it’s nearly the size of average smartphones that you’re familiar with. It’s just thicker to hold and quite slippery that you might want to strengthen your grip to be on the safe side.

Opening it requires a gentler approach, but this is where the magic begins. The Galaxy Z Fold2 offered a bigger screen that I can hold for a longer time, which a tablet can’t even provide. It gave me the ability to work elsewhere without carrying my laptop all the damn time.

Though you can’t do heavy work in it, I was able to keep my social platforms running and I was able to hop on a meeting, check my designers’ works, and coordinate with my team — even if I was outdoors eating at an al fresco restaurant.

It’s also a head-turning accessory, seeing how foldables are unique to the average consumer’s eyes. And honestly, I liked the attention I got from it.

Okay, enough with its allure. Let’s talk about what my issues were and how it’s relevant to the future of smartphones.

Pushing the boundaries of what a smartphone should be

One of the issues most tech reviewers had with the foldable phones is the creases that, frankly, make or break an experience. I can live with it, but not a lot of people can (probably). But my issue was how most apps aren’t optimized for a foldable phone, yet.

This is why depending on how it pans out, foldable phones can turn the wheels again and make the whole industry move forward. Smartphones are getting boring and obsolete.

When every smartphone manufacturer releases a smartphone every damn three months, we get bored seeing how all of them look similar or offer a minor reiteration of the common slab devices. Remove their brand and coating, and they all look the same.

Companies have nearly perfected the design and experience of flagship smartphones. Midrange and budget phones, on the other hand, need a little bit more refining.

Other companies like LG — whose mobile division already shut down — started working on different form factors like the LG Wing. And we love it. Even ASUS made the whole Zenfone 8 an engineering solution, packing heavy features in a compact smartphone by shrinking some of its components.

Although frankly, we can all agree and settle with foldable phones as the next form factor. It’s starting to make sense, at least when you get your hands on it. With Samsung and Huawei leading the race on foldables, it’s certainly a phone war we’d love to watch from beginning to end.

The next standard of premium phones… or the future of smartphones?

If more people adopt foldable phones, smartphone manufacturers will be forced to step up their game and go where the demand is. Except, foldable phones still aren’t made for general use.

It still is a phone for those who have the money to burn, who want to be on the cutting-edge of technology, and those who need a device that fills the gap between a smartphone and a tablet to augment their lifestyle.

But whatever the future has in store for us, I’m certain that foldable phones — if done right — can be the next standard of what makes a phone premium. That, or it could be the next generation of our smartphones. Nonetheless, my mind has changed thanks to the Galaxy Z Fold2. And now, I’m excited to step into the future.

Related Topics:ASUS ASUS Zenfone 8 Galaxy Z Fold2 Huawei Huawei Mate X2 LG LG Wing Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 specials

News

Lionel Messi’s face just unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra early

Technically, it’s a custom Caviar phone with Messi’s face on it.

Published

July 20, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Caviar

And just like that, the World Cup season is over. Spain prevailed over Argentina in a 1-0 caper. Despite the loss, however, Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi is (indirectly) leaving us a little surprise by spoiling the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra a few days early.

Technically, it’s not Messi himself doing the spoiling. Caviar, the infamous luxury smartphone company, has revealed an extravagant Lionel Messi-themed edition of the unannounced Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

As with the brand’s other creations, the special smartphone is covered in 24-karat gold plating. The design is styled to look like Messi and the colors of the Argentinian football team.

Image source: Caviar

Now, before you say that this design is worthless now after the loss to Spain, the edition is meant to celebrate the 2022 win, exemplified by the badge on Messi’s shirt saying “2022”. And even then, Messi is still one of the most globally recognized sports personalities in the world, making this quite the collector’s item.

However, if you’re looking for any hardware leaks, you’re out of luck. The listing has no mention of specs, except for the storage, which includes options for 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Other than that, you’ll have to wait like the rest of us.

Additionally, if you’re interested in the Messi-themed edition, it will cost you a fortune. Caviar’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will start at a whopping US$ 13,130.

Besides its nature as a special edition, this phone is the most official thing we’ve seen of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung is still scheduled to launch the new foldable, along with other models, in a few days. The brand is also rumored to launch a wide version of this model.

Smartphones

Samsung introduces Flex Titanium tech for foldable displays

To debut with Samsung’s next-gen Galaxy foldable devices

Published

July 15, 2026

GadgetMatch

Samsung has unveiled the new Flex Titanium technology for its next generation of Galaxy foldable devices.

The redesigned display structure utilizes structural and material advancements to deliver a more refined viewing experience. This included enhanced durability and reduced crease visibility.

Flex Titanium integrates two titanium-based components: a titanium-alloy film and a titanium plate. These work together to balance slimness, flexibility, and strength — all within the foldable display structure.

The new Flex Titanium technology will debut with Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy foldable devices, with details to be unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked.

Samsung said it took a new approach to structural design to create a display that provides an immersive viewing experience while withstanding everyday use for years and years.

Titanium offered the right mix to put check mark on all three factors: strength for external shock, flexibility for repeated folding, and thinness for device fit.

The titanium-alloy film is a component that supports the display from within, sitting below the OLED panel. This has a mechanical stiffness 20 times better than polymer film.

A precision rolling process makes the external material exceptionally thin, measuring roughly one-third the thickness of an average human hair.

Below the film is a robust titanium plate for tighter bonding with the display module. It eliminates air gaps between module and the adhesive on the plate through an advanced hole processing technology.

News

New leak reveals first look at Samsung’s wide foldable

It looks like there’s only one book-style foldable this year.

Published

July 9, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Android Headlines

Coming in just a heartbeat, Samsung will unveil the next foldables during the upcoming Unpacked event. The spotlight, naturally, lands on the rumored wide foldable. Now, we don’t have an official look yet, but a new leak is spoiling that for us.

Leaked by Android Headlines, the upcoming foldable, purportedly named the Galaxy Z Fold 8, looks as advertised. The brand’s first wide foldable takes a few inches off the top to deliver a, literally, wide resolution for more display real estate.

There’s not much to say about the specs, but the model does have a camera setup with two shooters. It will also be available in three colorway options: black, white, and lavender. A limited-edition green variant might also make an appearance.

Among the scheduled devices this coming Unpacked, the wide foldable is the main event. Plus, the new leak reveals that a regular Fold isn’t debuting with this batch. Rather, Samsung might go all-in on the wide foldable format.

If that’s not your style, the leak also unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip 8. The new model doesn’t look different from the usual Flips that we’re used to, so it’s not a big headline.