Foldable fatigue: why manufacturers are obsessed with a crease that no one wants

The relentless pursuit of a truly flat foldable screen has become the dominant obsession in the smartphone industry, a strangely focused effort despite user preferences suggesting a more pragmatic approach.

The crease conundrum – it’s not about perfection, it’s about perception

For years, foldable phones have been plagued by a noticeable crease in the inner display. While improvements have been made – Oppo’s Find N series, for example, has significantly minimized this visual imperfection – the reality remains: consumers aren’t clamoring for a flawlessly flat experience. Yet, manufacturers are laser-focused on eradicating it, often at the expense of other desirable features.

It's a peculiar strategy, driven by a desire to project an image of technological dominance, rather than genuinely addressing user needs. Early foldables were, frankly, atrocious – fragile and marred by prominent creases. They found their niche with a specific audience: tech enthusiasts seeking a large screen for multitasking and early adopters willing to tolerate compromises for the novelty.

Beyond the crease: a lost opportunity?

The trajectory shifted with recent advancements. Foldables have become thinner, stronger, and more powerful. The Oppo Find N5 (precursor to the current N6) demonstrated that the flagship foldable experience wasn't exclusively tied to a traditional slab design. But the obsession with the crease persists. Now, we’re at a crossroads, and manufacturers are grappling with a critical question: what’s next?

The options are numerous – boosting battery capacity to 8,000-9,000 mAh, incorporating quad-camera systems, optimizing display brightness, refining audio quality, or concentrating on thermal management. However, the prevailing narrative centers around achieving that elusive, creaseless display.

And it’s not just Oppo. Rumors suggest Apple and Samsung are equally fixated on this “completely flat inner screen” ambition. This singular focus, however, carries a significant cost. Every feature prioritized means another one inevitably gets sidelined. Samsung, for instance, may delay upgrades to key components, like the M14 OLED material, for a third consecutive year – a noticeable sacrifice for the sake of a theoretically flawless display.

Perhaps there's a middle ground. A creaseless foldable remains a distant, expensive prospect. But the 2025-2026 models, with their noticeably reduced creases, offer a perfectly acceptable compromise. Let’s be blunt: the current generation of foldables, with their imperfections, already deliver a compelling experience. It seems we’re perfectly content to live with a small crease, and frankly, obsessing over a phantom flatness is a distraction from what actually matters.