What do you mean, a bending phone? Phones don’t bend, they just break!
– Me being ignorant and skeptical, years ago.
And then, they did bend. Well, there were (severe) issues plaguing user experience from time to time:
… but overall, humanity was blessed with foldables. A true miracle.
The next pain point was – or should I say “is” – the crease on the foldables. We all want our screens to be perfectly flat and smooth, right?
Well, creases are being dealt with.
And once again, it seems that Samsung is the company that needs to do the catching up, while its Far East rivals are getting there first.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7’s crease may get better
That’s the Galaxy Z Fold 6. | Image credit – PhoneArena
The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting foldable phones yet, or so the rumors have been telling us recently. The phone will probably see a major improvement in one area that has plagued previous models – the crease.
The information so far suggests that Samsung has refined its hinge technology to reduce the visibility of the crease, making it far less noticeable during daily use. Given that past Fold models’ creases have been distracting, this could be a game-changer for those who have hesitated to adopt Samsung foldables.
Despite that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition still has a crease that’s hard to ignore, models from the Galaxy Z Fold galaxy (pun intended) have come a long way in terms of gradually getting rid of the crease. If the Fold 7 builds on that and takes it to another level, it may finally convince more slab consumers to make the leap of faith and hop on the foldable train.
Beyond the crease reduction, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is expected to arrive with the upcoming Exynos 2500 chipset, built on its newly stabilized 3 nm manufacturing process – a 3 nm chipset is considered to be really advanced in terms of efficiency and power.
If successful, this could mark the beginning of a wider Exynos comeback, potentially returning to the Galaxy S lineup with the Exynos 2600 in the future.
Another update is expected on the camera front. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 could come with an under-display selfie snapper. Other than that, the phone could feature a triple-camera setup on the back like its predecessor: a 200MP wide-angle camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.
The OnePlus Open 2 arrives first
The OnePlus Open 2 (also known as the Oppo Find N5), is expected to launch in mere days – on February 20, to be precise. That’s months before the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
And according to early leaks, it may have an almost invisible crease. OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau teased the new phone’s display on social media, showing it next to a foldable that – wink, wink – strongly resembles the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Image credit – X
The caption “‘No crease detected” was a clear dig at Samsung. While a small crease was still visible, it appears far less pronounced than the alleged Samsung’s foldable. If this holds up in real-world use, the OnePlus Open 2 might set a new standard.
Here is what zooming in on the OnePlus Open 2 reveals, so don’t tell me there’s “zero crease”:
Image credit – X
Apart from that, the OnePlus Open 2 is shaping out to be an extremely potent foldable flagship with its 8-inch inner display (larger than its predecessor’s 7.82-inch screen).
The phone is also expected to run on the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a rumored 6,000 mAh battery – just plenty of juice!
It’s outstanding feature, though, could be its reduced thickness at ~4 mm when unfolded. I’m not that crazy about thin phones, truth to be told, but… that’s crazy.
The Crease Decrease
Nobody likes deep display creases. | Image credit – PhoneArena
One of the most critical aspects of a foldable phone – apart from its price, for crying out loud – is the crease.As you can imagine, a visible crease is distracting, affecting both usability and overall user experience.
Hey, nobody likes to open their expensive gadget and see an annoying, embossed line from top to bottom right in the middle. This thing impacts visibility, especially when reading, gaming, or watching videos, and can be a deal-breaker for users who want a seamless display.
A foldable’s hinge design plays a key role in crease reduction, and companies like Oppo and OnePlus have made significant strides in this area, as it seems. A well-engineered hinge not only reduces the crease but also improves durability, which is another major selling point. There isn’t a shortage of people who drop things constantly. Expensive things. On the hard floor, I mean.
Foldables might very well be the future of smartphones: you get a large display while maintaining portability. Many consumers are eager to embrace the extra screen real estate, but they need devices that are reliable, durable, and free from annoying compromises like The Crease.
Who will provide us with those things? David or Goliath?
