It was in the first months of 2012 that I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note, the first Galaxy Note, whose screen had a diagonal of 5.3 inches. At the time, the Galaxy Note seemed huge, it was something never seen before. Little did we know that just ten years later there would be virtually no cell phones of this size, and sometimes I miss the experience of a compact cell phone.
Because today it is very difficult to find a small cell phone (although it is not impossible), even Apple abandoned the iPhone Mini because they were not sold. I have an almost 7-inch cell phone in my pocket and I consider it the most normal thing in the world, but as a fan of cell phones, and as I am also nostalgic, I wanted to try vLive the experience of using a truly compact mobile today, with access to all my favorite apps. And I found the solution to this need in foldable cell phones.
Use the external screen of a Galaxy Z Flip 5 as a compact mobile
When I upgraded to the first Galaxy Note with its 5.3-inch screen, I was coming from a Motorola Milestone, with a 3.7-inch screen. The change was notable, I would even say impressive, since at that time I felt that the Note was closer to the experience of a tablet than that of a mobile phone (in 2012 I could not have imagined that a few years later I would). only use cell phones larger than 6 inches).
The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s external display measures 3.4 inches, just a bit smaller than the Milestone (3.7), and in fact, It is almost the same size as the screen of the first iPhonewhich had a diagonal of 3.5 inches.
Could I live in 2024 exclusively using such a small screen? Would apps and mobile phones allow me to do this?
The screen of the first iPhone measured 3.5 inches. The external screen of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 measures 3.4 inches.
Remember that not only are mobile phones bigger than ever, but applications are also designed, in general, for modern screens. Samsung limits the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s external display to access only a handful of apps, but using Good Lock, Samsung’s extreme customization app, we can access virtually any application from this screen. On the other hand, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra allows you to use applications from the external screen without installing anything.
Yes, in general it is possible to only use the screen of a foldable clamshell, but…
By using such a small screen, space is more limited, which makes certain experiences less comfortable, for example when writing on your mobile. What we see on these lines is the experience of writing a message on the external screen
Watch videos on YouTube or even episodes of a series on Netflix and any streaming app this is not a problem. Yes, it’s a smaller screen, but it’s possible, and I can even read the subtitles, if necessary.
Also It is possible to use Google Maps and see the route to my destination, and I can even view content on social media, read and post tweets, or whatever posts on X (Twitter) are currently called. Instagram, on the other hand, is not so user-friendly on this screen: posts don’t scale correctly.
From left to right:
Everything is smaller, the space is much smaller, but after a week of use I was able to draw some conclusions:
- Yes, it is possible to use only the external screen of a foldable flip mobile phone. However, It is not possible to do this exclusivelysome apps and features are simply not available on the external display.
- Many applications have an interface that adapts correctly to smaller screens like that of the Flip 5, and not just to larger screens, like the internal screen of a “Fold” type folding mobile.
- And above all, on the days when I limited myself to using the external screen as much as possible, I used my cell phone less timeand this in an age where we are connected and “online” all the time is appreciated.
Even though I managed to use the phone this way for a week, I couldn’t keep the exclusivity because some apps simply prevented me from doing so: Tidal, for example, doesn’t let me browse the music catalog from the external screen. I also cannot make phone calls from this screen and with the mobile “closed”, nor can I make payments through banking applications with the mobile.
After completing this experience, it is clear to me that although I don’t think I will force myself to use only the external screen of a foldable cell phone again, this experience has only reinforce the fact that clamshell or clamshell style foldables are my favorite format. With an internal screen of almost 7 inches, the possibility of making it more compact while still being able to use it is something that I find very useful and above all practical.
Pictures | Alejandro Alcolea for Xataka
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