2019 might be a Fight Between Foldable Phones and 5G

2019 is predicted to be one of the most important and exciting years for the tech industry. While there will be the official debut of two very exciting technological developments in the mobile world: foldable displays and smartphones equipped with 5G modems, there will also be critical enhancements in on-device AI, personal robotics, and other exciting areas.  

Several vendors and carriers have already announced these devices. However, not everyone realizes that the two technologies won’t necessarily come hand-in-hand this year. Though we will see both 5G-enabled phones and smartphones with foldable displays, it’s not clear as of yet that we’ll see devices that incorporate both capabilities in the calendar year 2019. In the future, we will, of course, have got both the technologies together, but the challenges in bringing each of these cutting-edge technologies to the mass market suggest that some devices will include one or the other. The vast majority of smartphones sold in 2019 will have neither an integrated 5G modem nor a foldable display—high prices for both technologies will limit their impact this year.

In the near future, it is predicted that foldable display-based phones will be the winner over 5G-equipped phones. This is because the impact that these bendable screens will have on device usability and form factor are so compelling that consumers will be willing to forgo the potential 5G speed boost. Additionally, factors like pricing for 5G data plans, limited initial 5G coverage, and the confusing (and, frankly, misleading) claims being made by some global carriers about their “versions” of 5G will limit consumer’s adoption of 5G until more of these issues become clear. On the other hand, foldable phones, although likely to be expensive, will offer a very clear value benefit that I believe consumers will find even more compelling.