利用者:Surgematrix/sand24
折りたたみ型スマートフォン（英: Foldable smartphone）は、折り畳むことができるスマートフォンのことである。かつてはヒンジ上に複数のタッチスクリーンを使うことで折り畳みの実現を目指していたが、現在ではフレキシブル・ディスプレイが主流である。 Concepts of such devices date back as early as Nokia's "Morph" concept in 2008, and a concept presented by Samsung Electronics in 2013 (as part of a larger set of concepts utilizing flexible OLED displays), while the first commercially available folding smartphones with OLED displays began to emerge in November 2018.
Some devices may fold out on a vertical axis to into a wider, tablet-like form, but are still usable in a smaller, folded state; the display may either wrap around to the back of the device when folded (as with the Royole Flexpai and Huawei Mate X), or use a booklet-like design where the larger, folded screen is located on the interior, and a screen on its "cover" allows the user to interact with the device without opening it (such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold). Horizontally-folding smartphones have also been produced, typically using a clamshell form factor.
The first generation of commercially-released foldable smartphones faced concerns over their durability, as well as their high prices.[1][2][3][4]
History
[編集]2006年、ポリマービジョンはモバイルワールドコングレス(MWC)で、巻き取り型ディスプレイを採用した携帯電話、電子書籍リーダー「Readius」を発表した[5][6][7]。
2008年、ノキアは『Morph』と名付けられたフレキシブル・デバイスをアニメーションで発表した｡Morphはパンフレットのよう折り畳めるデザインで、折り畳んでいない状態、フィーチャーフォン形態、スマートリストバンド形態など、さまざまな形に折り曲げられた。2019年のCNETによる回顧記事では、Morphは市販されている折りたたみ式携帯電話の草分け的存在であると同時に、これからの将来の可能性を指し示すものであると指摘している[8]。
2011年、京セラは3.5インチのタッチスクリーンを2つ搭載したデュアルタッチスクリーンのAndroidスマートフォン『Echo』を発表した。下の画面に上の画面が重なり合うことで折り畳まれる。 In 2011, Kyocera released a dual-touchscreen Android smartphone known as the Echo, which featured a pair of 3.5-inch touchscreens. When folded, the top screen continued to face the user while covering the secondary screen. Two individual apps could be shown on the displays, a single app could span across them, while specific apps also featured "optimized" two-pane layouts.[9][10] Two years later, NEC released the Medias W in Japan. Unlike the Echo, the secondary screen could be folded behind the phone. The camera rotated with the screen so that the same sensor could face both forward and rear [11] In 2017, ZTE released the Axon M with a similar hinge to the Medias W. ZTE stated that the more powerful hardware of modern smartphones, and improvements to multitasking and tablet support on Android, helped to improve this experience.[12]
The development of thin, flexible OLED displays enabled the possibility for new designs and form factors. During its Consumer Electronics Show keynote in 2013, Samsung presented several concepts—codenamed Youm—for smartphones incorporating flexible displays. One such concept was a smartphone that could fold outward into a single, uninterrupted tablet-sized display. The first Youm concept to make it to a production model was the Galaxy Note Edge—a phablet with a portion of the screen that sloped over the right-hand bezel.[13][14][15][16]
Speculation surrounding the development of folding phones using OLED displays began to emerge more rapidly in 2018. In January 2018, it was reported that LG Electronics had obtained a design patent for a folding smartphone.[17] Later in June, it was reported that Microsoft had been developing a similar device as part of its Surface line, codenamed "Andromeda" (itself a spiritual successor to a dual-screen booklet tablet prototype Microsoft had been exploring in the late-2000s known as Courier),[18][19] while Samsung was also said to be developing such a device.[20]
In November 2018, the Chinese startup Royole released the first commercially available foldable smartphone with an OLED display, the Royole Flexpai. It featured a single 7.8-inch display that folds outwards, leaving the display exposed when folded.[21] Later that month at its developers' conference, Samsung officially teased a prototype of its folding smartphone, which would be produced "in the coming months". The prototype used a booklet-style layout, with an "InfinityFlex" display located on the inside of the device, and a smaller "cover" screen on the front of the device to allow access when the screen is closed.[22] At a concurrent developers' summit, Android VP of engineering Dave Burke stated that the next version of the platform would provide enhancements and guidance relevant to folding devices, leveraging existing features.[23]
In January 2019, Xiaomi CEO Lin Bin published a video on Sina Weibo, featuring him demonstrating a prototype smartphone with two flaps capable of being folded inward.[24] Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy Fold during its media event at Mobile World Congress in February 2019.[25] Alongside the Galaxy Fold, the convention also saw other foldable phones being unveiled or teased, such as the Huawei Mate X,[26] and TCL presenting various prototype concepts featuring its "DragonHinge" technology (including a bracelet-styled device).[27] LG did not unveil a folding device, citing a desire to focus more on re-gaining market share in the smartphone market. It did, however, unveil a "Dual Screen" case accessory for its LG V50 smartphone—a folio-styled case containing a secondary display panel inside.[28]
Other companies expressed interest in the concept, or have received patents on designs (such as hinge implementations and overall designs) relating to foldable phones. Motorola Mobility had received patents for a horizontal folding smartphone reminiscent of clamshell feature phones.[29][30][31]
In April 2019, the impending launch of the Galaxy Fold was met with quality concerns from critics, after widespread reports of review units experiencing varying forms of display failure (in some instances caused by accidental removal of a plastic layer meant to protect the screen in lieu of glass, along with other failures). Samsung indefinitely postponed the device's release, stating that it needed time to investigate the failures and improve the device's durability.[3][32] Huawei also delayed its Mate X, with the company citing its desire to take a "cautious" approach due to the Galaxy Fold.[33][34]
In November 2019, Motorola unveiled its horizontal-folding Razr—inspired by its former Razr feature phone line released on 6 February 2020.[35] [36] Samsung also announced a similar device known as the Galaxy Z Flip.[37]
Components
[編集]Display materials
[編集]Foldable smartphones typically use flexible, plastic OLED displays rather than glass (such as Corning's Gorilla Glass product, which is used in the majority of mid and high-end smartphones). Plastic displays are naturally capable of sustaining the required bend radius for a foldable smartphone, but they are more susceptible to blemishes and scratches than traditional glass smartphone displays. Although Corning does produce a flexible glass product known as Willow Glass, the company states that its manufacturing process requires use of a salt solution—thus making it unsuitable for electronic displays because the salt can damage the transistors used in OLED panels (which are built directly on the panel). Nonetheless, the company stated in March 2019 that it was in the process of developing a flexible glass suitable for smartphones, which would be 1 mm (0.039 in) thick and have a 5 mm (0.20 in) bend radius.[38]
Samsung marketed its Galaxy Z Flip as featuring 30μm (0.0012 in)-thick "ultra-thin glass" with a plastic layer similar to the Galaxy Fold, manufactured by Samsung with materials from Schott AG, which is "produced using an intensifying process to enhance its flexibility and durability", and injected with a "special material up to an undisclosed depth to achieve a consistent hardness". A stress test by YouTube channel JerryRigEverything showed the screen was scratched when rubbed with a pick with a Mohs rating of 2 (in comparison, most smartphones tested by the channel begin to experience scratches with 5 and 6-rated picks), placing its durability in line with other folding phones. However, The Verge did note Samsung's statement that the device contained a protective polymer layer similar to that of the Galaxy Fold.[2][39]
References
[編集]- ^ Chen, Brian X. (2020年2月11日). “Foldable Phones Are Here. Do We Really Want Them?” (英語). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 2020年2月20日閲覧。
- ^ a b Welch, Chris (2020年2月16日). “Galaxy Z Flip durability test calls Samsung's Ultra Thin "Glass" into question” (英語). The Verge. 2020年2月20日閲覧。
- ^ a b “Samsung delays Galaxy Fold indefinitely: "We will take measures to strengthen the display"”. The Verge (22 April 2019). 22 April 2019閲覧。
- ^ Detwiler, Bill. “Foldable phones: Why you should wait for a folding 5G Apple iPhone” (英語). ZDNet. 2020年2月20日閲覧。
- ^ Lim, Andrew (2007年3月8日). “Photos: Polymer Vision's Readius with rollable display” (英語). CNET. 2019年4月23日閲覧。
- ^ “Polymer Vision Video of READIUS”. 2020年12月31日閲覧。
- ^ “Readius demo”. 2020年12月31日閲覧。
- ^ Hiner, Jason. “If the foldable phones of the future look like this, count me in” (英語). CNET. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ “ZTE's dual-screen Axon M is fascinating and flawed”. Engadget. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ Kaser, Rachel (17 October 2017). “ZTE actually built a folding phone that looks legit”. The Next Web. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ “NEC's Medias W global prototype spotted: 4.3-inch Android phone or 5.6-inch tablet? (hands-on)”. Engadget. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ Seifert, Dan (2017年10月17日). “ZTE's Axon M has two screens and a hinge”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ “The Galaxy Note Edge: Samsung's first smartphone with a bent display”. Engadget. 7 January 2015閲覧。
- ^ D'Orazio, Dante (2013年1月9日). “Samsung shows off flexible OLED phone prototype (hands-on)”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Blagdon, Jeff (2013年1月9日). “Samsung shows off curved phone prototype using flexible display”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Ghoshal, Abhimanyu (4 September 2018). “Samsung's making a foldable phone so we can all stop sharing this shitty screengrab”. The Next Web. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ Ong, Thuy (2018年1月19日). “LG patents a folding phone that morphs into a tablet”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Greene, Jay. “The inside story of how Microsoft killed its Courier tablet” (英語). CNET. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Warren, Tom (2018年6月29日). “Microsoft details secret 'pocketable' Surface device in leaked email”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Orphanides, K. G. (2018年9月4日). “Samsung is making a folding phone... but how will it work?”. Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Statt, Nick (2018年11月5日). “We tried the world's first folding phone, and it actually works”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Tibken, Shara. “Samsung's foldable phone is real and opens into a tablet”. CNET. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ Bohn, Dieter (2018年11月7日). “Google says Android will natively support "foldables" to limit fragmentation”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Warren, Tom (2019年1月23日). “Xiaomi's folding phone is the best we've seen so far”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Dunn, Jeff (2019年2月20日). “Samsung's foldable phone is finally official—meet the Galaxy Fold” (英語). Ars Technica. 2019年2月23日閲覧。
- ^ Savov, Vlad (24 February 2019). “Huawei's Mate X foldable phone is a thinner 5G rival to the Galaxy Fold”. The Verge. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ Savov, Vlad (2019年2月24日). “TCL's foldable phone prototype is untouchable for now”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Savov, Vlad (2019年2月24日). “LG's answer to the foldable mania is a second screen”. The Verge. 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ “Possible RAZR drawings spotted in latest Motorola hardware patent”. GSMArena.com. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ La, Lynn. “Galaxy Fold is just the beginning. There are a bunch of foldable phones coming our way”. CNET. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ Dolcourt, Jessica. “Future phones could bend and fold like this”. CNET. Template:Cite webの呼び出しエラー：引数 accessdate は必須です。
- ^ Martin, Timothy W. (2019年4月22日). “Samsung's Galaxy Fold Smartphone Release Delayed” (英語). Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660 2019年4月22日閲覧。
- ^ Byford, Sam (2019年8月15日). “Huawei delays Mate X launch beyond September”. The Verge. 2019年8月15日閲覧。
- ^ Vincent, James (2019年6月14日). “Huawei delays launch of foldable Mate X, blames Samsung not Trump”. The Verge. 2019年8月15日閲覧。
- ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (2019年11月13日). “Motorola resurrects the Razr as a foldable Android smartphone” (英語). The Verge. 2020年2月20日閲覧。
- ^ https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/7/21127955/motorola-razr-foldable-phone-buy-verizon-store-hard-to-find
- ^ “Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review” (英語). PCMAG. 2020年2月20日閲覧。
- ^ “Corning Is Developing Gorilla Glass for Foldable Phones” (英語). PCMAG. 2020年2月20日閲覧。
- ^ Tibken, Shara. “Samsung confirms Z Flip's display really uses glass that's only 30 microns thin” (英語). CNET. 2020年2月20日閲覧。