Ever since tablets and larger smartphones started taking off, developers have been attempting to conceive ways to offer the extra screen space they allow in a more compact device. This has led to the emergence of foldable phones, a concept that is likely to boom in the next few years. Influential industries like the online casino sector could push foldables into the mainstream because they provide a much greater playing surface to enjoy the games.
Casinos Could Play a Big Part in Pushing Foldables
Online casinos can be credited with massively boosting the rise of smartphones. What’s more, the two industries ballooned in size along with each other throughout the 2010s. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that the same thing could happen again with foldables. Now that the most popular casino options like online blackjack have spanned way beyond simple games into multitudinous variants with extra elements, players need larger screens to see everything that happens. Tables like Live Pearl Blackjack and Live Opal Blackjack, in particular, require more space so that the player can view the betting surface and the stream at the same time.
It’s not just blackjack that could benefit from this either. A lot of other casino games have now arguably outgrown the smaller screen. Designed with the portable platform in mind first and foremost, slots still look great on all mobile devices. However, if developers knew that all players were accessing the games from foldables it could lead to even more innovations in the industry.
For example, one of the most recent advancements in slots is the Megaways engine. This is a brand-new function that allows the reels to shift and morph in size as they spin. In doing so, they enable new win lines and provide more than 100,000 ways to match symbols. On a larger screen, this idea reaches new levels. For instance, elements of the slot such as side games played out on one half of the screen while action takes place on the other.
Online casino developers tend to take note of current trends and capitalise on them. If they get a sniff that foldables will soon take off, they will most certainly start to gear their offerings towards them. In turn, this could lead more people to buy foldables as they will want to experience the new casino games designed specifically for them.
Foldables Offer so Much Potential
There’s no doubt that foldables offer a lot of potential even for current casino options. Roulette, for example, is a game with a variety of elements that players need to be able to see at the same time. You’ve got a large betting surface with a wide array of numbers to stake on. But you also need to see the wheel. In live games, it would also be helpful to have the dealer in view, as they act as the host and can help you follow the action. The larger screen of a foldable smartphone would allow all of this to be shown at the same time easily.
The potential of foldable smartphones goes way beyond the online casino sector. Indeed, all other areas of the entertainment industry would be set to benefit from their rise in popularity as well. Along with casinos, the mobile gaming industry played a big part in pushing smartphone use in the last decade. More than 62 percent of smartphone users install a game on their device within the first week of purchase, highlighting just how important this form of entertainment is for the industry.
Over the years, the most successful mobile games have been simplistic titles that can be played in short bursts. Some of the biggest hits of all time include titles like Candy Crush and Angry Birds. They’re easy to get the hang of and have a wide-ranging appeal. The types of games people play on mobile could shift with the rise of foldables, however. The larger screen space would allow developers to create immersive titles that could be more in line with console offerings. The Nintendo Switch was a huge hit because of its portability potential. And there’s a chance that smartphones could begin to compete with devices like this. The latest model from the Japanese company shipped more than 107 million units, underlining its overwhelming popularity.
Outside of gaming, streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and all the others that are emerging would benefit from more people owning foldables as well. It allows them to show more titles in their libraries at the same time. What’s moire, the films and series are also more captivating on a larger screen.
Could Foldables Also Spell the End of the Smartphone Era as We Know it?
The trajectory of the phone industry has mirrored that of the mobile phones that came before smartphones. And that era ended abruptly soon after foldable mobiles became popular. The foldable feels like the ultimate aim for smartphones. It’s hard to think where they could advance beyond that in their current state.
That’s not to say that the smartphone era will end any time soon. It’s still going to take a few years for these foldable devices to go mainstream. And they will likely enjoy use for many years after that. The question is, could getting to this end goal of foldables lead developers to innovate? Maybe the smartphone will soon transcend the handheld device and instead people will use augmented reality glasses to see all the same things they would normally use the mobile for.
Only time will tell whether foldable smartphones will mark the end of an era. It is wise to assume, though, that these devices will be the future of the smartphone industry. When Apple releases its own foldable offering, this type of smartphone could take off massively.
