Flip phones are back.
Several tech giants, including Samsung and the Chinese company Otto, revealed their folding devices at this week’s Mobile World Congress. Unlike the flip phones that dominated the market 20 years ago, the new generation has large doubled smartphone screens.
CCS Insight Chief Analyst Ben Wood “Every shape, every size, so many experiments and it’s an exciting time.” said CNBC.
Samsung showcased the Galaxy Z series at MWC – the Z Fold 4 is expected to launch in mid-2022.
Companies often showcase their latest smartphone designs at Mobile World, which opens in Barcelona on Monday.
As flip phones have come to the fore, Apple has clearly stood in between. The company launched the iPhone 13 in September 2021, but Mr Wood suggests they have “over a decade of flexible display technology in their lab.”
He added that Apple will wait until the market develops further.
Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy, thinks the company is delaying a launch until the cost of the technologies drops.
“We’re probably a year or two away from that point right now, although we’ve seen Samsung and others resolve many of the woes that used to exist,” Mr. Sag told CNBC.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported regiment The device will be released in May 2021 as a note to investors.
“Based on our latest industry research, we anticipate that Apple will launch a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display in 2023, with SDC as the dedicated display supplier and Samsung Foundry as the dedicated DDI foundry provider.” said Kuo.
Samsung and Apple continue to lead global smartphone sales. The companies had a total market share of 42.4% in the 4th quarter of 2021. Apple had about 85 million shipments during this time, while Samsung had just under 70 million.
Xiaomi took third place with 45 million shipments.
