Now I have a folding smartphone for testing, which I will definitely talk about a little later, but for now I just want to talk about how manufacturers are trying to promote these devices. So we think that this is some kind of incomprehensible thing that is being stolen, is expensive, but at the same time does not give any result in terms of practical use. To be honest, I myself have not yet decided on usercases, but I understand that there is something in this and it is necessary to somehow develop this direction of technology. It is possible that very soon we will be able to stand in front of a shop window and seriously choose between a classic candy bar and a folding smartphone. However, for this, their price still has to be equal.
Foldable smartphones are still rare, but there are more and more of them.
How to use a foldable phone
To talk about folding smartphones, you can use the example Huawei Mate Xs, which is now in my test. I'll tell you about it separately, but for now I'm just ready to share my observations about folding smartphones in general.
First of all, it's worth noting that the new foldable smartphone is all about productivity. This is especially true of the ability to work in fifth generation networks. It is difficult to disagree here that it is 5G that gives the smartphone the ability to work as if it were not working on the network, but with data in the built-in memory. This is made possible thanks to the fast response and high download speed.
The office has already ceased to be a place in which there is a table and a computer with a huge monitor. Many people now have an office everywhere. For example, I am constantly at work and I always need a laptop with me. Some of my colleagues manage to get by with a large smartphone, but it's still not so convenient. You also need to carry a tablet with you, and a flip phone can solve the problem. Moreover, it has all the necessary tools and office applications.
Drag and drop is handy when you have a large screen.
Working with office applications on the screen of a folding smartphone
Often you have to read several emails at the same time and here the big screen will come in handy more than ever. Especially when you need to insert a document into a letter and you can simply drag it from another window, and not use the buttons and fumble around the menu for a long time. Of course, work will not be as convenient as on a computer, but considering that you can do without a laptop on the road, it really looks like a convenient option. Moreover, the function works in many applications that are native to office. An 8-inch screen will suffice for them to work.
The only problem is finding a mail app that adapts to foldable screens. While they are few. One of them is HUAWEI Mail, but over time, other developers will catch up.
Even regardless of whether you need to send something or not, you can simply open two applications side by side, and when preparing a letter, study related materials in one or just scroll through websites, and watch YouTube in the next window. You can do this on a regular phone, but the windows will be too small, but here they are like two full-fledged phones.
This makes it much easier to work with two applications than on a small screen.
Notifications will also not be a problem when working or watching videos. You just need to open it on the other half of the screen. So you can correspond without stopping a new video on YouTube, sometimes it is very convenient, especially when on the road you decided to watch something, and someone just now needs you to write something.
During a video conference, in which it is not necessary to be in the frame, but rather to listen, you can simply turn off the camera and open the broadcast in the window, and do other things on the big screen yourself.
Of course, in conjunction with other devices Huawei, all functions work better.
Huawei Share OneHop function
And now let's imagine a situation where you can not only do everything you need on the road on your smartphone and save your own time, but also come to work and continue what you started from where you left off. With just one touch, you can transfer work to your office computer and finish what you started. Huawei Mate Xs, like other new smartphones Huawei, can transfer data and display its interface on the laptop screen. I talked about this in more detail in the review Huawei of the Mate Book X Pro.
Having opened the smartphone interface on the computer screen, you can not be distracted and not switch your attention between the two devices, but simply use familiar manipulators, such as a mouse and keyboard, to control your smartphone, for example, to correspond in instant messengers.
In addition to work, it is convenient to use a smartphone for shopping. You often have to compare the price of one product on different sites. To do this, you need to remember something, switch between windows, go back and, as a result, get lost.
This is how the function works that allows you to display the smartphone interface on the computer screen. Control is possible on both screens.
And also, when you, for example, buy a laptop or other device, you just need to compare the characteristics. It simply cannot be done in different windows. It is much easier to place two windows side by side.
What else is convenient to do on a foldable smartphone
From myself, I can also add the option of using a folding smartphone for games. Not all games can yet adapt to work on the big screen, but how cool is it when you have more information in front of your eyes than usual.
Even simple text is more convenient to read on such a screen than on the small screen of an ordinary smartphone.
It was also convenient for me to use the maps at the moment when the video was on the screen. So in the car I was able to fix the phone on the dashboard and use the map while my fellow traveler watched the video on the road.
You can come up with many options. Eventually, we find use for a large monitor, a large TV, a large smartphone, a tablet, and so on. The folding smartphone is an even bigger step forward. When necessary, it is small, when needs have changed, it becomes large. There will be cases, the main thing is that the technologies do not let us down and foldable smartphones continue to develop.