Foldable displays are reaching beyond the smartphone

At present, foldable displays are limited to smartphones. However, this is set to change as manufacturers experiment with foldable screens beyond smartphones, hinting at an innovative future for consumer electronics, according to Anisha Bhatia, senior device analyst at GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

Samsung’s Galaxy foldable screen display. SOURCE: Samsung

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1, one of the first working foldable laptop PCs in the world, which was launched at CES 2020, along with conceptual folding laptops from Dell and Intel, and a smart speaker with a wrap-around display from Royale, will help spike consumer interest in a variety of uses for folding displays.

OEMs and carriers try to figure out specific use cases for foldable displays

“Folding displays are still in the experimentation stage,” Bhatia says. “Both manufacturers and carriers alike are figuring out specific use cases for foldable displays that best fit their overall strategy – whether they aim to market a media device or a productivity tool or a two-in-one product.”

Offering her views on the market’s evolution, Bhatia continues: “Most of the folding screens, whether in a phone, laptop, or smart speaker, are still niche concept devices, not to mention expensive. They represent an evolving trend, especially in a maturing and stagnating wireless industry which hasn’t seen true hardware innovation since Apple’s first iPhone in 2007.”