Are flippable phones making a comeback? In today’s market where most updates to smartphones are related to updates in electronics and software, smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola seem to be invested in bringing a form-factor update straight out of the past. They’re currently leading a resurgence of this old mechanical design, with their new flippable phones: namely, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola’s Razr. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip released on February 14th, at a price point of $1380.00. The Motorola’s Razr released on February 6th, at a price point of $1500.00.
Two major phone manufacturers releasing similar innovations makes for an overall exciting product approach comparison. But does this return to fliphones really deliver a better smartphone experience? What are the impacts of folding a screen? Let’s dive in.
How are they making this thing foldable?
One of the major components I assume we are all curious about is the foldable phone screen. How are they getting a full display to fold? The Z Flip uses a Dynamic AMOLED display. In general, the AMOLED displays have a OLED layer structure in the order seen in the figure below.
Image by : Pedro Spoladore
The foundational substrate can be produced to have a high level of flexibility. The material used to generate the thin film transistor layer (TFT) enables such flexibility. The layer the user interfaces with is usually made of glass and now needs to be flexible. Glass delivers the optics that are technically needed, but does not generally have the flexibility needed for these foldable phones. According to Android Central, Samsung stated they developed an ultra thin glass. But from Ifixit’s breakdown there is a little more to this. More on this later.
Motorola Razr’s use of LG’s Plastic OLED (pOLED) also brings flexibility to the table by incorporating more polymers into the display layers. There are technical optical differences between the Dynamic AMOLED and the foldable pOLED but the focus is on mechanical advantage while keeping the quality. Flexibility is a common goal in how they are being manufactured, and is emphasised by pOLED.
| Specification | Motorola Razr | Samsung Z Flip |
| Operating System | Android 9 | Android 10 |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 | Snapdragon 855+ chipset |
| RAM | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB | 256 GB |
| Front Camera | 5MP | 10 MP |
| Rear Camera | 16MP | 12 MP (2 Rear Cameras) |
| Battery | 2510 mAh15W TurboPower charging | 3300mAhWireless PowershareQuick Charge 2.0Qi wireless charging |
| Display | Resolution: 2142 X 876 px Main Disp: Foldable pOLED External Disp: gOLED 600 X 800 | Resolution: 2,636 X 1,080 Main Disp: Dynamic AMOLED External Dis: 1.1’’ Super AMOLED Display |
| Audio | Bottom-ported speaker 4 mics | Dolby Atmos sound technology High Acoustic Overload Point Mic |
| Connectivity | Bands: LTE: B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B13, B20, B28, B38, B66 UMTS: B1, B2, B4, B5, B8 /GSM: B2, B3, B5, B8 Wifi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/acBluetooth 5.0 NFC:Yes Sim Card: eSIM USB 3.0 (Type C) | LTE/GSMLTE Cat.16LTE Cat.13Enhanced 2X2 MIMI, 5CA Wifi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz),VHT80 MU-MIMO,256QAM NFC:Yes Sim Card: eSIM and one Nano SIM |
| Dimensions | Folded: 72x94x14mm Unfolded: 772x172x6.9mm | Folded: 73.6 x 87.4 x 17.3 mm Unfolded: 73.6 x 167.3 x 7.2 mm – 6.9mm |
| Sensors | Fingerprint reader Accelerometer Magnetometer Gyro Proximity sensor Ambient Light GPS Ultrasonics | Capacitive fingerprint sensor Accelerometer Barometer Gyro Sensor Geomagnetic Sensor Hall Sensor Proximity Sensor RGB Light Sensor |
Note: If you are interested, Ifixit provides some additional insight into the hardware.
Why purchase a foldable smartphone?
Foldable flip phones were on their way to being simply part of history. Besides the possible value of nostalgia, why spend the money on this phone? Convenience of compactness.
The top front face area for phones like the Pixel 3A and Samsung S20 are an average of 10544 mm2. The Samsung Z flip folded comes in at 6432.64mm2and the Motorola Razr at 6768 mm2. A folded phone’s thickness is obviously thicker than your average smartphone, but only by an average 7.6 mm. My point is you free up some pocket space without the loss of screen real estate, resolution or smart phone functionality.
General Concerns
Samsung Z-Flip
The most concerning parts for me are the foldable display components; the hinge and foldable screen “glass”. For Samsung, this was an actual issue with their first foldable screen attempt, the Samsung Fold. IFixit pointed out that the Z-Flip’s lauded brushes and hidden fibers which are meant to keep dust particles out of the hinge mechanisms do not work. In addition, the tear down and Samsung’s spec sheet show that the phone doesn’t seem to be waterproof at any level.
Motorola Razr
Motorola Razr brings up similar concerns with the display. Ifixit mentioned that the hinge mechanism was reminiscent of Samsung’s first take at the foldable phone. The Samsung Fold hinge is known to be one of the phone’s main issues.
The other concern with the Razr is the specifications delivered by this phone. The Razr delivers mid-range specs for a high price point, especially when comparing the Razr to the Z-Flip. I guess you can satisfy yourself by buying this based on the added value of nostalgia, and the idea of funding innovation of the cutting edge. Hopefully this great foundational start allows Motorola to build an even greater Razr V2.
Common
My screen concerns apply to both the Razr and the Z-Flip, mainly the screen creases that form over the hinged area. The creases are seemingly less concerning for the Razr. Motorola’s patent cam and support plate design allows for a large radial bend, which helps with creasing. Although Samsung points out that the Z-Flip uses ultra thin glass material unlike the Razr’s all plastic display, they both seem to develop some level of creasing. Ifixit added that the construction of the screen is not simply ultra thin glass. There is a layer of protective plastic on top of the ultra thin glass. It is impressive that glass was designed to bend to such a degree, but at the cost of a creased plastic layer.
In general the plastic screen components bring up questions of the material’s plasticity over time. How does this new foldable glass like material look after 1,000 open-close actions? Even before the screen enters into a fractured state, how does the deformation impact the display’s visual quality?
My choice would be …
If I were to purchase one of these phones it would be the Samsung Z Flip. The difference in specifications is the primary factor, though I also take into account the difference in price tag. The Samsung Z Flip is delivering more bang for your buck. Also, this is Samsung’s second go at a foldable smartphone, while this is Motorola’s first go at it. As Ifixit mentioned, its mechanical properties are a reminder of the Samsung Fold, Samsung’s first try at this phone. TechRadar states that Motorola offers 24/7 chat support and 24-Hour turnaround time to it’s Razr customer base.
Taking a chance on the foldable smartphone market has some general risk, due to the newer mechanical and material properties that are incorporated into these smartphones. If you are interested in the design of the flippable cutting edge or the convenience factor, it might be worth it to jump on the bandwagon early. While it is true that this trend might still be in its early stages, in the end investing in the technology will allow it to further develop and become a true standard.
Sources : Engadget, AndroidCentral,Motorola,Samsung, Ifixit Tear Down, Samsung Z Flip
