As niche as they are, foldable smartphones have mostly settled into two design concepts that appear to be taking over the world. Those are the book-style and flip phones, which currently account for virtually all foldable sales. According to the results of our recent poll, those designs may be under a major threat if more manufacturers opt for a third option, pioneered by Huawei.
You think horizontal flip phones are the best foldable design
In a recent poll, we asked you which foldable device you would prefer to use, and the results were quite unexpected. Firstly, with only 7.4% approval, the vertical clamshell design of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 was the least popular option. Secondly, almost 9% of you wouldn’t want any foldable and are likely very happy with the good ol’ slab phone in their pocket.
The surprising outcome of our poll is that most of you said that the most exciting design is the horizontal flip foldable, introduced with the Huawei Pura X. The device, which we called "the coolest flip phone this year," features the design that made 52.6% of you say that you’d like to own a foldable like it. Unfortunately, that’s almost impossible, as the Pura X is exclusive to the Chinese market.
What foldable would you like to use?
A horizontal flip foldable, like the Pura X
51.96%
A vertical flip foldable, like the Galaxy Z Flip 7
7.83%
A book-style foldable, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7
31.32%
I don’t want any foldable
8.9%
That left the most popular type of foldable, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, behind. As popular as it is, the book-style design would be the design of choice for only 31.1% of you.
Why aren’t there more horizontal flip phones?
The Huawei Pura X opens up to a 6.3” internal display with 16:10 aspect ratio. | Image credit – PhoneArena
While Samsung is the undisputed leader of the foldable smartphone market, Huawei is the brand that has launched some of the most exciting designs in recent years. The Chinese company was the first with a tri-foldable device, and its Pura X is still the only horizontal flip foldable. All other brands are releasing mostly the same flip and book-style devices we’ve known for years.
Similar to slab phones, it’s often difficult to distinguish one book-style or flip foldable from another. Going in the direction of the least resistance leads to designs that resemble each other and hardly spark any excitement. Maybe that’s why the novelty of basically all foldables has worn out so quickly.
That leads to a natural question. Why aren’t more brands launching foldables with more exciting designs? We’ve already seen foldables in various shapes and aspect ratios, so it shouldn’t be due to some technical challenges. That leaves either the manufacturers’ lack of imagination or the consumers’ lack of actual desire to buy different phones.
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The Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 have the most popular foldable form factors. | Image credit – PhoneArena
Given the slab phone design trends, it wouldn’t be surprising if consumers are the reason for the perceived lack of variety. We’ve heard how people want small phones, for example. We’ve also seen the abysmal sales of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini.
I’d like a shake-up of the foldables market
I appreciate the book-style design, but if I switch to a foldable, it will be to make my current phone smaller, which can only happen with a variation of the clamshell design. The idea of a horizontal foldable with a more versatile internal display feels like the perfect mix of both worlds.
Samsung is unlikely to make a device similar to the Pura X anytime soon, but I’d really love to see that happen. I doubt it’ll have as many fans as our recent poll would suggest, though. Foldables still account for about 2% of the smartphone market, and a horizontal flip phone would be a niche within a niche. On the other hand, we already have the Galaxy Z Trifold, and I can’t imagine that one selling like hotcakes.
Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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