I have a bad habit of ruining holidays for myself, at least as far as the ones where people usually give gifts. Being an early adopter tends to have that effect. And while I've held myself back a lot more recently than I ever have before, there are definitely still some devices and gadgets out there that have a stronger attraction than others.
Sometimes I can ignore it. And sometimes it's just too strong and I have to check it out.
Of course, whether or not I actually keep the thing is still very much up in the air as it always is. I have a tendency to try something out, and if it doesn't really fit into my daily routine then I either take it back from where I got it or sell it off. The HomePod, for instance. I don't know what it was about the smart speaker that grabbed my attention -- other than the fact the audio performance was lauded ahead of its launch -- but I had to have it.
This is one of the rare devices that didn't go back, though. Yes, Siri still has some learning to do, but honestly for what I use the digital personal assistant for it's just fine. And it does sound great, too. And as I think about early adopting, I think this is the last time that I did it recently. Before that? Probably the Xbox One X or the AirPods -- the latter of which was obviously the riskier bet.
Xiaomi has me thinking about early adopting all over again. The company's co-CEO recently showed off its upcoming folding smartphone and it sure is futuristic. The folding design is pretty cool, as it folds multiple times to get to the smaller display rather than just once. And it does, indeed, look awesome. However, it also makes me want to wait (a long time) before I jump on board the folding phone bandwagon.
First, there's the price. We already know that Samsung's upcoming foldable phone is going to be expensive. And word on the street is that Motorola's upcoming Motorola RAZR folding phone is going to be around $1,500. There's no reason to think that Xiaomi's effort won't be expensive, too -- even if it doesn't quite reach the ceiling those other two companies will reach.
But, honestly, that quick demo of the Xiaomi folding phone really turned me off on the whole idea altogether. At least for now. I prefer to have stable software more than I want first-generation hardware, and watching the video displayed on the phone do some wonky stuff as the device is folded closed was just unappealing to me.
That may be early software, and it could change at launch. Everything could be buttery smooth when it's ready for a public launch. That's possible! But I don't think it's likely. I wouldn't be surprised if we see similar situations with Samsung's and Motorola's upcoming phones, too. Switching orientation on our current phones while playing video can be janky enough already.
I don't now if a folding phone solves any problems or will be worth it in the end, but it's obviously a design trend that's going to be the new normal for the foreseeable future. Even Apple is rumored to have its own plans for this particular design. Which is another reason why I think I can wait on this. It would be cool to be one of the first with a foldable phone, yes, but I'll wait for the wrinkles to be ironed out and the price to come down before I jump on board.
What about you? Do you plan on waiting before you pick up a foldable phone yourself? Let me know!