Today’s roundup is packed with the hottest tech news from the past 24 hours. Get an exclusive look at the sleek design of the Honor Magic V Flip, and learn how Huawei has overtaken Samsung as the global leader in foldable smartphones. We’ve also got a sneak peek at the Xiaomi 14 Civi ahead of its Indian launch and all the details on the newly unveiled Asus ROG Ally X.

Plus, find out why the OnePlus Ace 3V continues to dominate AnTuTu’s flagship killer rankings.

Here are all the top stories from the past 24 hours.

Honor Magic V Flip leaks in real-life images: extremely thin bezels on outer screen and dual rear cameras

A real-life image of the Honor Magic V Flip has surfaced on the web, which confirms the previously rumored design. You can see the large external display of the phone that the woman is using to take a selfie with the rear camera.

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Huawei overtakes Samsung as top foldable smartphone brand globally

Huawei has surpassed Samsung to become the world’s leading foldable smartphone brand in the first quarter of 2024. It’s the first time the Chinese tech giant has claimed the top spot in this rapidly growing segment, despite facing ongoing US sanctions.

According to research firm Counterpoint, Huawei’s foldable smartphone shipments surged by a staggering 257% year-on-year in the first three months of the year. 

Read more

Xiaomi 14 Civi retail box leaks ahead of Indian launch, reveals key specs

Ahead of the launch of the phone in India, tipster Abhishek Yadav has leaked the retail box of the Xiaomi 14 Civi, which reveals key specs of the device, while also confirming the fact that it is indeed a rebrand of the Civi 4 Pro.

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Asus ROG Ally X is official with more storage, improved battery, and new chassis

After months of speculation, Asus has finally unveiled the ROG Ally X at Computex 2024. While not a full-fledged sequel to the original Ally, the X version brings several improvements that make it an even more compelling option for portable PC gaming.

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AnTuTu Top 10 Flagship Killers for May: OnePlus Ace 3V retains its crown for the third month

Like every month, AnTuTu revealed its top 10 flagship killer smartphones from the previous month. We were expecting new contenders like the Redmi Turbo 3 and the iQOO Z9 Turbo featuring the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip to enter the list this month, however, that hasn’t happened for some reason, resulting in the list being pretty much the same as the last month.

Read more

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The post GC Daily: Honor Magic V Flip Leak, Huawei’s Big Win, and More! appeared first on Gizmochina.

A new UI update may have been rolled out by Gmail for Android applicable to foldable devices. This includes a new navigation trail on the Gmail app for foldables. The new update seeks to provide better large-screen support for Gmail on phones or tablets with a foldable form factor. The new UI was first announced back in May but it seems to have just started rolling out.

A new sidebar in the Gmail app places the “compose” button along the side of the UI rather than in a floating action button. The bottom bar has been moved to the side, while shortcuts for inbox, chat, and meet are also visible there. The new update, it has to be noted, seems to be available only for foldable. The Gmail UI update is now visible in the Google Pixel Fold although it is still lacking in other devices at this time. The UI update is lacking on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, although the Z Fold 4 has a higher aspect ratio and does not trigger the tablet interface until it is rotated.

The new Gmail navigation rail is common to other tablet designs already put in place by Google. Most Google apps like Play Store, Photos, and Google Home have been pushed to the side to optimize the wider form factor of tablets. The desktop version of the Gmail app, it is noted, uses a sidebar interface. It is expected that the new Gmail updates for Android foldables will surface on the Play Store for all devices soon.

RELATED:

(source)

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According to a recent report by Counterpoint Research, foldable smartphones are gaining popularity in the US, with around 28% of smartphone users likely to prefer a foldable phone as their next purchase. The installed base of foldable smartphones in the US was reported to be 4.7 million in 2022, with Samsung being the most preferred brand for 46% of respondents, followed by Apple with 39% and Motorola with 6%.

Interestingly, the report revealed that 49% of respondents ranked the flip-type foldable at the top, followed by the book-type foldable. Moreover, male respondents preferred the flip-type foldable more than female respondents, while female respondents showed a stronger preference for the book-type foldable.

While foldable smartphones have performed better in controlling the shift from Android to iOS, the report does not expect foldables to become the dominant form factor anytime soon in the US. Instead, it predicts that foldables will continue to co-exist with the bar design smartphones for years to come.

Furthermore, the report highlighted that respondents with monthly incomes over $10,000 were most likely (41%) to opt for a foldable phone for their next smartphone purchase. In 2023, the global foldable smartphone market is expected to reach 22.7 million units.

Overall, it seems that foldable smartphones are gaining popularity among consumers, with a significant number of smartphone users showing a preference for the foldable form factor. As more brands enter the foldable smartphone market, it will be interesting to see how the market evolves and which brands emerge as the dominant players in the space.

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• Motorola Razr+ (2023) receives 3C certification
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• Like it or not Exynos 2400 may power some Samsung Galaxy S24 units
• Apple to finally open its first retail store in India
• Apple halts M2 chip production as Mac sales decline
• iPhone 17 Pro may feature under-display Face ID for a truly full-screen design

(Source)

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Besides Samsung and BOE, the Chinese Huizhou-based electronic giant, TCL is also a major player in the smartphone display industry, specifically under its display department, the TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology(CSOT) Corporation.

Last week, TCL CSOT was invited to attend the SID Display Week 2022 Trade Show in San Jose, California, where the company showcased its flagship display products and advanced technologies. The company was even nominated as the Best Large Booth of the 2022 I-Zone (Innovation Zone) awards. Here are some first looks at what the company unveiled at the event.

Mini-LEDs

TCL introduced its 34-inch WQHD R1500 curved Mini LED display designed for e-sports which offers a 21:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio, a 165Hz high refresh rate and a fast-responding HVA screen with a smaller halo. The display is compatible with different variable refresh rate technologies that provide an undistorted, smooth and clear PC gaming experience. 

Leveraging on TCL‘s advanced algorithms, the display meets both the VESA Display HDR 1400 certification and FreeSync Premium Pro certification requirements. It delivers the best light and dark contrast and dynamic rendering meeting the requirements of e-sports players and specialized users for visual display.

The company also showcased its enormous 75-inch 8K 4Mask 1G1D Mini LED screen that trails on TCL’s latest and superior 8K 1G1D technology. Comparing with the difficult 8K TFT-LCD backplane 4 mask manufacturing process, this new mini LED screen significantly improves processing capacity while ensuring perfect image quality. With TCL‘s original glass-based Mini LED backlight with ultra-high individual zones controlled by a local dimming method, the brand claims the screen offers excellent image performance comparable to an OLED.

Foldables

On the foldables front, TCL has also made several industry-leading strides with their 8-inch 360 degrees folding display panel, which was earlier revealed during CES 2022. The display utilises TCL’s Pol-less technology integrating the leading technology of foldable screens with a 360 degree stress-free self-compensating hinge. When folded, it can be an easy-carry phone for capturing dynamic information with one hand; when unfolded, the uninterrupted 8-inch OLED display provides a perfect big-screen video or mobile gaming experience.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality headsets require high resolutions to provide an immersive experience, and TCL knows it quite well. Which is why the company has unveiled its new 1764 PPI Real RGB LCD-VR panel which boasts higher pixel density than other competing VR LCD screens. It boasts a 90/120Hz smooth refresh rate with fast Liquid Crystal technology that eliminates the door-screen effect and vertigo common in existing VR products. 

The 1512 PPI LCD-VR panel, TCL‘s first VR product which made its debut in 2021, and also comes with variable refresh rates was also announced by the company at SID 2022 to go into mass production this year, as an industry statement for TCL‘s industry-leading advantages in the VR space.

RELATED:

• Samsung Reveals “Flex Note” Device, Here’s How it Looks
• Your Next Foldable Smartphone Could Unfold 360-Degrees, Here’s a First Look
• Vivo X Fold has a less noticeable crease than the Galaxy Z Fold 3, side-by-side image reveals

(Via)

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Although LG has officially exited the smartphone business last year, the company is still very popular in the electronics supply chain industry, specifically in its LED Display Business Division.

This year at SID 2022 Display Week, LG was invited as one of the more esteemed panelists at the event, and during the company’s showcase, the brand revealed that its research and development team has successfully developed a foldable OLED device that can fold and unfold from 0 to 360 degrees.

During the event, LG Display showed off a Foldable OLED touchscreen that is 8.03 inches when unfolded horizontally. However, what makes this display unique is that the panel could be folded inwards or folded outwards, in fact, it could be folded at any angle from 0 to 360 degrees.

Durability-wise, it seems that LG is using UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) technology for the Foldable OLED, and the exterior screen is coated with an anti-fingerprint material to keep the device looking spick and span always. LG also claims that the 360 Foldable OLED is rated for 200,000 folds under normal use and other technical details for the display include its 2480 x 2200 pixel resolution allowing for a sharp 413 PPI, 109.9% coverage of DCI-P3 colour gamut and the panel is rated for 430 nits of brightness under typical situations and can reach up to 600 nits of peak brightness in challenging situations. 

There does not seem to have a practical use case for this form factor currently, but the design surely looks futuristic, and kudos to the display panel engineers for pushing the limits of how we can shape our screens. 

Another reveal during the event was the company’s 17-inch foldable OLED panel, but this time around it doesn’t fold 360 degrees, it folds at a rather conventional 180 degrees inwards, just like a laptop. But at the enormous size of 17 inches, the demonstration of the LG display prototype was still rather impressive. The design overall is a clamshell design, one that you will find in Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the Oppo Find N.

RELATED:

• LG Gram 16 & Gram 17 2022 unveiled with 12th Gen Intel CPU, NVIDIA RTX 2050 GPU
• Vivo X Fold vs OPPO Find N vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 : Specs Comparison
• Upcoming Motorola Razr tipped to arrive with bigger cover, internal displays
• Here’s Your First Official Look at the Galaxy Z Slide, A Smartphone with Slideable Display from Samsung

(Source, Via)

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If you think of folding displays and foldables, normally the first electronics manufacturer you have in mind is Samsung. And indeed our first instinctive thought does so since Samsung has been the only manufacturer, which brought folding smartphones to the mainstream global smartphone market with their Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series. 

But it seems that the company could look to innovate our mobile computing devices even further because during the SID 2022 Display Week held in San Jose California, USA last week, Samsung Display technologies revealed a brand new “Flex Note” folding display design that could bring foldables to the next level.

This report comes from Ice Universe, a well-known industry insider on Twitter, who had shared a tweet regarding Samsung’s brand new Flex Note design showcased at the event.

Samsung has also shared a few photos of the Flex Note designs via its online newsroom. 

Looking at the photos, it seems that the Flex Note design resembles that of a folding notebook and tablet hybrid. It features the same design we see on the current Galaxy Z Fold series like the Z Fold 3, albeit with a bigger screen for laptop use. It seems that the device is running on Windows as well, as the Windows start Menu logo is shown in the bottom left corner of the device.

The notable feature of the design is that when unfolded, during media consumption, the keyboard can disappear to allow for more screen real estate when watching videos, something you are not able to do when using conventional laptops with hardware keys. 

Another benefit of the design seems to be customisation, as shown in the physical demos, users can customise the keyboard to be an RGB keyboard, or a younger pastel coloured one, with a simple walkthrough of the settings menu.

Compared to Samsung‘s current foldables, this Flex Note design showcased during the event features a much thinner chassis, despite the screen being much larger. Truly an impressive feat by Samsung. 

RELATED:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 renders leak online showcasing the smartphone’s design
• Here’s Your First Official Look at the Galaxy Z Slide, A Smartphone with Slideable Display from Samsung
• Vivo X Fold has a less noticeable crease than the Galaxy Z Fold 3, side-by-side image reveals
• Vivo X Fold is now available for $1799 at Giztop

(Source)

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Foldables like the Oppo Find N and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 have been touted as the future of smartphones with their groundbreaking innovative engineering that allows the user to transform their smartphones into a tablet on the fly.

However, foldables may not be the only future for smartphones as last year Oppo showcased the world’s first rollable on stage, the Oppo X 2021, and this year, Samsung showcased a brand new rollable display design for smartphones, called “slideables” at the DSCC 2022 Business Conference yesterday.

The news report came from Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) CEO Ross Young via Twitter, and in his recent tweets, Mr Young shared several photos of Samsung’s showcase of its new slideable display at the conference. 

Samsung names the design a vertical slide-out design, as the display when in normal use, is a compact 16:9 smartphone display that allows the smartphone to easily fit into your pockets. However, if you want more screen real estate, the display can then be expanded to a 6.7-inch 22:9 AMOLED display that slides out via the top.

This 22:9 aspect ratio serves better when users are scrolling through Twitter, Instagram or reading an article online, as there is now more content on your screen at a glance compared to a 16:9 display, allowing the user to be more productive. Another upside is that you now have a bigger 6.7-inch screen in your pocket in a much more slimmer body than would have been otherwise if you were to not use any foldable or slideable technology at all.

From the screenshots we’ve gathered from Mr Young, it seems that the slideable technology showcased could be already ready for mass production. However, since the smartphone doesn’t fit into the Samsung Z Fold or Z Flip family, Samsung could create a new Samsung Galaxy Z Slide series once the company decides that it wants to diversify its unconventional smartphone portfolio even further.

RELATED:

• Renders reveal the design of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, still no silo for S Pen
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 cover, inner screen aspect ratios revealed
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 Finally Gets 25W Charging, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4/Fold4 3C Certification Goes Live in China
• OPPO Find N Unboxing & First Impression: The Next Normal?

(Source 1, Source 2)

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Vivo‘s Spring Launch Event will be held online tomorrow April 11th 2022 19:30 CST / 17:00 IST / 11:30 GMT. 

After months of teasing, Vivo is expected to reveal its highly anticipated Vivo X Fold, Vivo X Note, and Vivo Pad devices at the launch event. To watch the launch event, you can head on over to the link below on April 11th, 2022 19:30 CST sharp to follow the event live stream. 

Link to live stream here. 

So before the official launch event, we compiled all the official highlights that we know about all the 3 Vivo devices so far. 

Vivo X Fold

The X Fold is the first foldable from the Vivo brand, and its design shares resemblances with the more premium foldable offerings, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Huawei Mate X2. It is expected to sport an 8-inch 2K LTPO 3.0 inner folding OLED panel and a 6.53-inch Full HD+ outer display. Both the inner and outer displays will be equipped with a 120Hz refresh rate. 

To stand out amongst its competitors, the Vivo X Fold will be featuring an industry-leading quad-camera setup on the back in collaboration with Zeiss and its signature T* coating. The Vivo X Fold is also said to be the industry’s first foldable to support 50W wireless charging to juice its 4,600mAh battery.

Vivo X Note 

The X Note meanwhile will be Vivo’s answer for the “ultra-premium” crowd, basically, those who opt for the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. The phone comes in a familiar glass sandwich body, and features a gigantic QHD+ 7-inch display. Paired with a 5000mAh and support for 80W wired and 50W wireless charging, the phone is expected to last you through the entire day within half an hour’s charge.

The Vivo X Note is also expected to lead a mobile photography revolution because besides featuring all the software and hardware optimizations that came from its Zeiss collaboration so far, the company has developed its first in-house imaging chip, the Vivo V1, to push the boundaries of smartphone photography even further.

Vivo Pad

The Vivo Pad is the company’s first entry into the Android tablet market. The device is powered by the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset to provide flagship levels of performance for your average tablet user. The Vivo Pad is also getting an 11-inch panel having a 2.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate to provide a smooth scrolling experience for its users. 

For more details regarding the Vivo X Fold, Vivo X Note, and Vivo Pad, stay tuned to the live stream on April 11th at 19:30 CST, or stay tuned to our coverage here at Gizmochina.

You can also read our complete roundup of the Vivo X Fold and X Note from the below links.

RELATED:

• Vivo X Fold roundup: specs, price, availability – what to expect
• Vivo X Note roundup: specs, price, colors, and more
• vivo Pad roundup: specs, price, availability – what to expect
• vivo X70 Pro+ vs iPhone 13 Pro Camera Comparison: Can vivo beat the new iPhone?

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Chinese celebrate the Lunar New Year for 15 days, namely from the 1st day of the year of the lunar calendar to the 15th day of the calendar. During Lunar New Year, the colour red has always meant propensity and good fortune in Chinese culture. With that in mind, Huawei has launched a very prosperous “Red” leather edition of its Huawei Mate X2 foldable in China in tangent with the Lunar New Year Celebration.

Shared by Weibo user, Yixiu Technology Jun, the official name of the foldable is called the Huawei Mate X2 Lunar New Year Red Limited Edition, and it shares the same hardware such as the processor and the cameras as the normal Huawei Mate X2. The main differentiating factors of this phone are its red vegan leather back design, and its generous 12GB RAM and 1TB storage option.

This new edition of the Huawei Mate X2 was silently launched by Huawei, and as of current, the phone is only available in offline stores in China, priced at 20999 RMB (3305 USD). 

The Huawei Mate X2 comes with a 6.45-inch 90Hz cover OLED display with a pill-shaped cut-out that houses a single 16MP front-facing camera. The foldable display is an 8-inch OLED panel and also has a 90Hz refresh rate.

In the camera department, the phone is equipped with a quad-camera setup that includes a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor, and an 8-megapixel periscope lens.

It is running Huawei’s own EMUI 11 interface based on the HarmonyOS 2.0 operating system. The smartphone is powered by a 4,500mAh battery and comes with support for 55W wired fast charging technology.

RELATED:

• Huawei Mate X2 arrives with a new folding design, 90Hz displays, Leica cameras, and a high price tag
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• HUAWEI nova 9 SE receives necessary certifications ahead of launch

(Source, Via)

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Foldables are now commonplace in the public eye. They are now more mainstream than ever before, and everyone is itching to get their hands on one. Therefore, it is no surprise that every phone manufacturer is rushing in to launch their first-ever foldable, with Oppo just announcing its Oppo Find N this week.

Although the current global foldable market is only dominated by Samsung, the Chinese foldable market tells a different story and notably has two major phone manufacturers on the battlefield, Huawei and Samsung, with Huawei holding 64.0% of the foldable market in China, more than 50%!

1 of 3

A report published on 17 December by iResearch China revealed that throughout 2021, Huawei has amassed a market share of 64% in the Chinese foldable market. Huawei has even surpassed the peak when it was dominating in the Chinese conventional smartphone market during yesteryears, prior to the US sanctions.

iResearch China has also revealed that there has been a growing demand for clamshell foldables, in line with Huawei’s announcement about the Huawei P50 Pocket at its Huawei Winter Flagship Keynote event on 23 December 2021. When choosing the best clamshell foldable to buy, consumers responded that their main priority is the specs and features of the foldable, while the runner-up is the fashionable design and feel of the foldable.

On the other fence, when choosing the best open book type foldable to buy, iResearch China reveals that consumers focus more on the specs and features, as well as the reputation of the brand they are buying from.

It cannot be disputed that one of the key attractive selling points of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 was its trendy pastel coloured design and that its fashionable design was one thing it had over its sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3. Although Huawei already has its Huawei Mate X2, its flagship open book type foldable, they also want to recreate the success of the Z Flip3 with their first-ever clamshell flagship foldable next week with the Huawei P50 Pocket. The Huawei P50 Pocket will be announced on Wednesday, 23 December.

RELATED:

• Huawei P50 Pocket foldable phone roundup: display, specs, colors & more – what to expect!
• Huawei Smart Glasses with Swappable Lenses launching on 23 December
• Huawei P50 Pro 4G powered by Snapdragon 888 SoC goes on sale in China

(Via)

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After the OnePlus and Oppo merger, Pete Lau has been very vocal in his support of its sister company, Oppo. And with the announcement of the Oppo Find N at the Oppo Inno Day virtual launch event on 15 December today, Pete Lau has taken to Weibo to share his thoughts on Oppo’s first foldable.

“The Oppo Find N is the foldable flagship that I found myself feeling the most joyful, heart-stirring, and irresistible product yet, in my many years in the industry. It is personally the best foldable to use in the market right now,” Pete Lau stated.

He also stated in the Weibo post that in creating the perfect dimensions for the Find N, Oppo ran into a lot of conflicts internally, as well as running into an employee almost resigning due to the hardships they faced in creating the Find N.

As announced earlier, research for the Find N has been ongoing for at least 4 years, and that the Find N would be the first foldable in the industry to use a vertebral-designed hinge compared to the U-shaped hinges of its industry peers, seen as the turning point for foldables going mainstream. 

The hinge was the biggest challenge for the Find N, as Pete Lau mentioned that Oppo had to patent 125 technologies, just to eliminate the crease, and the end result was an almost no-crease customer-wowing industry-leading flagship foldable.

The newly designed hinge is said to help solve the screen crease problem that has been plaguing foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold3 to this day. Pete Lau previously shared that when he showed the Oppo Find N to other foldable users, their reaction to the Oppo Find N having an unnoticeable crease was jaw-dropping.

RELATED:

• OPPO Find N vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3: Specs Comparison
• OPPO Find N foldable phone announced with 7.1 inch 120Hz display, way cheaper than Galaxy Z Fold3
• OPPO Air Glass Hands-On and First Impression: A unique and lightweight design
• OPPO unveils its first self developed MariSilicon X NPU imaging chip

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DSCC (Display Supply Chain Consultants) has released its new report on foldable displays for March 2021. According to the report, Samsung and Samsung Display will continue to remain dominant throughout this year, just like 2020. However, unlike the previous year, the shipments will see momentum only in the second half of 2021.

Foldable and Rollable Smartphones Performance Q4 2020

As per DSCC’s latest report, shipments of foldable smartphones grew 54% QoQ and 242% YoY in Q4 2020. Samsung Electronics was the leading brand in the fourth quarter of last year with a whopping 91% market share based on units.

Samsung Electronics led the foldable smartphone market throughout 2020 with an 87% unit market share. The overall market shipped 2.2 million units, which is 1000% more, compared to 2019.

Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Z Flip was the most-shipped foldable smartphone with a 50% market share, followed by Galaxy Z Fold2. South Korea accounted for more than 50% share of Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Flip 5G worldwide.

Foldable and Rollable Smartphones Forecast 2021

According to Ross Young, the CEO of DSCC, Samsung Electronics has delayed the launch of its next-generation foldable smartphones until Q3 2021. The South Korean tech giant is expected to release at least three foldables. 

The Galaxy Z Fold series could replace the Galaxy Note series as the company’s second flagship series after the Galaxy S series. Additionally, the firm is also expected to launch a more-affordable Galaxy Z Flip clamshell foldable smartphone.

Further, Samsung Display, the sister company of Samsung Electronics will start selling foldable displays with UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) to other brands in H2 2021. A total of at least 12 different foldable and rollable smartphones from 8 brands are expected to release in the market in the second half of this year.

Samsung Electronics is forecasted to lead the foldable and rollable smartphone market with an 81% unit share and a 76% revenue share in 2021. On the other hand, Samsung Display’s unit market share will increase from 83.5% in 2020 to 87% in 2021 since it will be selling displays to other brands in H2 2021.

However, the shipments of the entire foldable smartphone market are expected to surge by only 1% YoY and 40% YoY in Q1 2021 and Q2 2021 respectively. But the shipments should shoot up over 100% in the remaining quarters (Q3, Q4).

More than 5.1 million foldable and rollable smartphones are expected to be shipped this year. More than 3 million of these shipments are said to happen in Q4 2021. In other words, unit shipments could grow up to 128% while revenue may increment up to 137% to $8.6 billion, as compared to 2020.

Foldable smartphones with Galaxy Z Fold-like form factor (book-type) are expected to account for 49% of foldable and rollable smartphone revenues in 2021, up from 39% in 2020. That’s because new entrants in this category, like Google, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi are reported to release phones with the said form factor.

Last but not least, as per Ross Young, the devices from new entrants will feature in-folding displays as small as 7.1-inch and as large as 8.2-inch, in addition to sub-7-inch clamshell foldable phones.

RELATED:

• Leaker confirms Honor Magic will be a foldable; new mid-range phones and a tablet are coming soon too
• Samsung offers a 3 day trial for its foldable smartphones in South Korea
• Apple may launch 8-inch foldable iPhone in 2023: Ming-Chi Kuo
• BOE showcases a 360° foldable display prototype

The post Over 5.1 million foldable and rollable phones expected in 2021 from 8 different brands: DSCC appeared first on Gizmochina.

Foldables are said to be the future of smartphones. As of now, only four companies, namely Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, and Royole sell this type of phones. But others are also expected to release their devices very soon. Hence, almost all the major OEMs have been patenting tech related to foldables for the past few years. That said, one such patent by Xiaomi detailing a solution to reduce crease has emerged now.

Foldables come in two different types right now. The first design folds out to be a tablet, whereas the second design resembles clamshell phones from the past. But both these designs have one thing in common and that is creases.

Creases can be found in all the foldable smartphones that are available in the market. Although they don’t bother you if you don’t look for them, they are still a flaw. Therefore, we have seen multiple patents over the past few months from different companies to mitigate them.

Xiaomi’s new patent is also a solution to this problem. The company filed this patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) in July 2019. However, it got approved and published only on February 2, 2021. This patent is titled “Support Structure of Flexible Screen, Flexible Screen Structure and Terminal Equipment” (translated).

According to the documentation, this design includes two supporting structure for the flexible display panel. The second structure, which is close to the screen is deformable. Hence, when the device is closed, the display has a low chance of getting affected by a larger crease in the long run. Will this design work? We can only know when Xiaomi uses it in a commercial foldable smartphone.

So far, we are only aware that Xiaomi is working on a foldable smartphone codenamed ‘Cetus’. This handset is said to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 108MP camera, and MIUI 12 based on Android 11. This device could be the one that was leaked in lived images last month.

RELATED:

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• Xiaomi’s Lei Jun launches survey to know if you’ll buy a $1,500 Mi phone
• Mysterious Xiaomi M2102J2SC, M2012K11AC, M2012K11C receive 3C certifications with 33W charger

(Via)

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Despite being the market leader in terms of foldable smartphones, Samsung continues to file design and utility patents related to this kind of phone. This shows the company’s dedication towards what’s said to the future of smartphones. That said, now another Samsung foldable smartphone utility patent has emerged describing the usage of pop-up cameras.

As always, the new utility patent by Samsung Electronics was spotted by LetsGoDigital. The company filed it with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) titled ‘ Foldable electronic device including sliding structure and method for controlling the same’. The patent got approved and published on October 22.

The 79-page documentation for this patent talks about using pop-up cameras in 4 different ways in a foldable smartphone that looks like the Galaxy Z Fold2. We don’t think that the South Korean tech giant will ever adopt this but still it is worth taking a look at.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung patents a Smartphone design with Flexible Display and a Pop-up Speaker mechanism

In the first type, the pop-up module contains sensors for selfies and video calls like on traditional smartphones. Hence, this module resides inside the left-wing of the phone. Whereas, in the remaining three types, the pop-up module sits inside the right-wing.

In the second type, the pop-up module is dedicated to rear cameras so that the back panel of the device can be kept clean. However, in the third type, the pop-module includes microphones and flash for rear cameras as well as the entire suite of front-facing sensors. Lastly, the fourth type houses both the rear and front cameras together.

Having said that, as we mentioned in the beginning, Samsung may never use this utility patent as under-screen cameras are expected to take over in the coming years.

UP NEXT: Samsung patents three foldable smartphone designs with cutout for inner cameras

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Foldables are said to take over the world of smartphones in the next few years. We can already witness their success, thanks to devices from Samsung, Motorola, and Huawei. The South Korean giant is clearly a market leader in this segment. A new report by Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) also confirms the same providing more insights into this new breed of mobile devices for the year 2020.

The report by DSCC says that Q2 of 2020 is expected to be the record period for foldable panel shipments this year. The firm also forecasts Galaxy Z Flip to the top-selling foldable of the entire 2020, followed by Galaxy Z Fold2, Motorola razr, and Galaxy Z Flip 5G.

Talking about brands, Samsung will account for more than 80% of the market by the end of 2020.  The report adds that this is due to Huawei’s inability to launch the Mate X2, no thanks to the US ban.

Further, clamshell foldable smartphones will cover 60% of the market, again due to the absence of Mate X2 with an in-folding screen. As for display cover, UTG (Ultra Thin Glass) will lead with more than 80% share.

Whereas, Nitto and Colon have a dominate share in foldable polarizers and CPI (Colorless Polyimide) respectively over Sumitomo Chemical. Lastly, Qualcomm has over 95% market with Snapdragon 855+ leading the chart, followed by Snapdragon 865+.

UP NEXT: Samsung unveils foldable OLED panel with world’s smallest curvature

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Samsung is the forerunner of foldable smartphones. The company just launched Galaxy Z Fold2 a few hours ago as its third foldable device. Ahead of it, news broke out that Samsung Electronics has partnered with Corning to develop its own foldable glass.

The display, display cover, and hinge are the three main crucial hardware parts of a foldable smartphone. The original Galaxy Fold uses CPI (Colorless Polyimide) as display cover, which is not as durable as UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) used in the other two devices from the company – Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold2.

For those unaware, Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are two independent companies. The latter supplies OLED panels for almost all the devices manufactured by former except for the upcoming Galaxy M51.

Samsung Display also supplies UTG for Samsung Electronics, which is manufactured by  DOWOO INSYS using glass substrates supplied by SCHOTT AG. Thus, the electronics division of Samsung has to pay a large amount of money for display and display cover supplies.

EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung is working on three foldables, including a model with support for S Pen

Back in April, a report by South Korea’s ETNews stated that Samsung Electronics was looking to manufacture UTG on its own to reduce the overall manufacturing cost of its foldables. That report mentioned that UTG used in Galaxy Z Flip costs $40 per unit compared to $2 for flat glass used in normal smartphones.

This is one of the reasons why foldables are expensive. But that could change in the coming years as Samsung Electronics has successfully joined hands with Corning to develop its own UTG as per a report by the same publication. This news comes after the company had patented three different types of screen covers for foldables, out of which, two of them involves UTG.

The new report states that “according to the display industry, Samsung Electronics IT & Mobile Communications Business has recently started receiving necessary glass substrates from Corning”.

That means the company will continue to improve its yield in the coming months so that it could be self-reliant as well as competitive to Samsung Display. This will further lead to competition among other glass manufacturers in the next few years eventually bringing down the cost of foldable smartphones as a whole.

On the other hand, Samsung Display has now begun to focus on diversifying its customers as it cannot rely on Samsung Electronics. In fact, it has already received orders for OLED  panels from Huawei for its foldable smartphones. 

UP NEXT: Samsung Display sells off its Suzhou LCD plant to TCL Technology

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Foldables are thought to be the future of smartphones and Samsung is the leading company in this tech with two products already available worldwide. Samsung Electronics has been working to be self-reliant for the display covers used on its foldable devices. Last month, it was reported that the company is planning to make its own foldable glass. Now, the firm has been confirmed to have patented three different screen covers.

The two primary aspects of any foldable are its hinge design and display cover. The former differs by the form factor and use-case of the devices. Whereas, the latter has remained the same on almost all foldable devices released so far except Galaxy Z Flip.

Most foldable available in the market such as Galaxy Fold, Huawei Mate X, Huawei Mate Xs, and Motorola Razr use a plastic cover for their flexible OLED panels. Whereas, the Z Flip, on the other hand, is the only device to feature UTG (Ultra Thin Glass), which is more durable.

But Samsung Electronics outsources both the plastic cover and UTG for its foldables from Samsung Display, which itself buys them from companies like DOWOO INSYS. Hence, it costs around $40 for Samsung Electronics to make UTG used in Galaxy Z Flip compared to $2 for normal flat glass.

Note: Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are two different companies operating independently.

This is why Samsung Electronics has patented its own screen covers made of polyimide. It has patented for three different types of cover and they are as follow.

• Polyimide film
• Polyimide film + UTG
• UTG

The company seems to have passed the first hurdle but the next one is difficult as it now needs to find manufacturers. If it succeeds in that regard as well, then the price of Samsung foldables may gradually come down in the coming years.

Samsung is expected to release two more foldables including a cheaper Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Fold 2 in the second half of this year.

UP NEXT: Samsung smartphone business will gain from the US sanctions against Huawei

(Via)

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In order to lower the price of foldable smartphones, Samsung Electronics is looking to manufacture foldable glass on its own. Until now, the company has been sourcing supplies from its sister company Samsung Display. If this plan goes as expected, the price of foldables may drop gradually making them affordable than ever before.

The current cheapest foldable smartphone by Samsung, the Galaxy Z Flip costs $1,400, which is not affordable in any way and even the company feels the same. The foldable glass used on this device has a thickness of 30 micrometers and costs $40 to make, compared to $2 for flat glass on normal phones.

The foldable glass, known as UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass), used in the Galaxy Z Flip is manufactured by DOWOO INSYS whose biggest shareholder is Samsung Display, who then incorporates its OLED panel with the glass and supplies the final product to Samsung Electronics. But if the phone maker can manufacture its own foldable glass, Samsung Electronics can compete directly with its sister company. This could lead to competition between other folding glass manufacturers over the years, eventually bringing down the cost.

In fact, Samsung Electronics is already in talks with multiple foldable glass manufacturers. However, it is not certain if the company will succeed in signing a deal but if it does, we can expect foldable smartphones to get cheaper in the coming years.

UP NEXT: Samsung will stop making LCD panels by the end of 2020

(Source, Via)

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Samsung and Huawei are putting a lot of efforts on foldable phones since they believe these handsets represents the future of mobile devices. People are every day in need of bigger displays and a smartphone which can transform into a tablet could be the best for a lot of users. But BlackBerry CEO John Chen does not share the same opinion. According to Chen, besides carrying a very high price, these devices are too bulky.

He wouldn’t let anyone outside of lab testing at its company buy a foldable phone. And according to him, there are no breakthroughs on the horizon after fingerprint readers, facial recognition and iris scanners. Only time will tell us if the BlackBerry CEO is right or not: after all, foldable phones are still not on the shelves.

• Read More: Samsung working on two new foldable phones, one featuring Mate X-esque design

The first foldable phone to hit the global market will be the Samsung Galaxy Fold and it will probably be available starting from May, with a starting price tag of about $2,000. After that, in summer, Huawei Mate X with a totally different concept (the foldable screen is placed externally) will hit the market as well. According to reports, Samsung is even working on two more foldables.

(source)

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As of today, there are two major foldable products in the market, the Mate X from Huawei and the Galaxy Fold from Samsung. But after hearing the statements from multiple brands at MWC 2019, it’s quite clear that everyone wants a piece of this market. Eventually, almost all the major smartphone brands will have a foldable product under their belt, and Honor will be no exception.

Given that Huawei already has a foldable product in its lineup, it wouldn’t have been wrong to think Honor might skip on such a product. But the company’s CEO George Zhao has confirmed that they are considering releasing a foldable in the near future.

However, at present, the product’s exorbitant price tag won’t be in line with Honor’s focus on products aimed at the young generation. So, the company has decided to wait out until the production ramps up and the manufacturing price of foldables go down. So, you’ll most likely have to wait until 2020 to see a foldable smartphone from the brand.

“For Honor I think we will find a way to make this so our target customer can have a foldable phone. I think next year; next year … should be the moment.” said Mr. Zhao in an interview with CNET this week.

• RELATED: Samsung Galaxy Fold vs Huawei Mate X: Foldables Compared!

In the same interview, he further confirmed that Honor will have a 5G smartphone this year itself. This isn’t surprising given that literally, everyone is on board the 5G hype this year. This includes OnePlus, which showed off its 5G prototype (albeit enclosed in a box) at the tech show a couple of days back.

Zhao further added that he was a fan of Mate X’s design. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll see a Mate X lookalike from Honor. We have seen the brand release some really impressive phones in the past few months like the Honor V20. So, when Honor does make a foldable, it could be different from Huawei’s take on the design.

(Source)

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In the natural evolution of smartphones, full screen phones are just a pit stop. The real future of smartphones is likely going to be foldables. While foldable smartphones are still in their nascent stages, in the next couple of years, they’ll no longer be concepts. Every major smartphone company is said to be working on at least one foldable phone design and it’ll only be a matter of time we start seeing these concepts turn into reality. In fact, a couple of smartphone manufacturers have already confirmed that their versions of foldable smartphones are already near commercial release. We’ll likely see at least two new foldable smartphones in 2019, but personally, I believe, this figure is going to be higher.

Foldable Phones Make Sense

As smartphones are getting bigger in size, we have come to a point where the term ‘phablets’ have become redundant. What was initially a special niche segment, now most flagships are essentially phablets. That’s the new normal, hence they don’t need a special name.

As the race to reduce bezels around the display have come to a point where we have had to add a slider to the device, the next big step forward is going to be foldables. Even with zero bezels around the display, there’s a certain limit to a smartphone’s size since we can’t hold huge phones comfortably. So, what’s the next best solution without really degrading the user experience?

Foldables.

Our love for large screens will never be satiated. As our media consumption on mobile devices have increased, there have been an increased demand for large screen devices. With high-speed internet access available for mobile devices, especially after the availability of 5G networks, our media usage on mobile devices is going to shoot up. This brings up the need for larger screens and hence foldables. Maybe, in the future, we could see smartphones with multiple folds too! It makes sense on so many levels and the first gen. foldable devices with a single inward or outward fold could just be the start of this revolution.

Even Google agrees that foldables make sense. In fact, in the recent iteration of Android, there’s a special support for smartphones that fold inwards or outwards. Native Android support for foldables is definitely a welcome sign for its future. Plus, the screen continuity feature, which essentially expands the app in view as you open or fold an app looks really cool!

Now that we’ve established why foldables make sense, let’s see which manufacturers are on their way to release one.

Which Companies Are Working on Foldable Smartphones?

Samsung

Ever since we saw a glimpse of the flexible display on the Galaxy Note Edge model, we knew that a foldable smartphone would come from Samsung in the near future. While it’s been four years since the launch of the first Edge model with a curved screen, we finally have a launch confirmation.

After years of rumours and speculations, Samsung officially demoed its first ever foldable smartphone at the recent Developer Conference in the US. The company also confirmed that a commercial version of its foldable smartphone will be launched sometime in 2019. The Infinity Flex display will go into mass production in the coming months and we can expect the phone to be available later in 2019. Note that Samsung adds that the flexible display can be folded hundreds of thousands of times without showing any real signs of wear and tear. That’s pretty impressive and dismisses our first major concern associated with a foldable smartphone.

DESIGN:

The Galaxy F or X or whatever it’ll be called at launch is confirmed to feature a 7.3-inch large display that folds inwards. When you fold the device, you are left with a small 4.5-inch display up front. So essentially, there are two displays on Samsung’s foldable phone — a regular one up front and a larger infinity flex display inside.

The particular design is likely based on this patent filed by Samsung.

RELEASE:

Expect the foldable Samsung phone earliest by CES 2019, but MWC 2019 showcase is more likely with its availability probably scheduled for a few months later. Yonhap reports that the launch could be as early as March alongside a 5G version of the Galaxy S10, but we’ll have to wait for more details.

Huawei

Huawei is yet another company who has confirmed that a foldable smartphone will meet us in 2019. In the past few years, the company has stepped up its game in the smartphone market with a lot of innovations, including a four camera setup on the new Mate 20 Pro. It’s not even shy of putting very large screen in its smartphones, like the recently released 7.2-inch Mate 20X (our video review here!).

DESIGN:

Huawei is in a race with Samsung to release the first foldable smartphone by a major brand. And it’s determined to win. Unlike the traditional design where the display folds inside, Huawei seems to be working on a device that folds outwards. So in the unfolded position, there will be an 8-inch large display, making it essentially as large as a tablet. However, you can fold this display outwards, essentially, keeping just one side of the screen in view. This is exactly the opposite of what Samsung is doing. Samsung’s foldable phone folds inwards and has a second screen up front that will work in the smartphone mode.

While this brings up a lot of questions like how does Huawei plan to protect the display if its always exposed, the real question is whether this is the final design. Huawei is yet to confirm the design on its upcoming foldable smartphone, so we can’t say anything for sure.

But there have been multiple rumours and even a patent at WIPO (featuring this outward folding design) that tips that the Chinese tech giant could be working on such a design.

RELEASE: 

Huawei could beat Samsung to the release of its first foldable smartphone at MWC 2019. Interestingly, even Samsung is said to showcase its foldable phone at the same event. So, I guess, the real competition would be in who manages to make its device available to the market first.

Most recent reports indicate that Huawei could release its foldable smartphone first in South Korea (Samsung’s home market!), thanks to its early 5G commercialisation plans. This goes on to hint that its foldable phone will support 5G as well.

Unfortunately, no word on its pricing yet, but expect it to be close to the $2000 mark. Huawei isn’t shy of slapping an expensive price tag to its products (Mate 20 RS being the case in point), so this isn’t a device that’s going to be affordable.

ROYOLE:

Royole is a surprise entry in this list and to be honest, no one ever thought that a startup would beat giants like Samsung and Huawei in releasing the world’s first commercial foldable smartphone. And it did this using in house tech which is pretty impressive.

DESIGN:

The Royole FlexPai adopts an outward folding design, which means there is one big display on the outside. The phone folds in the middle leaving the display exposed on the two sides. It works as described and the design really brings the concept into reality. Despite being a working model, the FlexPai doesn’t look very premium. It’s clear that the FlexPai isn’t a polished device, and that’s usually the case with first gen. devices. Big brands like Huawei and Samsung are likely going to come up with a much better design for their foldables.

RELEASE: 

The Royole FlexPai foldable smartphone will reportedly ship in December. While we are still not sure of the company’s scalability of such a design, it would really be an achievement for a small six year old company to beat the big giants in releasing such a device.

The FlexPai is priced from 8999 to 12999 yuan ($1,295 to $1,871), which isn’t exactly cheap. But if you want a foldable device for yourself, then this is all you’ve got right now.

LG

A foldable smartphone from LG is in the cards and it’s not surprising given that it’s currently one of the biggest display companies in the world. The company has already demoed flexible displays in the past and now it’s working on a model that folds.

DESIGN:

LG is said to be working on a device that folds on the outside, similar to the Huawei design. While we don’t have an official confirmation on the design from LG, this is what it could look like according to the company’s recent patent at WIPO.

The images, which were attached to the patent, reveals that both the displays connected through two hinges — one on the top and another on the bottom side. This enables both screens to open and combine to form one large display.

In a partially open position, the device can be used by two persons to watch video separately, using the two headphone jacks. Interestingly, both hosting packs their own battery as well as camera module. While the patent was filed in September 2016, it mentions that the primary display is equipped with an under-display fingerprint sensor.

RELEASE: 

LG is not going to focus on launching its foldable smartphone anytime soon. Instead, the company is taking the “perfecting the experience” approach before bringing it to the market. This could mean that we might not see a foldable from the South Korean company next year. As such, the details are very scarce right now.

ZTE

ZTE was one of the first companies to tease us with the idea of foldable smartphones. Well, its innovative Axon M failed to impress the likes of many, because it was basically two displays joined together with a hinge. In the tablet mode, you could clearly see the gap between the display. In short, it was not really the foldable experience we expected. However, ZTE’s VP of Marketing, Jeff Yee had something to add in a recent interview. “We’ll eventually get to something that’s truly bendable,” Yee said. “There’s a lot of others things that we might be adding over time.”

DESIGN:

ZTE’s foldable phone will most likely be an extension of the AXON M. We could see a flexible display (instead of the two display design) that folds at the center outwards. The company did have a few nifty features to make use of the two displays on board and we could see a similar application for its real foldable phone as well.

RELEASE: 

Considering what ZTE had to face earlier this year, it seems very unlikely that we’ll see a real foldable smartphone from ZTE anytime soon. All we know right now is that the company is working on one but no word on a release date yet.

MICROSOFT:

Microsoft may not be known for its smartphones (at least not now), but the company has a solid R&D team and knows how to make quality products (eg. Surface tablets). We have been hearing about the rumoured Andromeda surface phone for a very long time and reports say that the phone, when it launches finally, could feature a foldable design.

DESIGN:

Unlike LG, who seems to be focused on enhancing multi-media experience with its foldable phone, Microsoft is reportedly all about increasing productivity. The company wants to blur the line between mobiles and PCs and a foldable design seems to be the best way to achieve this.

If you have any doubts about its existence then know that the verge managed to get their hands on internal document talking about the device. In the words of the verge,

“It’s a new pocketable Surface device form factor that brings together innovative new hardware and software experiences to create a truly personal and versatile computing experience.”

So, it’s yet another design where the display folds on the outside. The prototype design seems to be similar to the renders by the designer David Breyer.

RELEASE: 

While the foldable device from Microsoft is in the works, there isn’t any guarantee that it will see the light of the day. Verge’s article states that there’s a chance that the project could be canned at any stage. So, don’t get your hopes too high.

APPLE:

Apple won’t be left out of the foldable party as the Cupertino giant is said to be working on a foldable prototype.

DESIGN:

Apple’s design seems to involve overlapping hinges or other features such as magnetic structures (Apple loves magnets!) to allow the flexible display to bend. The design could be tweaked to allow the display to fold inwards or outwards. These details were leaked by a recent patent filing by the company.

“The hinge may be configured to allow the flexible display to be placed in a front-to-front configuration in which an active side of the display faces itself or a back-to-back configuration,” reveals the patent. 

Basically, the design is going to be similar to what we have been seeing from other patents. However, Apple is known to release refined products in the market which means that the design would most likely tweaked to offer a seamless experience. One likely change is going to be the type of hinge used as the skeleton to the flexible display.

Interestingly, there’s one more design patented by Apple, which looks a lot more futuristic. The patent reveals that the display can be rolled up like a sheet of paper. Now there’s a reason why we call it futuristic, because it’s not really going to happen anytime soon. The first gen. foldable smartphone from Apple is likely going to feature a folding design similar to the ones we have been seeing from other brands.

RELEASE:

It’s too early to say when Apple will release its foldable smartphone but early reports quote a 2020 deadline. CNBC in its report earlier this year quoted Wamsi Mohan from Bank of America Merrill Lynch “Our checks also suggest that Apple is working with suppliers on a foldable phone (that potentially could double up as a tablet) for launch in 2020.”

LENOVO / MOTO

Lenovo / Moto seems to be working on a different kind of foldable phone. Patents reveal that the company is trying to make a smartphone more portable without compromising on the screen real estate. This is made possible by adopting a design similar to a clamshell phone, like the iconic Moto Razr flip series.

DESIGN:

Unlike other companies where foldable phones feature a tablet sized display that folds into a compact phone, Moto seems to be working on a device that makes an existing smartphone sized display even smaller. Patents reveal that the phone features a hinge in the middle and the regular sized display closes inwards to take the shape of a clamshell phone. It’s basically a flip phone with a  flexible display.

RELEASE: 

While Moto hasn’t revealed anything about foldable smartphones, we know from Lenovo that they are very much invested in such a device. The company had earlier teased a similar looking foldable phone with clamshell design but we still don’t have a word about its release date. Considering they managed to show a prototype in action, we could see a Lenovo / Moto branded foldable phone before other companies.

This turned out to be a really long article. But if you have reached here, well done! This means that you’ve read the entire article, or at least scrolled through it. As a bonus, I’ll add that Xiaomi, OPPO, and even ASUS is expected to be working on foldable smartphones. You can read about the patent from OPPO here or about Xiaomi’s first foldable smartphone news from here.

This kind of sums up about what we know about foldables so far.

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