Google will be Supporting Foldable Smartphones

Smartphones have come a long way, and now we can find them in various shapes and sizes, with the latest being foldable which is literally as the name suggests can used either folded or unfolded as opposed to the traditional smartphones.

Since Royale introduced the first foldable smartphone called FlexPai, there's been a lot of news about "Foldables" as it is known, many of which have been centered around phone makers trying to develop the technology. Now Google too have joined the bandwagon.

At the 2018 Android Dev Summit, Google announced that it would be supporting foldable devices from next year. According to Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke, the company expects to see several Android Foldables from several manufacturers and it claims to be already closely working with Samsung on developing a device planned for an early 2019 launch. He may be referring to the new foldable smartphone that was just previewed by Samsung.

On the features of Android Foldables, the screen can literally bend and fold, with one on the outside cover serving as the traditional phone, while users can open up the device to reveal a larger display. According to Burke, this form factor can be viewed as a combination of both a mobile phone and a tablet.

Burke also says that a defining feature for making foldable devices work is something called "screen continuity".

For example, you might start a video on the folded, smaller screen while on the go, but later sit down and want a more immersive experience. You can simply unfold the device to get a larger tablet-sized screen. As you unfold, the app seamlessly transfers to the bigger screen without missing a beat.

Phones that fold is surely a great innovation that will indeed disrupt the way we interact with our phones, and Android is working to make that possible.