Surface Neo
Galaxy Fold
Razr V4
Surface Duo
When Samsung introduced the Galaxy Fold seven months ago, everyone marvelled at the form factor. It combined the compactness of a phone and the functionality of a tablet. It has two displays—a 4.5-inch one on the cover and a 7.3-inch one that opens like a book. But the Fold ran into trouble when many reviewers reported that its folding display was not holding. Samsung immediately withdrew the product, promising to fix the problem.
Last week Samsung relaunched the Fold. India was allotted 1,600 phones, which cost Rs1,64,999 apiece. The entire lot was sold in 30 minutes flat. But what made bigger news last week was another foldable device—Microsoft surprised everyone with the Surface Duo phone that runs on Android. The Duo does not have a foldable display, but features two 5.6 inch displays that can rotate 360 degrees to make an 8.3 inch tablet. It can be turned into landscape mode, and the second display can be used as a keyboard or a game controller.
Microsoft also introduced a dual-screen tablet/computer, called Surface Neo, which runs on a version of the Windows operating system. It has two nine-inch screens that work similar to the Duo. Both devices will hit the market only in the 2020 holiday season.
You might be able to buy some other foldable devices before that. Huawei had unveiled its folding smartphone with 5G connectivity, the Mate X, around the same time Samsung announced the Fold. It is thinner and looked more polished than the Fold, with a square eight-inch display that can be folded into a 6.6-inch main screen and a slightly smaller rear screen.
Then there is the Motorola Razr V4, which is a clamshell with a foldable screen inside. Apple is also said to be working on a foldable phone, but is yet to make any announcement.