Huawei set to introduce triple-folding smartphone soon

The battle for a slice of the premium smartphone segment is expected to intensify as two of the industry’s heavyweights are racing to launch new foldable models.  

Shenzhen-based tech giant Huawei Technologies is reported to introduce the world’s first smartphone that can be folded into three sections, with two hinges, very soon.

The prototype of the world’s first triple-folding smartphone is ready, integrating multiple Huawei new technologies, and mass production is scheduled for the third or fourth quarter this year, the Securities Daily quoted unnamed sources in the supply chain as saying in a report July 20.

Meanwhile, Richard Yu Chengdong, Huawei's executive director, said during a livestreamed interview last week that Huawei has been working on its next-generation foldable handset over the past five years and will launch it in the near future. 

The Securities Daily report said that all these “indicate that Huawei's next-generation foldable phone is "on the way."

Huawei has long initiated research and development projects focused on triple-folding handsets and the firm is seeking to advance the phone’s market launch. 

The firm filed a patent for a dual-hinge foldable device in 2022, according to the China National Intellectual Property Administration, which also listed a Huawei patent related to “folding screen device” in March.  

Meanwhile, The Information reported Wednesday that Apple Inc. is working on its first foldable handset, a clamshell-style iPhone which is slated to be launched as early as 2026. The report said that the U.S. tech giant has been contacting Asian suppliers in recent months to make components for its upcoming phones.

Apple’s entry into the foldable handset segment is expected to escalate competition in this fast-growing but high-end category now crowded with devices made by Samsung Electronics, Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei.

Foldable smartphones are expected to witness robust growth in the coming years with the gradual improvement of flexible screens and hinge-related technologies alongside continuous product price declines.

A report released by research firm Counterpoint in June said that global shipments of foldable smartphones in the first quarter this year grew 49% year on year, driven mostly by Huawei, as well as Shenzhen-based Honor Device Co. and Lenovo Group-owned Motorola. 

Global shipments of foldable handsets are projected to reach 100 million units in 2027 from 13.1 million units in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 51% during the period, according to a report released by China Securities earlier this year. Currently, the penetration rate of foldable handsets worldwide only stands at 1%.

Foldable smartphones are becoming increasingly popular in China, with shipments surging 114.5% in 2023 from a year ago to seven million units, according to global market research firm International Data Corp.

A survey conducted by Counterpoint shows 64% of high-end smartphone users in China are willing to purchase a foldable smartphone for their next purchase, and 89% of potential foldable handset buyers prefer booklet-type foldable designs for their wide and large displays and multitasking features.

Huawei overtook Samsung to become the world's leading manufacturer of foldable smartphones in the first quarter of 2024 with a 35% market share and the South Korean giant saw its share slump to 23%, according to Counterpoint's June report.

Compared with existing foldable smartphones, the triple-folding handset presents greater technological challenges.  

Liu Yushi, a senior analyst at CINNO Research, told the Securities Daily that the technology associated with screen, hinge, and other components of the triple-folding phone faces numerous challenges. But with advancements in materials science, engineering technology, and production processes, Chinese firms have already achieved breakthroughs in core technologies to solve these difficulties gradually.

Led by Huawei, domestic handset vendors are making great strides in the lucrative foldable phone segment, with shipments continuing to hit new highs. But industry heavyweights such as Huawei have already set their sights on the next-generation triple-folding phones by incorporating the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into their future products in a bid to grab a greater share of the high-end category while competing with Apple’s iPhone, industry analysts have said.