OPPO Exec Questions Foldable Phone User Experience

With all the hype around the new foldable phone technology I am asking myself "why" and by the sounds of it so is this OPPO Exec.

Oppo VP Brian Shen took to Weibo today to unveil the company’s foldable phone concept. It looks like the same kit used by Huawei and it’s unclear if Oppo will release the device. Shen notes the company doesn’t think a foldable phone improves the user experience, which is why the company is hesitant to move the device into production.

This is a smart move from the Chinese phone company.

While OPPO isn't a mobile device company in the US they are very popular in AsiaPacific and in a way I share his concerns.  For instance we have all witnessed "tech for the sake of tech", we had an entire year where motherboards were gold colored, and we’ve seen the rise and fall of the dedicated overclocking motherboard and the slowly escalating competition to add more stuff to motherboards including RGB and watercooling components.

These I would view as advances for the sake of advancement.  They do nothing to improve the user experience of a motherboard beyond the niche market for which they are designed and most of them ended up being partially responsible for the downfall of the custom enthusiast motherboard market.

Will foldable phones meet the same end??  I think yes.

Thing is, right now companies are dealing with the peer pressure from "vocal" consumers who are attacking companies who haven't been playing follow the leader.  It will be interesting to see how this situation "unfolds" and if we are lucky Oppo VP Brian Shen can say "Told you so".

Related Web URL: https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/25/oppo-executive-q...