The big news at this year’s Mobile WorldCongress (MWC) was undoubtedly the foldable smartphone and it’s got peoplepretty excited. Of course, the industry has been talking about foldable devicesfor some time now and, as such, it would be easy to dismiss this innovation assomething of a gimmick which will help the OEMs lift device sales out of thecurrent sales slump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pafe_0C_TMM
Nota Gimmick
Let us set the record straight. We believethe foldable device is the most significant innovation in smartphone designsince… well, the smartphone.
Here’s why:
With advances in storage, speed, screenresolution (which let’s face it can only go so far before the improvements areno longer visible to the human eye), and cameras (how good do your selfies needto be?), the only thing that is preventing the smartphone from replacingdevices like laptops and tablets is their size.
Sure, we’ve had the “phablet” – but justhow big can a mobile device get before it can no longer be considered mobile.I’m not buying it if it doesn’t fit in my inside jacket pocket.
So when a device is roughly the same sizeas the smartphone you had in your pocket a couple of years ago and then foldsout to deliver an incredible amount of screen real estate – that’s going tomake a lot of difference.
UsableDevices
Suddenly, using your phone to do everydayoffice tasks (Word, Excel, etc.) no longer seems so painful, maps will beeasier to use with no more swiping and pinching to find your way home, andentertainment will always be better on a big screen.
So Samsung with the Galaxy Fold and Huaweiwith the Mate X might really be onto something with their foldable devices andif the reviews are anything to go by, the critics are as excited by thesedevices as the punters are. The good news is, with release dates for bothdevices imminent, we won’t have to wait too long to get our hands on them.
TheCost of Innovation
There is, of course, a significant price topay for such significant innovation.
The Galaxy Fold is priced at $1,980 whilethe Mate X is set to retail at a staggering $2,299. Wow, it seems like onlyyesterday when we were asking if people would be willing to pay $1,000 for asmartphone.
Of course, we know how these things work.Early adopters and fanboys will make the first move and the rest of us willwait until the price comes down a little. The networks may help reduce priceswith subscription plans but there is little doubt that foldable devices will bea considered purchase and a bit of a status symbol for some time yet.
The real test will be in 12 to24-months-time if the technology has filtered down to the sub $1,000 pricepoint. If and when this happens, I think the industry as a whole will havesomething to really get excited about.
WhatDoes This Mean for App Developers?
App developers should be getting excitedabout what they can do with the larger screen size of a foldable device. Shouldthey start thinking about optimizing apps for the larger real estate? I reallythink they should. As we’ve already discussed, greater screen size creates theopportunity to create more usable and useful apps. The more usable and usefulan app is – the more chance it will deliver more significant returns over thelifetime of the device it is hosted on (and at $2k+ - these devices aren’tgoing to replaced quickly).
App developers should also consider theopportunities an increase in device sales presents them for positioning theirapp in front of the right person at the right time. You can almost guaranteethat any preloaded app that has been optimized for such an innovative devicewill be activated and engaged with almost as soon as the device has come out ofthe box.
Talkto Us about Innovation
If you’ve dismissed the idea of a foldabledevice as a gimmick, think again. Things have just got exciting in the world ofsmartphones and the opportunity to innovate has only just begun.
Talk to Digital Turbine today aboutpreloading your next app on the next generation of innovative smartphones.
