There is going to be a big change in the foldable smartphone market, with Apple reportedly preparing to launch a clamshell-style gadget and Huawei Technologies nearly prepared to introduce a tri-folding smartphone.
Huawei, meanwhile, plans to release the first tri-folding smartphone with dual hinges in history. According to Securities Daily, a Chinese state-affiliated media outlet, the prototype is finished, and mass production is scheduled to start in late 2024. It is anticipated that the gadget will use cutting-edge AI technology, which will increase its appeal.
Huawei has a history of success in the foldable smartphone industry; in the first quarter of this year, it surpassed Samsung to become the top seller with a 35 percent market share.
However, access to American technology is restricted, which limits Huawei's appeal outside of China and hinders its foreign sales.
Apple is anticipated to unveil its first foldable iPhone, possibly as early as 2026, per a report by The Information.
Apple is reportedly in talks with Asian suppliers to develop parts for this new gadget, an initiative that signals the company's intention to enter the quickly expanding foldable phone industry.
With this move, Apple is entering a market that is presently dominated by rivals like Huawei, Xiaomi, Samsung Electronics, and Oppo.
Despite the overall stagnation of the smartphone business, there has been a surge in activity and competition in the worldwide foldable smartphone market.
China's foldable smartphone market is expanding quickly; from 3.2 million units in 2022 to 7.01 million in 2023, shipments have more than doubled. Due to Apple's impending entry into the high-end market, prominent players are vying for a larger portion of the market, which has intensified due to this spike.
The third-largest smartphone vendor in the world, Xiaomi, recently unveiled the Mix Fold 4 book-style foldable and the Mix Flip clamshell variant.
Samsung, meanwhile, unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 models, which will come with AI-driven features created in association with the Duobao language model from ByteDance.
With the foldable smartphone market rapidly expanding, Apple and Huawei stand to significantly influence its direction.
