Samsung explains why the Z Flip’s cover screen is so small. Expanding the cover screen, which is the tiny display on the exterior of the foldable phone, was one of the most significant design modifications that Samsung made between the first-generation Galaxy Z Flip and the Z Flip 3, which was released a year ago and was a smashing hit.
It used to be a little location for notification alerts, but now it’s a bigger space where you can respond to messages, make phone conversations, manage your smart home, and even shoot selfies. Samsung almost quadrupled the size of that additional screen, making it possible to accomplish all of those things.
Fans are clamoring for a larger cover screen with room for bigger widgets, a keyboard, or even the possibility to run entire applications, but for others, it is still not enough. Some fans believe that it is still not enough. There is also a well-known third-party program called CoverScreen OS that makes an attempt to deliver on that promise by cramming a complete app tray and keyboard onto the display of a device that is otherwise rather small.
At the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) technology conference that took place in Berlin this year, I had the opportunity to speak with Yoojin Hong, the executive vice president and head of the user experience (UX) team at the Mobile Experience business unit of Samsung Electronics. She informed me that the condensed, 1.9-inch outer display is the optimal option “for now.”
Hong explained that the decision to use a small display on the first-generation Flip was driven by a desire to help it blend in with the rest of the phone’s design. As a result, the larger version did not follow until after Samsung’s industrial design team had settled on a two-tone finish for the follow-up phone, with space for the screen to blend in seamlessly. Hong also stated that the decision to use a small display on the first-generation Flip was driven by a desire to help it blend in.
Hong stated that Samsung has examined a bigger cover screen, maybe one that covers the whole front side of the phone, and described the present iteration as a “compromise” based on a few variables. Hong called the current version of the phone a “compromise”
To begin, the design aspect is of the utmost importance to Samsung. The company believes that the primary selling point of Flip is the fact that it enables users to “express themselves.” This feature is most evident in the newly added capability to use user-created images, gifs, and even videos as cover screen wallpapers.
This is not a phone in which the specifications are likely to drive the design any time in the near future, and as a result, Samsung will not adopt a bigger screen unless it discovers a design that is suitable for it.
As Hong noted, another major issue is the device’s battery, and it is easy to see why. The Z Flip 3’s most significant drawback was its short battery life, and even though the Z Flip 4 from this year is an improvement in some respects, you shouldn’t buy this phone in the hopes that it will last you a long time. Displays are one of the most significant drains on battery life, and a bigger outside panel might undermine all of the hard work that Samsung put into optimizing the Flip 4 to have longer battery life.
For the time being, Samsung’s competitors are divided. The Huawei P50 Pocket has a circular display on the outside, albeit it is a tiny bit more compact than the displays on Flip 3 and 4. In comparison, the more contemporary Motorola Razr 2022 has a screen that is somewhat roomy 2.7 inches in size; but, in terms of functionality, it does not differ much from the Samsung version in many respects.
There is no doubt that Samsung’s design team will also be feeling smug about their approach in comparison to Motorola’s, which sees its large display dropped awkwardly into the center of the phone, with a thick and uneven bezel surrounding it. Samsung’s approach, on the other hand, places the display in a more natural position on the sides of the device.
For my part, I really hope that Samsung would resist the urge to alter a lot, and especially not for the purpose of trying to stay up with the other companies in the industry. The cover screen of the Z Flip is slim and understated, and it provides sufficient room for the most important information without detracting from the overall design.
Equally as essential is the fact that it has altered the manner in which I use my phone, as it does for others as well. According to Samsung, owners of S21 smartphones in the United States use their devices for an average of 4.7 hours per day, while owners of Flip smartphones use their devices for 3.4 hours per day.
There is no question that the small cover screen is the key to that boost in well-being. It enables you to scan alerts and choose to ignore them, which enables you to keep your phone securely flipped closed until you actually need it.
It’s possible that the idea of a bigger exterior display would first seem intriguing, but if that happens, the Flip will simply be another phone.