“Assembly of a folding flagship at a height” – Kommersant FM

Kommersant FM columnist Alexander Levy talks about his impressions of the smartphone of the Chinese brand.

Nearly 23 million smartphones shipped this year will feature foldable displays. The market of devices in this category grows rather promptly, analysts of Counterpoint Research noted. Last year, the proportion of models with flexible screens was just over 1% globally. However, in the premium segment, where the minimum cost is at the level of $800, they have already eaten 7% of the market.

New models in this category will appear. Folding display technology will evolve, which will not only transform the market, but will also affect demand. For example, almost a third of American users are likely to choose a phone with a flexible display as their next smartphone.

In Russia, where 40% of the 275 billion market is accounted for by smartphones worth more than 50 thousand rubles, the demand for the foldable devices segment has shown an increase of 2.3 times over the current first half of the year. These figures are shared by M.Video-Eldorado. According to the company, development drivers in our country are similar. The assortment is expanding, so far mainly due to new products from China. Customer perception is positive.

And I can only confirm previous opinions. Current folding models from Oppo, Tecno and Huawei, for example, which I have already held in my hands and tested, definitely do not look doubtful, but in a number of aspects are more attractive than regular form factor smartphones. The Huawei Mate X3, which I tested last, came out especially well. In terms of weight and dimensions, it is very close to the “apple” flagship. But at the same time, he obviously has two displays at once, one of which is flexible and almost 8 inches diagonal. By weight, the “Chinese” is one gram lighter.

At the same time, it cannot be said that the creators of the Mate X3 had to make any sacrifices or compromises. Except that there is no resistance to dust, which is due to form factor engineering. But the level of moisture protection is maximum. In general, the assembly of the Huawei foldable flagship is at its best, as is the filling, operating system and design. You can argue about tastes only in the design of the main camera unit. Yes, the difficulties with Google services have not disappeared. But the “crutches” for Huawei smartphones have been found and are working properly.

In 2027, IDC experts forecast global shipments of foldable phones already at over 48 million units with a market value of $42 billion.