Bendable Handsets: Hype Vs Reality

IN SEARCH FOR THE NEXT BIG THING IN SMARTPHONE DESIGN, MANY OEMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING AND HYPING BIG TIME ON BENDABLE PHONES? BUT WILL FLEXI-HANDSETS TURN TO BE THE NEW SUPERPHONES OR JUST ANOTHER FANCY SHOWOFF TOYS?

- Shelley Vishwajeet

It’s been over half a decade when hoopla surrounding bendable phones began. the last we heard was that samsung was all set to launch its bendable handset in 2014. this is 2017 but now is not here still! Other OEMs like Lenovo, Xiaomi, Oppo havebeen working on it but only prototypes have been displayed or leaked. amid all this, the march over first true bendable, rather foldable smartphone has actually been stolen by a Johhny from nowhere - by the name Moxi, a new handset OEM based out of Chonquing, China. The phone does have a novelty but then it is just half the smartphone that we have got used to displaying a narrow black & white screen. so apart from the novelty factor (but at a hefty price tag of usD 399), there is nothing much that would really excite today’s smartphone users. 

Still, the brouhaha or chorus (take your pick) over bendable phones hasn’t stopped. after all, the rectangular box has been around for quite some time and manufacturers have been looking around for that something novel that could excite consumers and give an added push to the numbers. at the same time, tech writers also need new indulgences to engage readers – so they often tend to invent novelty and utilities where none exist or are often far far away from reality. Often, it’s an unspoken obligation on the part of bloggers too to indulge in showmance. Yes, some are definitely honest about the non-existence of any raison d’etre of their excitement – but remain thrilled nonetheless. For example, back in 2013, writing for MIt technology Review, tech writer David Zax wrote “Why do we want a flexible phone?” and exclaimed - “the idea of a flexible phone is cool. But will it be a revolutionary product?”