Technology

I'm really keen on folding phones. They remind me of a time when phones were more than just a shiny rectangle, when they had physical features to draw in new customers. When/if Apple finally jump in on them, I'd be tempted. But the older I get, the more cynical I become, and can't help but think about the lifespan of those £1500 devices.

I mean, my current phone is an iPhone 13 mini, and I love it. It's physical feature is that it's smaller than almost everything else out there, and I know that, four, five years from now, I'll be able to replace the battery in it for a nominal fee, and keep on using it.

I don't see foldables being that way.

How long will the screens on them last before they give up, rendering the whole device useless because the cost of repair is comparable to that of simply replacing the whole thing? And that's to the benefit of the manufacturer, whose only goal is to sell more phones. Of course, this will also massively affect the resell value. I just sold my last phone, an iPhone XR, for £180. That's a four year old device that's still worth 1/4 of it's original price. How much can you sell a four year old Razr or Galaxy Flip for, given the finite life span of the screen?