Era of Dual Screen Smartphones – Changing the Way We Experience Digital Health
My Hands-on Experience with Dual Screen Smartphone – LG Dual Screen Phone
Finally, I could lay my hands of on an LG Dual Screen Smartphone to seriously evaluate the digital health experience on one new emerging form factor for smart phones. Here’s my journey and my views on which smartphones stake up the best.
Product Developments and Experience From the Past
In 2008-09, Intel started prototying tablets for medical applications to promote their products for healthcare applications adoption. Intel’s products though ahead of the time, were still meant that the clinicians could only use them in the hospital settings. Fast forward to 2013-14, Apple introduced its new range of iPhones and iPads. One of the start ups that I had invested and mentored used Apple hardware to promote its apps and services to the doctors. The limitations of the Apple ecosystem to allow third party Apps and integrations led us to work around with a concierge model to support our doctors. However poor quality and customer support was the final nail in the coffin for Apple as far as I am concerned in 2016. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rip-bad-apple-kapil-khandelwal
With Apple out of the way, we collaborated with Microsoft and Samsung for our healthcare Apps. The journey has been very positive. Also the collaboration between Microsoft and Samsung affirmed out belief that the future would be driven by these with the launch of Microsoft Surface Duo and Samsung range of dual screen smartphones, the whole experience from the clinician and consumers for digital health would be a shift in the new paradigm. Apple is now practically dead as it has not shown its intent to move with the times and its innovation for which it was known for is lagging behind Microsoft and Samsung. Moreover from the customer point of view the price to features provided by Apple is very high and not affordable for the masses.
We have been working with Microsoft to ship a few of their Surface Duo phones to test the whole clinician and consumer experience on digital health. While we were waiting for this, we tested out the Samsung Galaxy range. Out of the blue comes LG which launched is foldable range of phones. Recently, I got a LG phone and rigorously tested it for such experience. The table below summaries the details and my verdict.
Comparisons
| Specifications | Microsoft (Surface) | Samsung Galaxy Foldable Phone | LG Foldable Phone |
| Display | |||
| Size | 7.3 inches | 6.4 inches | 8.1 inches |
| Resolution | 2152 x 1536 pixels, 362 PPI | 2340 x 1080 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio, 403 PPI | 2700 x 1800 pixels, 3:2 ratio, 401 PPI |
| Technology | Dynamic AMOLED | OLED | AMOLED |
| Screen-to-body | 85.79 % | 83.41 % | 71.93 % |
| Hardware | |||
| System chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SM8150 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SM8150 |
| Processor | Octa-core, 2840 MHz, Kryo 485, 64-bit, 7 nm | Octa-core, 2840 MHz, Kryo 485, 64-bit, 7 nm | Octa-core, 2840 MHz, Kryo 485, 64-bit, 7 nm |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Adreno 640 | Adreno 640 |
| RAM | 6GB LPDDR4 | 12GB LPDDR4 | 6GB LPDDR4 |
| Storage | 128GB (UFS 3.0), not expandable | 512GB (UFS 3.0), available to use: 461.8 GB, not expandable | 128GB, available to use: 102.8 GB |
| OS | Android (10) | Android 10, Samsung One UI | Android 10 |
| Biometrics | Fingerprint (touch) | 2D Face unlock, Fingerprint (touch) | In-screen fingerprint |
| Rear Camera | Single camera, Doubles as a selfie camera | Triple camera | Dual camera |
| Front Camera (in the fold) | None | 10 MP (Dual-Camera, Autofocus) | 32 MP |
| Price to Spec | Very High | High | Low |
My Verdict
Given the specifications above there is not much of a difference except Samsung fold has a single screen which is foldable. Dual screens allow for multiple clinical and communication Apps to be opened and hence offers very high ease of use. Given the price point at which LG has launched their foldable smartphones, the high-end clinical experience on digital health is very much affordable for the doctors and consumers alike. Personally, I have been testing my LG Dual Screen Smartphone for various digital health experience and its fabulous. So the race for the foldable smartphones has just become more interesting.
Disclaimers: The views here are personal. Microsoft Surface Duo is based on their product launch videos. Apple has been deliberately not included in the comparison as they have yet to announce the launch of their iPineapple range of foldable smartphones. My personal experience with Apple India Customer Service and Tim Crook in the past has led me to the forgone conclusion that Apple will die soon! I have already retracted all my articles, views and quotes in the media for Apple except the one mentioned here. Your reading my earlier views on Apple is at your own risk.