Samsung explains why the Z Flip’s screen is so small

One of the biggest design changes between the first generation Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and its wildly successful Z Flip 3 last year was the screen extension: a compact display on the outside of a foldable phone.

Samsung has almost doubled the size of this extra screen, transforming it from a tiny space for notifications to a larger space where you can reply to messages, make phone calls, control your smart home, and even take selfies.

However, for some, this is still not enough: fans are demanding a bigger screen with room for bigger widgets, a keyboard, or even the ability to run full apps. There’s even a popular third-party app, CoverScreen OS, that tries to make good on that promise with a full app drawer and a keyboard crammed into a slick display.

Apparently, some at Samsung want the same thing.

A compact 1.9-inch external display is the right choice “at the moment,” Eugene Hong, executive vice president and head of the UX team at Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Experience business unit, told me when I spoke to her at the event. IFA technical conference in Berlin.

Hong explained that the decision to use a tiny display on the first generation Flip was driven by a desire to help it blend in with the rest of the phone’s design, so the larger version only followed after Samsung’s industrial design team settled on it. two tone finish for next phone with space for smooth screen transition.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Hong acknowledged that Samsung had considered using a larger screen, perhaps one that covers the entire front of the phone, calling the current iteration a “compromise” based on several factors.

First, design considerations are paramount to Samsung, which internally sees the core of Flip’s appeal as allowing users to “express themselves” – most clearly seen in the new option to set custom images, GIFs, and even videos as cover art. screen wallpaper.

It’s not a phone where specs are likely to dictate design anytime soon, so it’ll only adopt a larger screen once Samsung finds a suitable design.

Battery is another key issue, Hong explained, and you can see why. The limited battery life was the Z Flip 3’s biggest downside, and while this year’s Z Flip 4 improved things somewhat, it’s still not a phone you’d buy for its durability. Displays are one of the biggest battery drainers, and a large outer bezel can undo all of Samsung’s hard work of optimizing the Flip 4 to last longer.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Software support should also be considered. Foldable devices are still the new form factor and apps need to be updated to make the most of them.

For now, the cover screen is limited to Samsung’s own apps and widgets, but it’s hard to imagine that this will stay forever.

It will be harder for Samsung to convince third-party developers to support the screen protector if it keeps changing the display’s size, aspect ratio, and resolution, so there’s a practical benefit to sticking to the same design for a while. This is true even for Samsung’s internal development teams, Hong added, who will find it just as difficult to adapt to ever-changing projects.

At the moment, Samsung’s rivals are divided. The Huawei P50 Pocket uses a round external display, slightly smaller than the Flip 3 and 4. By contrast, the recent Motorola Razr 2022 has a comparatively spacious 2.7-inch screen, although functionally it’s not quite as good as the Samsung version.

No doubt Samsung’s design team will also feel complacent about their approach compared to Motorola, which sees its large display clumsily lowered into the center of the phone with a thick jagged bezel around it.

For my part, I hope Samsung isn’t tempted to change too much, and certainly not to keep up with the competition. The Z Flip screen protector is slender and slim, with enough room for your essentials without detracting from the design.

Just as importantly, it has changed the way I use my phone and so have others. Samsung says Flip users in the US use their phone an average of 3.4 hours a day, compared to 4.7 hours for S21 owners.

Without a doubt, a compact screen protector is key to making you feel better, allowing you to scan for notifications and ignore them, leaving your phone tightly closed until you really need it.

The large external display may seem attractive at first, but at this point the Flip becomes just another phone.