A
Tablets are useful devices, but their big screens always make them as a burden to carry around without a bag. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a phone with the powers of a tablet that could be folded up and fit neatly into the hand? Now something like a tablet-shaped but foldable phone is about to become available. In February, Samsung and Huawei both introduced foldable phones, The Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X separately, to the public for the first time. Mobile phone use has entered the “foldable future”, The Verge noted.
The technology could change our lives in significant ways. These devices, due to their bendable screens, give us the larger screens we want but still fit easily into the pocket. The technology could change other devices too. For example, we could make TVs that stick to walls like posters, or fold up easily to hide away in drawers, which could help increase available space to the maximum. In a keynote address, Justin Denison, Samsung’s senior vice president, called the foldable screen “the basis for the smartphone of tomorrow”. “It’s a blank canvas (画布) for us to do something beautiful together,” he said.
So is there nothing to stand in the way of the foldable future? According to tech news website Android Authority, the necessary displays were difficult to produce. In 2012, nine out of ten foldable screens produced were defective or unusable. Today, that 10 percent rate has been improved to almost 90 percent. However, at present these foldable devices are expensive. For example, the price of Huawei Mate X is 17, 500 RMB. That's a price that few people will be able to afford.
But if the foldable device isn’t going to change the world overnight, there is no doubt that it is coming. Patrick Moorhead, an industry expert told The Verge, “Few are debating if foldable mobile displays are the future of smartphones; the only question is when and by whom.”
21. What do we know about foldable devices?
A. They are too big to fit into the pocket.
B. They could bring us much convenience.
C. They have become available in January.
D. They are a burden to carry around without a bag.
22. What can we learn from Denison’s words?
A. The foldable screen has great potential.
B. The technology could change other devices too.
C. There must be many problems with the technology.
D. The production of foldable phones will soon increase.
23. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Advantages of foldable phones.
B. The coming of foldable devices.
C. Popular foldable devices on the market.
D. Difficulties in producing foldable phones.
