I used a foldable phone for a year – here are 5 things I learnt

If you're a fan of innovation in the technology space, you'll be familiar with foldable phones. The premise is simple – slap a hinge in the centre of two panels to allow the device to fold open and reveal a larger screen.

It's taken the industry by storm. All manner of brands are in on the act, with longtime household names offering devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 or the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra.

Keen to see what all the fuss was about, I set about making use of a foldable phone every day for a year. I opted for the Honor Magic V2 initially, though when its successor, the Honor Magic V3, arrived on the scene, I swapped over to that.

365 pages have fallen from the calendar since then, and I've learnt a lot about what makes foldable devices tick. Without further ado, let's dive in.

@t3dotcom

♬ original sound - T3

1. Screen crease is a non issue

You don't need to wade too far into the waters of foldable phone discussion before you'll hear the dreaded words "screen crease." And I'm here to tell you it is poppycock. Balderdash. Hogwash.

To be clear, I'm absolutely not denying that the crease exists. Of course it does! We're talking about a plastic panel which gets folded more than a contortionist's string vest – frankly, I'd be concerned if it didn't exhibit some physical signs of that.

What I mean is that it doesn't in any way affect the user experience. At least on a book-style folding device, you'll never feel or see it. Your thumbs don't reach that far, and it's only really visible to those looking at the device on an angle.

You wouldn't buy your car in a different colour to please those around you, so don't do it with your phone, either.

2. The big screen is addictive

One thing I've struggled with when using other devices is the lack of a really big display. I found that inner screen absolutely indispensable for everything from working on spreadsheets to perusing articles online.

It's seriously useful, and offers something which you won't get from any other common or garden phone. It's also strangely addictive.

I can't entirely put my finger on it, but there's something really rewarding about reading a document or watching content and having the realisation that you don't need to strain your eyes – you can, in fact, just get it on the big screen instead.

3. ... but it's rarely optimised properly

Despite how much I love the big screen, the experience isn't always perfect. Lots of apps and content just aren't tailored to the size or aspect ratio, which can lead to peculiar distortions and stretched content.

Perhaps the most annoying aspect of that is watching video. Anything in a 16:9 or 21:9 aspect ratio is as good as useless – you'd be better off watching on the cover display, as the remaining screen is simply taken up by black bars anyway.

The only saving grace is if you happen to be watching content shot in aspect ratios closer to 1:1 – 4:3 content fills the screen much more and offers significant benefit.

@t3dotcom

♬ original sound - T3

4. Physical differences are gone

One thing which concerned me heading into this experiment was the thickness of the devices. After all, it's effectively two handsets strapped together, and that doesn't sound like the most ergonomic thing.

Fortunately, that's no longer a concern. Okay, it does depend on which device you opt for, but my Honor handset was slim enough to match the majority of slab handsets I compared it with. Even if the specs show a difference, the hand won't feel it.

5. Screen issues aren't always avoidable

The real crux of this whole experiment came when the internal display started to break. As you'll spot in the image above, there's a small black mark appearing on the hinge of the device.

It's hard to tell if that's simply a cluster of dead pixels, or something more sinister arising from a physical defect. I watched it grow on the first day to about its current size, but it has since remained at or about this big.

The crucial thing to note here is that this didn't come as the result of anything in particular. I didn't drop the device, or knock the display in any significant way. In fact, I was simply using the device as normal.

That could be something of a concern, particularly if you'd just shelled out a significant sum for a device of this ilk. There's no telling whether this was a random incident or not, but I'd recommend insurance, regardless.