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Is the folding screen a false proposition? Since Royole released the world's first folding screen mobile phone in 2018, the controversy surrounding this issue has never stopped. On the one hand, is the new experience gained after unfolding the larger screen valuable? On the other hand, is it necessary to sacrifice weight, price, and reliability for the sake of a folding screen?

In 2024, along with controversy, foldable screen phones of various configurations, shapes and prices appeared on the market, and foldable screens gradually became one of the "important members" of the entire mobile phone market. Since its official debut in 2019, the sales of foldable screen phones have been growing.

According to a report by Counterpoint Research, global shipments of foldable smartphones in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 49% year-on-year, setting a new quarterly record. At the same time, it predicts that global shipments of foldable smartphones will reach a new peak in the second quarter of 2024, increasing by 113% year-on-year. The report believes that several Chinese mobile phone manufacturers have contributed greatly to the rapid growth of the global foldable smartphone market.

Image source: Counterpoint Research

Among them, Huawei and Honor performed extremely well. For the first time, Huawei surpassed Samsung, which has always been leading the market, and jumped to the top of the quarterly global shipment list; Honor's foldable screen mobile phone market share soared from 3% last year to 12% this quarter, ranking third in the world.

In addition to Huawei, Samsung, Honor, and Motorola, which are the top four on the list, mobile phone manufacturers such as vivo and Nubia also launched new folding screen products in the first half of this year. But are folding screen mobile phones really mature enough? How can users choose the folding screen mobile phone that suits them?

Follow Xiao Lei to review the foldable screen market in the first half of 2024. I believe it should answer your questions.

Two major manufacturers release new products, big folding leads growth

There is no doubt that foldable screen mobile phones have become a general consensus among mobile phone manufacturers to expand their penetration in the high-end market, but different manufacturers have differences in the folding methods.

As an important addition to the folding screen mobile phone market,In the first quarter of 2024, sales of horizontally foldable screen mobile phones in the Chinese market increased by 91% year-on-year, while sales of vertically foldable screen mobile phones decreased by 1% year-on-year. Market data show that large foldable screen devices with horizontal folding form are more popular among consumers.

Which large folding phones impressed Lei Technology in the first half of the year? In fact, only two major manufacturers launched new products.

1. vivo X Fold 3 series: focusing on thinness and office use.

Mobile phone manufacturers are obviously aware of this market trend. At the flagship new product launch conference held on March 26, vivo launched the new generation of large folding vivo X Fold 3 series, including vivo X Fold3 and vivo X Fold3 Pro.

Thinness is one of the biggest selling points of the vivo X Fold3 series. The vivo X Fold3 weighs only 219g, which is lighter than many straight flagships. The thickness when unfolded is only 4.65mm, and when closed is only 10.2mm. The vivo X Fold3 Pro has higher specifications because it is packed with hardware. Even so, its thickness when unfolded is only 5.2mm, and when closed is only 11.2mm. The body weight is only 236g, which is definitely the thinnest representative of foldable screen phones of the same size.

For foldable phones, thinness certainly affects the user's hand-held experience, but interaction is also an important factor that cannot be ignored. After four generations of product iterations, the vivo X Fold3 series has been optimized to be quite mature in terms of hovering and large-screen adaptation, and even has many new features that "others don't have, but I have".

Image source: Lei Technology

For example, the vivo X Fold3 series can be connected to a MacBook through the built-in vivo office suite, and a series of operations such as data transmission, task relay, screen projection, and note synchronization can be performed between the two.

The vivo X Fold3 series has been released for several months, so I won’t go into details about its configuration. To sum up, for users who pursue cost-effectiveness and daily use, the vivo X Fold3 provides a balanced configuration and a reasonable price, which is enough to meet daily communication, entertainment and photography needs.

For photography enthusiasts who pursue high-end experience and often go out, the imaging performance and large storage space of the vivo X Fold3 Pro phone can provide a professional-level photography experience while ensuring smooth multitasking. In addition, the phone's fast charging technology and high waterproof rating bring additional convenience and security to users.

2. Magic V3/VS3: Large folding and rolling configuration.

Another company that released a large folding phone in the first half of the year is Honor. Unlike vivo, Honor chose both vertical and horizontal folding methods.

Let’s first talk about the large folding Magic V3/VS3. The Magic V3 set a record for the thinnest inward-folding screen with a folding body thickness of 9.2mm, and weighs only 226g, which completely changed people’s traditional impression that folding screen phones are bulky.

Image source: Lei Technology on-site shooting

Thanks to the upgrade of hinge structure and internal and external screen glass technology, Magic V3 has higher wear and impact resistance, and has passed IPX8 waterproof certification, becoming the only folding screen mobile phone that supports 2.5 meters of waterproof. The performance and battery life are both at the top level of domestic high-end models, and the imaging capability of supporting up to 100X telephoto is impressive.

The biggest selling point of Honor Magic V3 is that it is thin and light enough, while it is durable, and has outstanding performance and battery life. The Magic Vs3, which is positioned at a relatively lower level, is basically the same as Honor Magic V3, but with some differences in details.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 released by Samsung in Paris on July 10 are products to be released in the second half of the year. Lei Technology has recently gone to Shanghai to experience them.

(Photo source: Lei Technology)

Small folding is gaining momentum, and major mobile phone manufacturers are making crazy moves

The current market share of small foldable screen mobile phones is lower, but the growth rate is considerable. Because of this, leading manufacturers have been betting big on showing off their skills and launched a number of small foldable screen mobile phones in the first half of the year.

1. Honor Magic V Flip: The "giant" external screen attracts attention.

The small folding Magic V Flip, like the small folding screen phones previously released by vivo, Huawei, and OPPO, also faces the problem of how to show sufficient practicality in a limited size. In response to this, the Magic V Flip provides a 4-inch "giant screen" external screen.

Although the Magic V Flip's outstanding 4-inch large screen is impressive, making people almost forget that it is a folding screen phone, in actual use, the role of the inner screen cannot be ignored. How to find a balance between the interaction between the inner and outer screens may be an area that Honor can continue to optimize in the next stage.

Image source: Lei Technology

In the past year, Honor's data performance in the foldable screen mobile phone market has been very impressive. As one of the top players in the Chinese foldable screen mobile phone market, Honor has completed the layout of large foldable screen mobile phones in the past two years, and Magic V3/VS3 will further consolidate Honor's leading position in the high-end market.

As Honor's first small folding screen phone, Magic V Flip is well-made overall. Whether it is a large enough external screen, an excellent internal screen, or convenient operation under MagicOS 8.0, Magic V Flip is a good choice in the current small folding screen phone market.

2. Nubia Flip: Its advantage lies in its low entry threshold.

At the 2024 Spring New Product Launch Conference, Nubia released the Nubia Flip. In fact, the Nubia Flip was unveiled at MWC24 in February this year, and it left a deep impression on the Lei Technology on-site reporting team.

Photography has always been the main selling point of Nubia mobile phones. In an environment where major brands are frantically increasing the imaging parameters and algorithms of mobile phones, Nubia Flip still differentiates itself in the camera. The innovative concepts of hovering photography and dual-screen simultaneous preview allow the integration of "other people's photography" and "self-portraits". In addition, multi-angle free hovering makes shooting more possible, and the retro play of handheld DV is one of them.

In short, compared with the image quality, the rich gameplay of Nubia Flip in imaging is the core selling point. The foldable feature brings more shapes and angles, making photography more interesting.

Image source: Lei Technology

In general, the configuration of Nubia Flip is quite satisfactory, but as a small folding screen product, the price of 2,999 yuan is really shocking, which greatly lowers the purchase threshold of folding screens.

3. moto razr 50 series: foldable AI terminal.

Lenovo also released a new small folding product. At the summer new product launch conference, Lenovo released the moto razr 50 series of folding screen mobile phones, including the moto razr 50Ultra AI Yuanqi version and the moto razr 50, priced from 3,699 yuan.

From the screen to the image, and then to the function, the moto razr 50Ultra is all powered by AI. The screen is a specially customized external screen, using a 4.0-inch borderless AI large external screen, which is said to have a "screen rate" of 95%. In terms of imaging, the moto razr 50Ultra is equipped with a dual 50-megapixel AI imaging system.

Image source: Motorola

AI function is also a highlight of moto razr 50Ultra. The built-in Lenovo Xiaotian supports natural conversation, information query, control settings and other functions. It can also use the smart screen recognition function to help users quickly identify text and picture information on the screen, which is convenient for quick operation or sharing. As for AI painter, AI call, AI travel and other functions, they are naturally standard.

In fact, Motorola's presence in the foldable screen mobile phone market has always been low. Even though it is one of the first manufacturers to release foldable screen mobile phones in 2019, like Samsung and Huawei, it is rarely compared with them. Although in the latest data of Motorola in the first quarter of 2024, Motorola's shipments soared 1473% year-on-year, jumping to the fourth place in the world. However, its product line focusing on small foldable screen mobile phones still has certain risks. After all, the decline of small foldable screens is obvious to all.

4. Huawei Pocket 2: The most beautiful small folding phone.

Previously, Huawei has launched two vertically folding screen products, namely the P50 Pocket released in 2021 and the Pocket S released in 2022.This time, Huawei Pocket 2 has brought significant upgrades in hinges, configuration, and imaging.

The design of Huawei Pocket 2 is very attractive. There are two prominent circular elements on the back of the phone: one circle has four cameras embedded in it, and the other circle is a 1.15-inch auxiliary screen that can display wallpaper and other information. This secondary screen can also be used to display avatars, providing interesting personalized gameplay. Overall, the design language of this phone is very suitable for the small folding screen phone market that pursues a fashionable appearance.

Image source: Huawei

In addition to its good-looking appearance, the telephoto lens on the Huawei Pocket 2 also meets the needs of users who like taking photos. The telephoto lens is a relatively rare feature in vertical folding screen phones, and it has a three-fold optical zoom capability. In addition, the telephoto lens also supports optical image stabilization, which helps users take high-quality long-range photos in low-light environments.

In general, Huawei Pocket 2 is a folding screen product with significant upgrades in all aspects, and has core advantages in hinge technology and imaging. It is foreseeable that Huawei will be a very strong player in the small folding screen market in 2024.

With the help of new technologies, the folding screen war will become more intense

In fact, Huawei's impact on the folding screen market in 2024 goes far beyond small folding devices.

Recently, Richard Yu and Dong Yuhui held a live broadcast event, during which they talked about Huawei's mobile phones, research and development, etc. It is worth noting that Richard Yu revealed the information of Huawei's "next generation folding screen" product for the first time. He said that this product has been developed for 5 years and will be unveiled soon.

Combined with recent industry revelations, Huawei's "next generation folding screen" product is likely to be a three-folding screen mobile phone, which is a three-folding screen mobile phone with a double hinge design that combines inner and outer folding. The screen size when fully unfolded is about 10 inches, which is larger than any other folding screen mobile phone on the market.

Samsung and Honor are also planning to develop three-fold screen mobile phones. As early as the 2021 International Information Display Society, Samsung demonstrated the prototype of the "three-fold solution" to the industry; Honor CEO Zhao Ming said that for the technical layout of folding screen updates, Honor has laid out various technologies such as three-fold and scroll, and is technically prepared for three-fold products (three-section folding screen mobile phones), but whether to launch them depends on business choices.

Image source: TechnoPat

In terms of foldable screen product form, the top manufacturers in the global foldable screen market have shown amazing tacit understanding. According to the time calculation, Huawei's three foldable screen mobile phones will most likely be officially released in September. Whether Honor and Samsung follow up immediately or wait and see the market before making a decision, they will be the focus of competition in the foldable screen market in the second half of 2024.

In addition to new technologies, we will also see more foldable screen phones in the second half of the year, such as the Xiaomi MIX Fold 4 and Xiaomi's first small foldable screen MIX Flip, which will be released this week; the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 that have been released, and plans to release 4 high-end foldable screen devices later, including Galaxy Z Flip Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold Ultra, Galaxy Z Flex (three-screen folding device) and Galaxy Z Tab (foldable screen tablet).

But more importantly, the development of foldable screen mobile phones has reached a critical turning point. With the joint efforts of manufacturers, "thickness" is no longer the most prominent pain point. Now the weight of foldable screen mobile phones has basically dropped to a relatively reasonable range.

On the contrary, durability, performance and image performance are becoming more and more the focus of attention, and users' requirements for foldable screen mobile phones are increasing as their acceptance increases. Blindly pursuing thinness may backfire and cause other performance to decline, which will directly affect consumers' future long-term choices.

Will foldable screen mobile phones eventually become the “big guy” in the market?

Since its birth, foldable screen mobile phones have always been the strategic focus of mobile phone manufacturers. Many manufacturers hope that foldable smartphones can revive the stagnant smartphone market and expand their penetration in the high-end market. In fact, the market performance of foldable screen mobile phones has not been disappointing.

The latest report released by market research firm Counterpoint Research shows that while sales in China's mobile phone market only grew by 2% in the first quarter of 2024, sales of foldable screen mobile phones increased by 48% year-on-year, continuing its strong growth momentum.

In recent years, candy-bar phones have faced challenges in design innovation and personalized needs. Their small screen size and lack of portability make it difficult to meet the diverse needs of consumers. In contrast, foldable screen phones have effectively solved these problems through innovations in form, technology and functions, bringing a new experience to users.

According to current market trends, the foldable screen mobile phone market is expected to continue to grow rapidly, and more and more consumers tend to choose foldable screen mobile phones as their next-generation mobile phones.

Image source: iResearch

Looking back at the history of consumer electronics, all changes in industry patterns often face the emergence of new technologies or product nodes. For example, the first generation of iPhone successfully pulled the mobile phone industry from the keypad era to the smartphone era; iPhone 6 ushered in the era of large-screen mobile phones.

Will mature enough foldable screen mobile phones become the key to the next stage of the mobile phone industry transformation? It is difficult for Xiao Lei to answer this question now, but looking at the entire mobile phone market, it seems that there is no better choice than it.

In the first half of 2024, the technology circle is surging.
Big models are being put into practice at an accelerated pace, with AI applications emerging in an endless stream, including AI mobile phones, AI PCs, AI home appliances, AI search, and AI e-commerce.
Vision Pro is now available in China, setting off a new wave of XR spatial computing;
HarmonyOS NEXT is officially released, and the mobile OS ecosystem has changed;
Automobiles have fully entered the "second half", and intelligence has become a top priority;
Competition in e-commerce is increasingly fierce, with low prices and even lower services;
The wave of going overseas is surging, and Chinese brands are embarking on the journey of globalization;

In the hottest month of July, Lei Technology's mid-year review is launched, summarizing the brands, technologies and products worth recording in the first half of 2024 in the technology industry, recording the past and looking forward to the future. Please pay attention.