Foldable phones edge toward mainstream after early stumbles

Engadget said it had tested newer models and was impressed by how far foldable technology has advanced. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 8 have pushed the category forward, and Apple's entry with the iPhone Duo has drawn attention. Engadget wrote that Apple could end up being decisive in the shift, but that the company's move would not have been possible without the breakthroughs and failures that came before it.

The early period showed both promise and problems. Royole, then an unknown Chinese display manufacturer, presented the FlexPai at CES 2019 as the world's first commercially available foldable smartphone. Engadget reporters found the device 'rough around the edges,' strangely sized and 'janky,' but it demonstrated that flexible OLED screens could ship in a real product.

Samsung's first Galaxy Fold, released in February 2019 at just under $2,000, brought a wave of poor reviews. Many reviewers said their screens had broken after little use, and it emerged that most had peeled off a plastic layer acting as a screen protector. Samsung delayed the public launch and recalled all units sent to reviewers so it could re-engineer the product. Engadget said the new version was only 'somewhat' sturdier. Those first Samsung phones showed the importance of perfecting the crease, hinge durability and screen resistance.

Huawei's Mate X, presented at MWC 2019, took a different route by folding outward. It used a single high-resolution display that wrapped around the outside of the phone, producing an elegant design, but the screen could be easily scratched and damaged. The phone was never sold in the United States because of sanctions imposed by then-President Donald Trump on Chinese technologies. Huawei's next foldable, the Mate X2, used the inward fold introduced by Royole and Samsung, showing that different did not necessarily mean better.

Between 2020 and 2025, Android phone makers released a large number of foldable models, and almost every release brought a significant advance. Early work focused on protecting screens against pressure, water and dust. Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip in 2020 introduced ultra-thin glass in the inner screen, making it more robust. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 in 2021 came with IPX8 water resistance. Dust proved harder to guard against, but the Fold 6 came with partial dust protection rated IP48. In 2025, Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold reached full IP68.

The crease was another major challenge. Oppo's 2021 Find N achieved a near-invisible crease, according to Engadget. Honor's Magic V series continued cutting thickness until Samsung answered with the slim Galaxy Z Fold 7. Engadget also identified pricing as another element that needed to change for widespread adoption, citing clamshell phones including the rebooted Motorola Razr and the $999 Galaxy Z Flip 3.