(Economic Observer) Can foldable screen mobile phones, which are growing against the trend, break through this year?

　　China News Service, Beijing, February 25 (Reporter Liu Yuying) In the sluggish smartphone market, foldable screen mobile phones continue to grow against the trend.

As technology continues to develop and improve, foldable screen mobile phones are getting closer to becoming the main model.

　　On February 22, Huawei released Pocket 2, a new generation of vertical small folding screen mobile phone equipped with Xuanwu water drop hinge.

According to statistics from multiple market research institutions, Huawei ranks first in the folding screen mobile phone market in terms of shipments.

The small foldable screen mobile phone released this time focuses on the fashion market.

　　At present, all major Chinese mobile phone manufacturers have deployed foldable screen mobile phones, such as Huawei, OPPO, vivo, Honor, etc.

In 2023, major manufacturers will successively release more than ten folding screen products, and the industry will enter a stage of concentrated explosion.

　　A report released by International Data Corporation (IDC) in February showed that for the whole of 2023, China's foldable screen mobile phone market shipped approximately 7.007 million units, a year-on-year increase of 114.5%.

Since the first product was launched in 2019, China's foldable screen mobile phone market has grown by more than 100% year-on-year for four consecutive years.

　　The "China Folding Screen Mobile Phone Consumption Insight Report 2024" released by iResearch believes that the audience for folding screen mobile phones is gradually expanding, especially the growth trend of high-end and female users.

The proportion of female users in 2023 will increase by 9% compared with 2022.

In terms of age, the young group aged 18-29 who love to try new things and the group aged 40 and above with stable economic income account for a relatively high proportion, accounting for 30.6% and 43.1% respectively.

　　In addition to horizontal folding screens, vertical folding screen mobile phones are also favored by many consumers.

The vertical folding form is smaller after folding and easier to carry, which is the main reason why more than 40% of users pay attention to vertical folding screen mobile phones.

　　The Pocket2 released by Huawei this time is a vertical folding screen mobile phone.

According to Yu Chengdong, Huawei’s Managing Director and CEO of Terminal BG, Pocket 2 has brought significant upgrades in terms of hinge, configuration, and imaging.

　　Zhong Xinlong, director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Office of the Future Industry Research Center of CCID Think Tank, told a reporter from China News Service that folding screen mobile phone technology is rapidly developing and improving, and has gradually begun to enter the choice of ordinary users from "geek" trials in 2021.

　　Mobile phone manufacturers provide users with diverse choices through different designs and technological innovations.

For example, different folding methods, increased screen refresh rate, optimization of secondary screen functions, etc. are all important features of the development of folding screen mobile phone technology in 2023. Folding screens have gradually begun to differentiate their positioning from the high-end business positioning at the beginning, such as Launched a vertical folding mobile phone targeted at women.

　　“As supply chain technology matures and prices drop, some important factors that affect the folding screen experience, such as weight, thickness, battery life, performance release and other issues, have been improved. At the same time, the price of folding screen mobile phones has also dropped, making more Mass consumers think the price is acceptable," Zhong Xinlong said.

　　IDC data shows that the share of foldable screen mobile phones priced above US$1,000 in 2023 has dropped from 81.0% a year ago to 66.5%.

In addition to the overall cost reduction, vertically folded products are relatively cheaper, and have dropped to the price range of US$400-600 in 2023.

　　Looking into the future, iResearch predicts that folding screen mobile phones will continue to maintain rapid growth from 2024 to 2025.

Guo Tianxiang, senior analyst at IDC China, pointed out that folding screen mobile phones are still the key products of various manufacturers in 2024.

The participation of more manufacturers and the launch of more products will continue to promote the rapid development of the folding screen mobile phone market.

　　Regarding when folding screen mobile phones will become "standard equipment", Zhong Xinlong believes that this still faces some challenges and problems, including cost, durability and reliability, software adaptation, user habits, maintenance services and upgrades, etc.

　　He said that from the perspective of supply chain costs, the manufacturing cost of folding screen mobile phones is relatively high, resulting in usually higher selling prices. How to reduce costs through technological innovation and large-scale production may be a focus in the next step.

In addition, there are still some mainstream applications that have not fully adapted to the characteristics of folding screens, which will affect the user experience in actual applications.

(over)