Science fiction has been a big influence on what we envision the future to be like for many years. From Star Wars, to Star Trek, to 2001: A Space Odyssey, our society has envisioned what the future would look like, what technologies we would utilize, and the implications this has on our society.
One piece of technology that has been predicted many times in the past is the smartphone. This can be seen in movies such as Star Trek, where the characters use a device called a Tricorder to communicate and compute data.
While it doesn’t quite look as sleek as a modern iPhone, one can see how it bears a resemblance to modern technology. It’s small form factor and its ability to preform multiple functions make it similar to a modern phone.
In later iterations of the series, we see these get sleeker and more futuristic. The Diagnostic Wrap from Star Trek Beyond is the more advanced version of the Tricorder, and it greatly resembles the folding phones the trend of companies making folding phones that we are currently seeing.
So far, companies such as Xiaomi, Samsung, Motorola, and Huawei have all put out designs for folding phones, with some already shipping to the market. This primitive phase of folding screen technology serves less to produce a complete, functioning product (as these phones have been shown to fail multiple times), and more to market these companies’ brands to the market as the “futuristic” option.
Folding phones are inherently prone to failure. Adding the hinge to the phone introduces a moving part, removes the anti-splash resistance, and creates a line of failure along the middle of the screen. The screen itself needs to be made of a less durable material than glass, meaning that the phone is more prone to scratches, and the screen itself will look worse than traditional slab phones.
Phone companies will, however, continue to promote their folding phones because it gets people talking. You don’t see a folding smartphone everyday, and it is impressive when you use one in real life. Plus they just look cool, right?!
Ultimately, folding phones serve to appeal to both our attraction to innovation, and our nostalgia. We remember seeing these devices in movies that we liked and shows that we watched, and we are always looking for the next big thing. Companies, looking to take advantage of this, created the folding phone. Even if it isn’t practical, it’s at least cool to look at.