The early days of mobile phones were a time when style couldn’t be part of the equation. From carrying around a suitcase-sized tool for communication up to the famous Nokia bricks, function came first, and style was difficult to express. In the modern era of the smartphone, this world couldn’t be more different.
Today, the wide variety of different mobile form factors and designs means there’s something for everyone. From those concerned only with simplicity to those who wear their professional demands on their sleeves, mobiles can serve as a perfect expression of who you are. So, what’s out there, and how can the right choice be dictated by your personal use case?
A Fit for Everything
Casual mobile users don’t need to weigh many different requirements of phones, as performance in most common tasks is similar across most standard slate systems. For an illustration of what we mean, consider the demands placed on a mobile in an online slot game like Rainbow Riches. Playing this 20 payline slot 95% RTP slot doesn’t require much processing power, as it’s well-optimised even for less-capable systems. It also doesn’t need a lot of bandwidth, so 5G isn’t necessary. These types of demands are typical, in which case style can often be reduced to whatever you think looks best. Whether Apple or Android, as long as you’re not tied to a specific ecosystem, anything’s on the table.
Size Matters
There was a time, before the advent of the smartphone, when we joked that phones would continue to shrink ever-smaller. While the need for touch screens put a damper on this idea, newer flip phones have brought it back into the mainstream. Some of these phones, like the Total Wireless LG Classic Flip accomplish this by falling back to an older style keypad/screen design. Others, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 Flip, lean on cutting-edge flexible screens to extend smaller systems up to a full-sized slate-style display. If you’re the type of person constantly struggling with small pockets, or just want a low-profile device, these are a great place to start.
A Busy Lifestyle
Professionals with constant and inescapable work demands have likely experienced the frustration of trying to work on regularly-sized mobiles. In simple terms, a normal slate phone is too cramped to be of real use in most work applications. Solving this issue means taking the opposite side of the flip equation with a folding phone.
Rather than starting at half-size, folding phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 begin as slightly thicker than normal-sized slate phones and then open like a book to double screen size. This vastly increases their multitasking potential, making them far greater fits for professionals on the go. Of course, this also means they’re not as discrete, but if your style puts function first, they’re worth a look.
Mobile ubiquity is an inescapable part of modern life, no matter who you are or what you do. Love it or hate it, this does at least provide us with an opportunity to express ourselves as we adopt mobiles in our daily carry. Just remember that you don’t need to feel limited by the ordinary, as the market is constantly exploring new ideas that might reflect your style and needs. Most of all, understand the right choice is the one which makes you happy, not one that conforms to current trends.
