Huawei's first tri-fold screen is exposed, will the foldable screen mobile phone 'win the world in roll form'?

In 1977, the computer company Tandy launched the world's first "handheld computer" - the TRS-80. It was a computer that could truly fit in your pocket. The designer even equipped it with a complete alphabet keyboard. Until the emergence of the original iPhone, people had always believed that a palm-sized computer was the trend in the consumer market.

Obviously, the iPhone leads the development of the smartphone market, but it also makes the design of the mobile phone market increasingly boring. In 2019, Samsung and Huawei successively launched their first-generation foldable smartphones. In the folded state, this is a handy mobile phone, but when unfolded, the nearly 8-inch, 4:3 ratio screen can be used as a mobile phone. tablet to use.

## (Source: Huawei)

But this is far from enough, foldable mobile phones can have more changes.

China Taiwan's "Economic Daily" revealed that Huawei is developing a "Z-fold phone", a folding screen phone that can be folded twice. The screen panel is provided by BOE , expected to be released in the second quarter of this year.

This tri-fold folding screen phone has a 28:9 or 18:9 screen ratio design. When unfolded, it can match the mainstream tablet computers on the market. Visual size is close. People familiar with the matter said that rather than calling this product a tri-fold folding screen phone, it would be better to call it a folding screen tablet.

# It is both a mobile phone and a tablet. The plan that Apple and Samsung were still considering was actually "preempted" by Huawei?

# "Z discount machine", is it a complete job or just a need?

#A foldable mobile phone fully meets the needs of users who want both portability and a large screen. For example, at the OPPO Find N3 launch conference, OPPO spent a lot of time demonstrating the progress of this folding screen mobile phone in the business office area.

(Source: OPPO)

For now, Folding screen mobile phones have been given too many productivity attributes by manufacturers, which has led to the situation that the display area of ​​such products in the unfolded state is "not enough". For example, for multi-tasking operations, even with a screen close to 8 inches, multiple It still seems quite crowded between applications.

Obviously, the tri-fold folding screen is here to solve this problem.

Judging from the two patents related to the tri-fold folding screen registered by Huawei in March and July 2022, this tri-fold folding screen mobile phone has three shells body and two joints, that is, the three parts are connected through hinges. It is reported that when the device is folded, it can still maintain a size of 6.4 inches, which is almost the same as an ordinary candy bar mobile phone. When unfolded, it is expected to exceed 8 inches, further increasing the display area.

## (Source: TechnoPat/Samsung Three-fold Plan)

Samsung exhibited two tri-fold display solutions at the 2021 International Society for Information Display, and then unveiled the finished mobile phones Galaxy Flex S and Galaxy Flex G equipped with these two solutions at the MWC 2023 flagship. Earlier, The Elec also broke the news that Samsung is preparing a tri-fold foldable screen phone, but there has been no update progress so far.

#But unlike the "U-shaped hinge" that Samsung insists on, Huawei has always been a fan of the "water drop-shaped hinge". At least the creases on the screen are not Like the two display machines of Galaxy Flex S and Galaxy Flex G, it will bring dual tactile and visual torture to users.

## (Photo source: TechnoPat)

In addition to the changes in appearance, the operating logic also needs to be paid attention to. The solution presented by Samsung is not very mature in terms of UI layout. For example, the desktop layout after one-way folding is still relatively messy. Huawei has always done an excellent job in the folding screen UI. After the screen becomes larger, it can also create more quick operations related to productivity. As for the final effect, it depends on the product.

#In short, folding screen, as a new form of smartphone, will only enter the consumer market in just a few years. How will this type of product change? How much new experience it will bring to users, or whether it can stimulate the mobile phone market that is still waiting to be revitalized, is full of unknowns.

Folding screen mobile phones "win the world in roll form"?

In 2014, Samsung released the Galaxy Note Edge, the world’s first curved screen smartphone. This was also the first time Samsung used flexible OLED panels in the smartphone field. The emergence of curved screens has led to the first revolution in the "curly" form of the smartphone market.

After the curved screen, Xiaomi MIX and iPhone In 2018, vivo exhibited its first "true full-screen" concept mobile phone, vivo APEX, with no openings or buttons in the whole body. The front camera and earpiece are all placed under the glass panel, which is as exquisite as a work of art.

## (Source: Veny Geskin1)

Of course, before 2019, mobile phone manufacturers only focused on screen form, and the overall design of mobile phones still followed the rules of mainstream models, and had not yet jumped out of the field of convertible forms. Then, Royole, Samsung, Huawei and other manufacturers launched folding screen mobile phones, setting off a foldable wave.

(Photo source: OPPO)

It is worth mentioning that , OPPO has exhibited an OPPO X 2021 using scroll screen technology in 2021. The logic of most folding screen mobile phones is the same today, maintaining 6.7 inches in the non-expanded state and 7.4 inches after unfolding.

Currently, Motorola continues to pay attention to scroll screen technology, but other manufacturers are basically silent. Whether it is a scroll screen or a folding screen, the mechanical structure that assists in unfolding is a time bomb, and it is also the fatal flaw that makes it difficult for this type of product to gain recognition from mass consumers.

## (Source: Huawei)

How many foldable screens have gone through After years of development, the hinge structure has long been no longer a flaw, and thanks to the advantages of combining portability and a large screen, it has won the favor of some consumers. Research agency TrendForce mentioned in the report that shipments of foldable screen mobile phones will reach 18.3 million units in 2023, with a growth rate of 43%.

Folding screen mobile phones are gradually gaining market recognition, and manufacturers have more room to explore more different directions, such as the scroll screen mentioned earlier , or the tri-fold foldable screen phone that Huawei is about to release.

It is reported that Apple is also planning to launch a folding screen device, either an iPhone or an iPad. This is enough to show that smart devices that can change forms have formed a certain market, have a loyal audience, and are forming a development trend. Huawei has taken the lead in the foldable smartphone market before all manufacturers, simply because it wants to seize the opportunity.

#Can tri-fold screens become the mainstream of folding screens?

When folding screen mobile phones first appeared, service life became consumers’ biggest concern for this type of new products. However, after five years of development, most Manufacturers have been able to give answers that convince users. For example, Huawei's Pocket S has a folding life of 400,000 times. Even if it is folded 200 times a day, it can be used reliably for 5 years.

#Back to the tri-fold folding screen phone, there are even more challenges.

## (Source: Huawei)

One, many times Can foldable devices maintain a thin and light body? In 2023, we can see that the folding screen mobile phone market is developing in the direction of thinness and lightness. For example, Honor Magci Vs2 and Huawei Mate X5 are all models that implement "portability" to the end. In order to make the body thin and light enough, Huawei has specially designed an ultra-thin Type-C interface since the Mate X3, and its cost is self-evident.

A tri-fold folding screen phone has one more layer than mainstream folding screen phones. How to control its thickness in the folded state is a very big problem.

Second, how to lay out the system UI normally? For example, the current mainstream folding screen mobile phones maintain a 4:3 display ratio in the unfolded state, which is consistent with most tablet products. Many applications are well adapted to this ratio, such as Douyin, Little Red Book. However, the tri-fold folding screen has a 28:9 display ratio after unfolding, and it may be difficult to adapt the UI interface.

(Photo source: Huawei)

If the above problems are solved If a compromise solution is found, then the tri-fold folding screen is still very meaningful for the mobile phone market. As we mentioned before, the folding screen itself is a product born to meet the needs of users for portability and large screens. Multiple folding devices can bring larger displays, which is undoubtedly a good choice for consumers with mobile office needs. The most efficient production tool.

In any case, Huawei’s market share of folding screen mobile phones in China has reached 50.3% in 2023, and it is no exaggeration to describe its position as “half the country.” As the leading brand in China's folding screen market, it is also a reasonable market strategy to create and find new growth points in the still untapped market segments. But whether the tri-fold folding screen mobile phone can set off a new wave in the market is difficult to draw a conclusion before the product actually arrives.

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