TECHNOLOGY’S link to fashion is now a given and is no more evident than in that most personal of items, the smartphone. Phone calls and texts were once the most that consumers could hope for on trusty, bombproof devices such as the ubiquitous Nokia. Until Apple unveiled the iPhone, most people didn’t even know they wanted it. But in January 2007 the world of mobile telephony was changed for ever.

The iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy that followed it were effectively computers in the hand. They enabled mobile business, high-resolution photography, videoconferencing on the move, music and games. Most particularly, they unleashed the power of social media, to the extent that many users now seem to spend more time looking at images on their phone screens than at real people. Apple remained the touchstone in terms of status and build quality and therefore managed to sustain a premium price for its phones. But the smartphone market took off with cheaper and in many ways no less functional rivals being produced in South Korea, China, Japan and Europe. In 2014, there were 157 billion smartphone users, which figure is expected to reach almost three billion next year.

Though the wealthier have upgraded their phones every year when, inevitably a new model is released, Apple, along with most other manufacturers, came to accept that there was typically a two year cycle before consumers succumbed to the steady flow of extra features that were released with each shiny new product. Those who hung on to out-of-date models were disadvantaged not simply in terms of functionality but also fashion. Besides, it is the nature of mobile phones that they take a battering in people’s pockets and rechargeable batteries do not last for ever.

Yet despite the underlying imperative to upgrade smartphones, the reality is that the sales of this device have plateaued. Even Apple has seen demand for the iconic iPhone tapering off and has been forced to cut the prices of its latest models because of market resistance.

The manufacturers have been desperately casting around for the “new iPhone”, a smartphone which breaks completely new ground and will become the latest “must-have” product. Now Chinese telecoms giant Huawei and South Korea’s market leader (in terms of unit sales), Samsung, have come up with what they hope is the solution — the folding phone. The Huawei Mate X and Samsung Galaxy Fold are both phones that can be opened out to become small tablets.

Technical reviewers were quickly leery of the ability of the screen on both devices to stand up to being opened and closed many thousands of times. The key concern is that over time the screens could acquire an ugly fold seam. However, clearly both companies will have tested these new devices to destruction and are happy with the results. But with a likely price of $2,000 when they launch shortly, surely only the most dedicated phone fashionistas are likely to buy.

The big new thing for all smartphone makers is going to be the arrival of 5G networks, which should give a strong launch to a whole new technical generation of devices which may look much like present phones. The big challenge with 5G will be fitting in longer lasting batteries without returning to the clunky phones of yesteryear.