Chinese foldable smartphones show increasing market competitiveness
Foldable smartphones, with improved features in photography, lightweight design and durability, will enter the mainstream market in the near future, industry watchers said.
It's a breakthrough for the Android brands, from Huawei, Honor, OPPO to Samsung, tapping into the high-end market segment and challenging the dominance of Apple.
On Thursday, OPPO released its new foldable flagship model Find N3, integrating lightweight design, improved durability and photography features. The new models begin at 9,999 yuan (US$1,369), targeting the high-end market segment.
"The foldable model doesn't mean a compromise of design with durability and photographic limits. It now fits all kinds of users including photography fans and business executives," said OPPO's Chief Product Officer Peter Liu.
OPPO's new foldable model supports both Windows and Mac files, a feature needed for business executives.
The Find N3 camera features the most powerful telescopic lens among all foldable phones, 64-mega-pixel definition and f/2.6 aperture. It can deal with various files on both Windows and Mac including Keynote and Page files.
According to IDC, China's foldable smartphone sales hit 1.26 million units in the second half, showing a 173 percent growth year on year.
Honor, a spin off from Huawei, has also bet on the new opportunity. It released the new Magic VS2 in October, the company's third foldable model in recent months.
Honor's Chief Executive Zhao Ming compares Magic VS2 with the iPhone 15 Pro.
Honor's Chief Executive Zhao Ming believes that foldable models will become a mainstream choice in the future. Honor aims to popularize it with lightweight design and more affordable prices.
In China, Android sales led by Huawei, Xiaomi and Honor grew while Apple's iPhone has seen a significant, double-digit decline. As a result, Huawei overtook iPhone to take the No. 1 spot for market share, according to a Jefferies report published on Monday.
As a global market leader, Samsung has kicked off its fifth generation of foldable models in China.
In Shanghai's downtown Nanjing Road, Samsung is holding a pop-up market with the theme "Unfold your World," with partners including Brompton, Audi, Pop Mart and Xiaohongshu (Red). Samsung's Galaxy foldable models, foldable bicycles and paper artworks are shown at the market.
In Shanghai's downtown Nanjing Road, visitors attend the "Unfold your World" pop-up market.
