According to CINNO Research, the proportion of UTG in the folding mobile phone cover glass market is expected to further increase. Following Samsung Electronics, Chinese mobile phone brands also plan to launch folding mobile phones using UTG. Subsequently, the sales channel of transparent PI films as competitive materials may be further reduced.
According to Thelec, the new products of China's mainstream mobile phone brands that will be launched in the second half of this year are planned to use UTT covers. So far, the only folding phones with UTG are the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched by Samsung Electronics last year. The cover of the Huawei Mate X2 and Xiaomi's Mix Fold launched in the first half of this year is a transparent PI film.
But starting in the second half of the year, Chinese brands will also launch products using UTG. Xiaomi plans to adopt UTG for the first time in the Mi Mix Fold 2, which will be launched in the second half of the year. Samsung Display (SDC below) will produce an 8.01-inch inner screen equipped with UTG, and a 6.52-inch external screen will be produced by CSOT. The previous generation of Mi Mix Fold internal and external screens are produced by CSOT.
Vivo also plans to launch folding phones with 8-inch inner screen and 6.5-inch outer screen in the fourth quarter. UTG is used as a cover. The inner screen is produced by SDC and the outer screen is produced by BOE.
HonOR, which is independent from Huawei, also plans to launch a folding phone featuring UTG, the HONOR Magic Fold. Both the 8.03-inch inner screen and the 6.45-inch exterior screen are produced by BOE. If it goes well, it will become BOE's first folding mobile phone panel with UTG. It is reported that BOE is conducting UTT glass master testing.
Google is also preparing a 7.6-inch folding phone with an in-fold method, which is expected to be available within the year. It is reported that the product, known as the Pixel Fold, will also use UTG, and the panel will be produced by SDC.
OPPO also plans to launch a folding phone with a 7.1-inch inner screen and a 5.45-inch external screen, which is more likely to be listed next year. The inner screen with UTT is produced by SDC and the outer screen is produced by BOE. The panel will also feature a low-power LTPO TFT. Previously, it was reported that OPPO planned to launch a 7.1-inch inner screen and a 1.5-inch external screen clamshell folding mobile phone at the beginning of this year.
With the expansion of the UTT market, whether Corning in the United States can catch up with Germany Schott has also attracted much attention. At present, the Samsung electronic folding mobile phone UTG glass master adopts SCHOTT products.
Previously, some media said that Samsung Electronics plans to release the Galaxy Z Flip 3 UTG glass master supplier not only SCHOTT, Corning has also become a new supplier. From SCHOTT's exclusive offering to SCHOTT and Corning.
However, it is reported that Corning's glass master yield is still not high. Corning calls the folding glass cover Bendable Glass. Corning's glass master for UTGs is 50 microns (um) thick. Although it can be used in mobile phones, it is thicker than SCHOTT's 30um glass. Samsung Electronics is looking for a manufacturer that can etch Corning's 50um glass.
The price of folding mobile phone panels is 150 to 250 US dollars, which is 2 to 3 times higher than the price of ordinary OLED panels (80 US dollars). In addition to the price, the thickness of the product and the weight of the panel are also the main stumbling blocks to the popularization of folding mobile phones.
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