Reporting by XinZhiyuan
Editor: Yuan Xie is sleepy
On the evening of April 28, Huawei launched the latest folding screen mobile phone Mate Xs 2.
On September 15, 2020, the new U.S. ban on Huawei officially took effect.
After this, it is theoretically no longer possible to obtain chips produced by major component manufacturers such as TSMC, Qualcomm, Samsung, SK Hyns, and Micron.
However, in the past two years, Huawei has still insisted on launching various new 4G products.
On April 28, 2022, the latest folding screen mobile phone Mate Xs 2 was officially released.
4G flagship equipped with Snapdragon 888
To say that the most practical function of the folding screen at this stage is to display the "health code" and "itinerary code" at the same time.
But spending 10,000 yuan for this feature may not be a good deal for ordinary people.
In fact, the folding screen mobile phone also has an exclusive function, that is, to view multiple stocks at a time.
Although it is the familiar green color like the health code, the mood is completely different.
(Source: Kumamoto Technology)
Then the next step, it will enter the routine parameter introduction.
In terms of weight, the Mate Xs 2 is only 255g, which translates to imperial system, which is exactly equal to 9 ounces, and is said to be the lightest folding large-screen mobile phone in the industry.
Other folding screen phones, such as Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3, are basically equal to or more than 9.7 ounces, more than 270 grams.
At this point, it is indeed slightly superior.
After all, it is equivalent to two screens, and compared with the 238g of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, it is still a lot heavier.
Of course, as a folding screen mobile phone, the most important thing is definitely the screen.
In this regard, Huawei said that the Mate Xs 2 is equipped with a 7.8-inch folding screen, with a resolution of 2480x2200 and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
The new twin-rotor wing hinge increases the flatness of the screen by 70% compared to the previous generation.
However, the abandonment of the self-owned patented water drop hinge used in the previous two folding screen mobile phones, returning to the eagle wing hinge design derived from the original generation, also achieved this effect, making people wonder why the water drop hinge was developed before.
In this regard, knowing that the user "Chumo" has no shortage of praise for Huawei's outer folding screen design, "more flat and no creases", "natural advantages", and "weight and thickness reduction", it also expresses a little concern:
"[The folding screen design] also has a fatal drawback: the screen is more easily damaged. Originally, the hardness of the folding screen material was low, and then the screen was designed as a back cover, and it didn't take long to scratch and tired."
It seems that the trade-offs on whether to fold inside or out will still be a problem for both the production and sales of folding screen mobile phones to continue to scratch their heads.
However, if such a powerful screen is accidentally broken, it can cause a headache.
The price of the component is as high as 5089 yuan, which directly exceeds many flagship mobile phones.
However, Huawei introduced anti-collision structural technology to this mobile phone, and pioneered a composite reinforced structural screen, which is equipped with a polymer composite stack outside the screen, with a protective layer, a buffer layer, etc., which can effectively absorb and buffer external forces.
As a result, the Mate Xs 2's drop resistance is 2.5 times higher, the impact resistance is 2.8 times higher, and the extrusion resistance is 1.4 times higher than that of the previous generation.
At least, in Huawei's own fall test, it is not bad to fall.
As for imagery, the Mate Xs 2 has a 50-megapixel main camera and 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle and 8-megapixels. In terms of telephoto, it is possible to achieve 3x optical zoom.
From a parametric point of view, the ultra-wide angle of Huawei's Mate Xs 2 is still slightly better than the 12-megapixel of Samsung's flagship folding phone model Galaxy Z Fold 3.
In terms of application ecology, it is equipped with a folding screen adaptive UI engine, and the third-party application layout is self-learning and optimizing adaptive.
At present, TOP 300 applications support 100% large-screen adaptation, and TOP 2000 applications support 90% large-screen adaptation.
Knowing that users "chaos" said that this UI self-adaptation engine, so that a variety of unpopular Apps also have the possibility of automatically spreading out the page on the mobile phone folding screen, rather than simply expanding in equal proportions.
This can fully tap the true information display potential of the folding large screen and avoid blanks at the bottom of the display.
Huawei Mate Xs 2 supports four-network concurrency and five-network collaboration, and is the industry's first mobile phone that supports tri-band Wi-Fi, with a theoretical peak rate of up to 4Gbps.
This wifi concurrency and collaborative support exceeds Huawei's previous folding screen phone, the P50 Pocket.
The industry's first 3D precision indoor positioning technology can achieve indoor "store-level" accurate positioning, cross-layer automatic switching, continuous positioning uninterrupted.
At present, it has covered 160+ cities in China, 1300+ core business districts, 20+ large transportation hubs and other large and medium-sized public buildings.
Nowadays, for various reasons, Huawei's mobile phones not only cannot use the latest chips, but also the network can only reach 4G, even various flagships are no exception.
However, other smartphones over 1,000 yuan can basically support 5G networks regardless of the effect.
As if to make up for the gap in the 5G market, Huawei once pulled the P40 Pro from 2 years ago to the shelves again.
But the price has not dropped at all.
The market share in the first quarter shows that Huawei fell directly from 15% last year to 6.2%.
In this way, these seemingly inconspicuous defects, as well as high prices, have indeed dissuaded many consumers.
However, whether it is the "repeated jumping" of the folding method, or the having to use the 5G chip as 4G, it can be seen that Huawei is confused and helpless under the sanctions.
(Source: Huawei P50 press conference)
However, for consumers, they are more concerned about whether the product is good or not, and the cost performance is not high.
Some users expressed the attitude that "after the chip is stopped, the use is more free" and "my mother no longer has to worry about my learning".
However, compared with the Samsung entry-level Galaxy Z Flip 3's $999 price, the flagship version of the Galaxy Z Fold 3's $1800 price makes Americans also shout expensive, after the conversion of the exchange rate is still not as good as Huawei Mate Xs 2's corresponding products of the same grade.
Folding screen overlord Samsung did not lie flat: autumn to produce new products
The American smart device information station tomsguide said that if you want to buy the best folding screen mobile phone now, then buy Samsung. Samsung is now the leader in occupying this market.
However, this situation may be challenged this year, because Microsoft, Oppo, Huawei and other manufacturers have also begun to make efforts in the folding screen device segment.
But Samsung has not been lying flat on the laurels of the market leader, and it is said that in the second half of 2022, Samsung's Galaxy Z product line will have a new folding screen mobile phone.
And not necessarily just an update to existing products, Samsung is likely to launch a new folding screen handheld device, after all, it was a manufacturer that once made the Size of the Galaxy phone close to the size of the IPad.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 are Samsung's most recently updated foldable phones in August 2021, featuring a more rugged display and introducing IPX8 waterproofing in foldable phones for the first time, with the Fold model also supporting the S Pen.
Previous rumors suggested that Samsung would launch a new generation of foldable products later in 2022. Recently, Samsung has confirmed this on the first quarter of 2022 earnings call.
On the conference call, Kim Sung-koo, Samsung's vice president of mobile business, said: "Regarding the preparation of the new foldable model planned for launch in the second half of the year, we are currently working hard." It also said Samsung is ready to make foldable phones "another major focus in our business after the Galaxy S series."
Regarding the supply chain crisis, Kim Sung-koo said: "For the new foldable models, we will be fully prepared to ensure a seamless supply of key components so that we can fully respond to market opportunities and maximize sales from the moment they enter the market."
The free market competition between these manufacturers has transformed the folding screen handheld device from a niche unpopular product into a mainstream handheld device that mass consumers have the desire to buy. This trend continues, and the future folding screen mobile phone will be as cheap and popular as the current general intelligent model.
Resources:
https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2022-04-28/doc-imcwiwst4563712.shtml?finpagefr=p_114
https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-confirms-new-foldable-smartphones-coming/
https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-foldable-phones
https://www.zhihu.com/question/530500200