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Global foldable smartphone shipments increased by just 2.9% YoY in 2024, and shipments are expected to decline by about 4% YoY in 2025.
(www.counterpointresearch.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
The flip style ones are pretty useless other than getting a preview on the main cameras.
The fold style, especially a trifold, seems pretty useful, and lets you basically carry around a decent size tablet in your pocket.
I definitely wouldn't call it a gimmick, although the price and durability tradeoffs are nowhere near worth it for 99% of people.
As someone who had a Samsung Flip3, I miss how easy it was to carry it around. It didn't feel like a brick that I had to take out of my pocket every time I needed to check my notifications. It was also surprisingly durable. Price is the main downside of these phones.
There's a fair chance I'll buy another one in the future if I have enough money when switching phones.