Many companies bring out their wildest and wackiest concepts for tradeshows, and MWC 2025 was no different.
Lenovo had multiple laptop concepts: the Yoga Solar PC, the ThinkBook "Flip," a 3D-screen laptop, and a multi-screen concept for the Lenovo MagicBay ecosystem.
MediaTek and Xiaomi focused on the autonomous vehicle trend for MWC, and Anker opted for a solar-powered jacket concept that would charge devices from the built-in solar cells.
Samsung brought out Project Moohan but kept the highly anticipated headset behind glass at the company's main booth for the show.
But Samsung's Display team wasn't to be outdone. Between screens that crumpled and bulged to trifold smartphones, to a foldable handheld, the Samsung Display booth was a wonder for the eyes and a nightmare for my brain.
While I understand that many of my tech colleagues were fascinated by the Samsung Flip Gaming handheld concept, I can't stop looking at it for all the wrong reasons.
I have so many thoughts about this handheld
The Flip Gaming handheld concept is a foldable gaming handheld that utilizes Samsung's foldable OLED technology.
From a conceptual perspective, it makes sense for Samsung's display team to put foldable displays in all possible devices. Plus, Samsung manufactures the OLED screens used in the Steam Deck OLED.
And everyone loves gaming handhelds, so obviously, the Flip Gaming was going to find a solid audience at a mobile tech show.
But the Flip Gaming, unfortunately, looks like it's a pre-broken Nintendo Switch.
The D-pad and action buttons are designed to be circular, with open holes to allow the joysticks to slot into the opening at the opposite side once the handheld is closed.
While it makes sense to let the handheld fold flat, I can't help but think the gaping holes in between key control buttons on a handheld would be an absolute disaster while gaming.
The bright green and yellow colors and square buttons on the bottom of the handheld's handgrips aren't helping the Nintendo comparisons, considering the design of the Switch 2.
But perhaps my biggest issue with understanding the Flip Gaming is the foldable display. Sure, a handheld that can fold in half is theoretically more portable, but it doesn't offer much of a value to the handheld to have the screen fold in half.
Foldable smartphones at least have a front-facing display when folded, so you still have some phone functionality with the device folded. Samsung's Z Fold has a full display, while the Flip has a half-display that works more like the flip phones of the early 2000s.
But the Flip Gaming concept doesn't add anything to your gaming experience by folding, except offering a distracting crease in the middle and putting a shiny new failure point in the handheld design.
Samsung Display had several foldable concepts at MWC
The Flip Gaming concept was far from Samsung's only MWC concept. The Samsung Display booth also featured the Flex G and Flex S tri-fold smartphone concepts, which would theoretically give you a massive tablet-sized display when fully unfolded.
Combined together, all of the concepts at the Samsung Display booth reminded me of the phrase "just because you can, it doesn't mean you should."
Sure, you get a larger main display with the Flex concepts, and they have the same number of screens as the existing Fold and Flip phones. However, the trifold concepts add another hinge, offering another failure point and crease. They also increase the carrying footprint of the Fold by making it 3x as thick as a standard smartphone, while the Fold is just 2x the thickness.
Much like a trifold wallet, sometimes you just have to accept that fewer folds are better.
Then again, what are trade shows for except housing bonkers tech concepts? And the Flip Gaming certainly fits the bill as a wacky tradeshow concept idea.
Who knows, maybe if enough people think a foldable handheld is a good idea, Samsung will make an actual production model of the Flip Gaming handheld.
More from Laptop Mag
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