Clamshell design in the context of Laptop computers

A laptop is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a clamshell form factor with a flat-panel screen on the inside of the upper lid and an alphanumeric keyboard and pointing device on the inside of the lower lid. Most of the computer's internal hardware is in the lower part, under the keyboard, although many modern laptops have a built-in webcam at the top of the screen, and some even feature a touchscreen display. In most cases, unlike tablet computers which run on mobile operating systems, laptops tend to run on desktop operating systems, which were originally developed for desktop computers.

Laptops are used in a variety of settings, such as at work (especially on business trips), in education, for playing games, content creating, web browsing, for personal multimedia, and for general home computer use. They can be powered using either continuous wall power or a rechargeable battery, and can be folded shut for convenient storage and transportation, making them suitable for mobile use. Laptops feature all the standard input and output components of a desktop computer in a single compact unit, including a display screen (usually 11–17 in or 280–430 mm in diagonal size), speakers, a keyboard, and a pointing device (usually a trackpad). Hardware specifications vary significantly between different types, models, and price points.

A handheld computer, also called a palmtop computer, is a term that has variously been used to describe a small-sized personal computer (PC) typically built around a clamshell form factor and a laptop-like keyboard, including: Palmtop PCs, personal digital assistants (PDA), ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC) or portable gaming PCs. The brand Handheld PC specifically is a now-defunct class of computers introduced in the 1990s that was marketed by Microsoft, and is detailed below.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold is an Android-based foldable smartphone developed by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled on February 20, 2019 alongside the Galaxy S10 series, the Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Watch Active, it was released globally beginning on September 6, 2019. The device is capable of being folded open like a book to expose a 7.3-inch tablet-sized flexible display, while its front contains a smaller “cover” display, intended for accessing the device without opening it. With the announcement of the Galaxy Z Flip, a foldable in a clamshell form, Samsung's foldable phones were made part of the Galaxy Z series. This also retroactively applies to the Galaxy Fold.

The Galaxy Fold received mixed pre-release reception, with praise for its innovative design, but criticism over the device's durability and longevity, and it was concluded that the Galaxy Fold was a proof of concept device for early adopters rather than a device suited for the mass market. Due to issues with the device's durability and susceptibility to damage, Samsung announced that it would recall the review units and delay the release of the Galaxy Fold indefinitely while it addressed the problems. Samsung officially detailed its design changes in July and released the phone in September 2019. The company claimed to have sold one million units since launch by December 2019, but Samsung later denied having sold 1 million units, and admitted having reported sales expectations as actual sales. The second generation model, Galaxy Z Fold 2, was announced in August 2020.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a foldable smartphone developed and designed by Samsung Electronics as part of the Galaxy Z series, released on February 14, 2020. It uses a rollable display, a technology that had appeared previously on the company's Galaxy Fold, in a clamshell design. As with other Galaxy devices, the Galaxy Z Flip runs Android and Samsung's One UI interface. It was the first of the 'Z Flip' line of foldables: its successor, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, was introduced in 2021.

The MicroTAC is a series of cellular phones that was marketed by Motorola from 1989 until approximately 2000. The MicroTACs pioneered a new "flip" design in cellular handsets that was considered innovative and more compact compared to previous "brick" phones, such as Motorola's own DynaTAC line.

The MicroTAC's design consisted of the "mouthpiece" being folded over the keypad. On later production models the "mouthpiece" was actually located in the base of the phone, along with the ringer. This set the standard and became the model for later clamshell design phones, which Motorola adopted in the StarTAC in 1996.

The StarTAC is a series of clamshell-style cellular mobile phones developed and marketed by Motorola beginning in 1996. The first notable flip phone, the original StarTAC model was uniquely at the time the size of a pager and weighed 3.1 ounces (88 g), making it the smallest and lightest cell phone up to that point. Officially, Motorola marketed the StarTACs as "wearable".

The StarTAC's groundbreaking design was a development from Motorola's MicroTAC, a semi-clamshell design first launched in 1989. Whereas the MicroTAC's flip folded down from below the keypad, the StarTAC folded up from above the display. While often cited as the world's first clamshell/flip cell phone, NEC of Japan had already developed and released such a cell phone as early as 1991. Nevertheless, the StarTAC is considered the first example of a luxurious or fashionable cell phone.