It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Samsung unveiled the first Galaxy Fold. Things have come a long way in that time, with more durable displays, smaller and smoother hinges, water resistance, and improved software from Samsung and Google in the case of Android 12L. As the technology improves, pricing hasslowlycome down, too. But cost isn’t the only deciding factor for consumers considering a foldable phone.
Cases, PopSockets, screen protectors, and other accessories are important to consumers. Some take a utilitarian approach and only use accessories to keep their devices safe. For many people, though,cases are more about styleand self-expression, so having a wide variety is essential. Thankfully there are plenty of options out there now, for Samsung’s foldables like theGalaxy Z Fold 4at least, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. Folding phones present a range of challenges accessory makers must overcome to accommodate these form factors.
Getting a good fit
With a regular candy bar-style phone, getting a case to stay on the device is easy. It must grip all four sides securely, but foldables throw a wrench in the works. The cases must be made in two pieces — or more — each leaving one end open to accommodate the hinge. This can lead to floppy cases that feel like they’ll fall off the device at any moment. Most case manufacturers make up for this by fitting the case with adhesive strips that stick to the phone and prevent the case from moving around.
Sadly, adhesive use leads to another issue — no reusing the cases. I like to have more than one case for my phone, switching between them based on activity. While that is possible with foldable cases, the adhesive will get weaker each time the case is removed until it eventually won’t work anymore. Case makers like Spigen include spare strips in the box and even sell the strips separately, but even so, regularly removing a case to clean your phone, swap the SIM card, or swap it out with another isn’t something you should do.
This article was produced in partnership with Supcase, but its contents were not shown to the company beforehand. All content is written independentlyand meets Android Police’s stringent editorialstandards.
With the Z Fold 4, things started to change. Slimmer, lightweight cases have been engineered so the adhesive isn’t so important. Most of them still come with the strips included, but that’s more of a precaution than anything else. For example, Samsung’s official S Pen kickstand case holds the phone perfectly even though I’ve removed the sticky pads. Heavier cases, like those made by Supcase and i-Blason, are a different story. The extra weight required to keep the phone safe from big drops and knocks puts more strain on the three sides of the case that hold to the phone, so the adhesive is needed.
And of course, any case that offers hinge protection either needs a big folding flap — like Supcase and i-Blason — or a flexible sheet that will snake in and out of the other side when open or shut. Flexible hinge covers also have the added misfortune of not protecting from edge to edge and can warp, leading to awkward lumps or creases over time.
If you’ve spent any time looking at foldable cases, you’ll have noticed the price. The average Spigen case costs about $20 for a Galaxy S23 Ultra but for a Z Fold 4, that price rockets up to $75 or more. The first and most obvious reason for this is that the cases need to be made in two halves, which doubles the molding cost. Additionally, foldable phones might be getting more popular each year, but the sales are still much smaller than conventional phones, which makes margins tighter. Prices have been coming down each year, but I wouldn’t expect foldable cases to be in the same price bracket as conventional ones anytime soon.
Now, you will find cheap cases online from manufacturers you haven’t heard of, but in our experience, they’re rarely worth it for folding phones. The no-name cases I’ve used always have issues with fit and finish. They either don’t use adhesive or an adhesive that’s not strong enough, and both halves jiggle and shift around the phone as you use it. Another common issue — even on more expensive known-brand cases — is the exact fit around the cover display. Sometimes the case’s front frame cuts off the tiniest sliver of the display, making Android’s back gesture all but impossible to execute. This was the case on some Galaxy Z Fold cases from i-Blason and Supcase, but the company told us this has been fixed for the upcoming generation.
Room to experiment
We’ve looked at the challenges surrounding foldable cases, but it isn’t all doom and gloom. Plenty of case makers have come up with exciting and interesting ways to use the form factor, especially regarding the S Pen. Supcase and i-Blason have found a way to add extra protection to the hinge and integrate the stylus at the same time. When you want the stylus, open the compartment on the hinge and start scribbling. The only downside here is the extra width it adds to the Fold 4 when you’re using the cover screen. Supcase takes the utility even further by adding its signature kickstand to the case, making media consumption a breeze, and it even doubles as a handle.
Samsung made one of my favorite cases of all time for the Fold 4, with the case acting as an S Pen holder, kickstand, and fidget toy all in one. To preserve the easy one-handed use of the cover screen, the S Pen is moved to a pouch on the rear of the case. What makes this case truly special is that this pouch can be removed. The case also comes with a pouch and a kickstand in the box. If you want to watch YouTube while cooking, you can swap the stylus for the kickstand, and the Fold 4 will be at the perfect angle to watch videos. The fidget toy aspect comes from the removal of the two attachments. They both slot in and out of the case with a firm and satisfying click, and repeating this step repeatedly in your pocket is hard to resist.
Flip series cases have experimented with adding keyrings to the back or, in the case of some of our favorite Samsung cases, a strap that holds the device. Straps make holding the larger Galaxy Fold easier for extended periods and can be removed and swapped for different designs. Samsung sells several versions, including some licensed designs from Marvel.
A look to the future
As foldables get better every year, so do the accessories. In the year between the release of the Fold 3 and Fold 4, the improvements made were noticeable. Some lighter cases have been able to forgo adhesive while gripping the phone tightly enough that they don’t wobble around. Cases that do need the extra stickiness haber improved, too, with the glue surviving multiple applications, whereas several Fold 3 cases would need to have the strips replaced if you took the case off even briefly to swap carrier SIM cards.
With theGalaxy Z Fold 5on the horizon and thePixel Foldeven closer, it’s exciting to think about what innovations we’ll see next in this space. For many people, myself included, foldables have made smartphones exciting again for the first time in years, and they’ve done the same thing for the accessory market. As this market segment continues to improve and innovate even morecrazy form factors, I look forward to seeing how accessory makers keep up and explore these new possibilities.
