The future of smartphones is happening now. Or at least that’s the way it feels after last week when Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold, Huawei the Mate X, and LG with its dual-screen accessory for the LGv50 ThinQ.
LG’s entrant into the foldable phone category is the most modest among the bunch. Rather than integrating a folding screen into the design of the phone, LG has made it so users can place an additional screen on top of the phone’s already substantial 6.2-inch OLED display. That may not have the same sex appeal of the seamlessly foldable screens that are grabbing headlines, but the LGv50 ThinQ will likely be more accessible than its peers when it comes to the sticker price.
The asking price on the $1,980 Galaxy Fold from Samsung and now the newly announced $2,600 Huawei Mate X are pretty shocking. All the same, it’s not unheard of to see new technology enter the high-end of the market. What’s most interesting is seeing how two prominent companies have deployed the same concept in such a different way.
While Samsung opted to feature two main screens, one on the outside and another larger one that reveals itself when the phone is opened, Huawei’s Mate X boasts a wraparound screen on the front and the back of the phone with a separate bar with Leica cameras. This distinct approach from the Chinese consumer electronics company means that both the 6.6-inch folded screen and 8-inch unfolded display is completely free of camera notches.
How exactly this new technology will play out, or when it’ll be accessible to folks who don’t want to burn thousands on an Instagram machine, is still up in the air. What we do know is that after a week of exciting announcements, we’re a lot closer to finding out.
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