Return of the flip phone: Are they worth the premium?

For many years, foldable flip mobile phones were common. Then came the iPhone, and flat tablet-style phones have been all the rage ever since.

Flip phones offered some advantages, however. While folded up, they kept the screen protected and the footprint compact. Now, folding phones are making a bit of a comeback. But make no mistake, modern flip phones are far from retro.

The typical smartphone screen is manufactured from multiple layers of inflexible glass. You’d shatter the screen if you tried to fold such a phone. Early foldable phones got around the inflexibility of glass by using polymers or plastics. Plastic can be very flexible, but it’s also prone to scratches — say, from the keys in your pocket. Hence why, smartphones typically use glass screens.

In 2020, Samsung debuted the Galaxy Z Flip, which uses a very thin glass screen. Scientists figured out that the right types of glass could actually be bent and thus folded without shattering.

However, the glass layer must be very thin for this to work.

Further, old LCD screens use backlighting, meaning bulbs are behind the screen. These bulbs can’t be folded. However, many smartphones now use organic LED (OLED) screens, which aren’t backlit. Instead, the organic materials themselves light up once electricity passes through.

However, if you want a modern folding phone, expect to pay a premium. Folding phones typically cost at least a few hundred more than tablet phones with similar specs. That said, folding phones offer more screen space while still maintaining a smaller footprint. While folded up, the screen remains protected from coins, keys, and other hazards. So is a folding phone worth it? Ultimately, that’s up to the consumer, but these phones do offer considerable advantages.