The Unfashionable Truth About The Return Of The Flip Phone

The Unfashionable Truth About The Return Of The Flip Phone

If there’s one thing that ruins a man’s outfit more than anything, it’s a bulge. No, not the kind that can earn you interest from Cosmo, or looks of jealousy from other guys, but pocket bulge.

Stuffing too much into the pockets of your pants not only ruins the overall aesthetic of your look, with any lines you’re trying to achieve being disrupted, but it can ruin your clothes by constantly stretching them. While it may be pretty simple to slim down everyday items such as a wallet, replacing a bifold or trifold with a much cleaner cardholder, the same can’t always be said for phones.

While smartphone manufacturers consistently strive to produce devices that are as slim as possible, the amount of tech that goes inside them obviously requires a certain amount of space. The result is a phone that increases in size year after year, and one that becomes increasingly more difficult to house when out and about.

That’s where flip phones come in. Their aim is to offer a similar smartphone experience, but with the ability to fold down into a more manageable shape. The flip phone design was incredibly popular during its peak in the early 2000s, with owners particularly liking the fact you could flick it open or slam it shut when wanting to make a call, or wanting to abruptly hang up on somebody if a conversation became heated.

Following the introduction of smartphones, however, we’ve now become accustomed to big-screen, rectangular devices instead. Samsung and Motorola are now hoping the nostalgic feel brought back by the Z Flip and Razr respectively could see a sway in direction once again, and bring with it devices that are easier to find a home for.

Or at least, that’s the theory.

While we haven’t been able to get our hands on the latest flip device, the Galaxy Z Flip, to see if it does indeed offer the same performance as a ‘regular’ rectangular smartphone, we can be pretty certain it won’t be as pocketable as you think.

Stick a smartphone in the front pocket of your pants and you’ll instantly see it protruding out from your thigh. If you wear slim or loose fit pants then it won’t be as noticeable as if you wear skinny fit jeans or chinos, but there’s no denying the lines are there. And that’s caused by phones that are usually less than 10mm thick.

The Galaxy Z Flip meanwhile comes in with a similar thickness when unfolded, but when it’s folded shut and in your pocket, its depth increases to a huge 17.3mm. Sure, its overall form is a small square and it will reduce the amount of length in your pants, but as a compromise, you’ll get more girth.

Whether or not this bothers you comes down entirely to preference. You may find that the smaller, folded form is perfect to slip into your pocket. For us, we’re not so sure. When you sit down, your pants are stretched due to the bend in your knee. With a flip phone in your pocket and their not-so-svelte frames, the material is going to be stretched even further. A big no-no in our book.