Folding phones have been available for years and remain a small share of the market. Apple’s entry with the iPhone Duo will test whether that is the format or the absence of Apple.
What has genuinely improved
Hinges are far more durable than the first generation. Water resistance now exists on several models, which seemed impossible for a device with a gap in it.
Creases are less visible. Outer screens on book-style folds are now usable as normal phones rather than compromised strips.
What remains compromised
Weight and thickness. A folding phone folded is thicker than a normal phone, and you carry that difference constantly for the benefit of occasional unfolding.
Cameras, which are typically a generation behind the equivalent conventional flagship because the space is not there.
Battery, split into two sections around the hinge, which limits capacity.
Price, roughly double a standard flagship. That is the barrier that has kept the category small.
And durability over years rather than months, which reviews at launch cannot assess.
Who it genuinely suits
People who read, work with documents, or watch a lot on their phone, where the larger screen is used daily rather than occasionally.
People who currently carry both a phone and a small tablet.
Who it does not
Anyone primarily using a phone for messaging, calls, navigation and photos – which is most people. The larger screen adds nothing to those and the cost and weight are real.
The sensible position
Wait for the second generation of any manufacturer entering the category, including Apple. First-generation hardware in a new format is where the problems appear.