Foldable phones are not new anymore.
Samsung launched the first Galaxy Fold back in 2019. Since then, we have seen years of folding screens, awkward hinges, visible creases, very high prices and plenty of people saying, “Cool idea, but I’ll wait.”
Now it feels like more people are finally done waiting.
Samsung says sales of the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra in Southeast Asia and Oceania are up 40% compared with the previous generation, while people switching from other brands to the new Fold8 series have increased by more than 60%. The company also says its foldable lineup is now in its eighth generation. Samsung’s own retrospective on the Galaxy Z series shows just how much the category has changed since 2019. (Samsung Global Newsroom)
So what changed?
Probably not one thing.
Early foldables felt like prototypes you could actually buy. They were thick, expensive and slightly terrifying to use. You were always aware that the screen folded, because the entire phone seemed designed around that fact.
Newer models are getting closer to normal phones that just happen to fold.
They are thinner.
The hinges are better.
The software understands the form factor.
Apps behave more naturally on the larger screen.
And importantly, people have had years to get used to seeing them.
That last part matters more than we think.
Technology often feels strange before it feels useful.
Wireless earbuds looked ridiculous until everyone had them.
Huge phones were mocked until small phones basically disappeared.
Smartwatches seemed unnecessary until people started using them for payments, fitness and notifications every day.
Foldables may be reaching that same point.
There is also finally more choice.
A Fold-style device can be a phone that opens into something closer to a small tablet. A Flip-style device gives you a normal smartphone that becomes much smaller in your pocket.
Those are actual differences in how the device feels and works, not just another camera upgrade or slightly faster processor.
Foldables are still expensive, and the crease has not magically vanished.
But they no longer feel like technology demonstrations.
They feel like products.
Maybe that is why people are starting to want them now.
The idea did not suddenly become good.
The hardware simply had enough time to catch up with the idea.