TIMES BANYUWANGI, JAKARTA – Foldable phones are now entering the maturity phase. The hinge is getting stronger, the screen creases are getting smaller, the design is thinner, and the operating system has been optimized for flexible screens. In 2025, foldable devices will no longer be considered experimental products, but consumer devices that are ready for everyday use.
However, the biggest challenge is no longer about the hinge or design, but battery life. A number of tests show that most book-style folding cellphones can only last around 6 to 6.5 hours of active use—a figure that is considered mediocre compared to conventional cellphones.
Smartphone experts from phonereview and several smartphone sites found that several models such as the Huawei Mate X7 and Mate XT Ultimate performed better thanks to the use of large capacity silicon-carbon batteries in a smaller space. Meanwhile, flip models of foldable cellphones tend to be more efficient because their screen size is smaller. In fact, a number of flip foldables were able to reach more than 7 hours of use, with the Honor Magic V Flip 2 recording the best results.
Even so, the test patterns show one important thing: differences in design, chipset and battery capacity no longer have a significant impact on increasing endurance. This indicates that folding phones are starting to touch the physical limits of their design.
Increasing battery capacity is not an absolute solution. Many foldable phones are now equipped with batteries above 5,600 mAh, but the power consumption of large, high-resolution screens and heat dissipation problems means their efficiency is limited. The screen is actually the most “power hungry” component, especially on book and tri-fold models that have more than one active panel.
On the other hand, the super thin design trend is also a trap. Manufacturers’ efforts to make foldable phones as thin as regular phones leave very limited space for batteries and other supporting components. This device is difficult to make thicker without sacrificing its main appeal.
Software optimization and chipset efficiency still help, but their impact is getting smaller. The semiconductor industry is also approaching the limits of physical miniaturization. This means that the battery challenges in foldable phones are no longer just a matter of technical engineering, but are a direct consequence of their shape.
In short, today’s foldable phones do not lack innovation, but rather face a natural limit that is difficult for their design to break through.
| Reporter | |
| : Rochmat Shobirin | Editor |
