Recently, in an interview with the media, Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, said proudly that Huawei's folding screen mobile phone technology is far ahead of its peers, while some domestic friends just copied Huawei's double-spin waterdrop hinge design, and then changed its name to keel hinge.
As soon as these words came out, they immediately aroused the dissatisfaction of Xiaomi fans, who refuted Yu Chengdong on social media, accusing him of framing Xiaomi and belittling competitors. In this war of words, who is right and who is wrong? Is Huawei's folding screen technology really that good?
What is Huawei's dual-spin waterdrop hinge?
Huawei's dual-spin waterdrop hinge is one of the core technologies of Huawei's Mate X series folding screen phones released in 2019, which allows the screen to remain smooth and seamless when unfolded and folded, while avoiding damage caused by excessive bending of the screen.
The principle of the double-rotating waterdrop hinge is that two rotation axes are set at the folding place of the screen to form a droplet-shaped space, so that the screen can be naturally bent when folded, rather than forcibly broken. According to Huawei, the technology has been tested millions of times to ensure the durability and reliability of foldable phones.
And what about Xiaomi's keel hinge?
Xiaomi's keel hinge is one of the core technologies of Xiaomi's Xiaomi MIX FOLD folding screen phone released in 2021, and it is also a dual-axis hinge design that allows the screen to remain flat when the phone is unfolded and folded, while reducing the crease of the screen.
According to Xiaomi, the keel hinge is inspired by the traditional Chinese keel structure, which uses a special material and process to make the hinge stronger and more stable, while also being thinner. Xiaomi also said that the keel hinge has undergone 20 million fold tests, exceeding the industry standard.
Is Yu Chengdong's anger justified?
Yu Chengdong's anger is actually based on his confidence and pride in Huawei's folding screen technology, as well as his dissatisfaction with the protection of domestic intellectual property rights. He believes that Huawei's double-spin waterdrop hinge is an innovative technology, while Xiaomi's keel hinge is just an imitation and plagiarism of Huawei, just a change of name. He feels that such behavior is disrespectful to Huawei and irresponsible to consumers.
However, Yu Chengdong's anger is also somewhat exaggerated and not objective enough. First of all, the technology of folding screen mobile phones is not only about hinge design, but also involves many factors such as screen materials, display effects, software adaptation, etc., and it is not possible to judge who copied whom simply by the similarity of the hinges.
As early as 2017, Samsung has applied for a patent for a dual-axis hinge, and in 2020, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was released, which also adopted the design of the dual-axis hinge. Therefore, Xiaomi's keel hinge is not necessarily a copy of Huawei's double-spin waterdrop hinge, but on the basis of referring to the industry's advanced technology, it has carried out its own optimization and innovation.
epilogue
Folding screen mobile phones are a new exploration and attempt in the field of smart phones, which brings consumers a larger screen and more usage scenarios, and also brings more challenges and opportunities for mobile phone manufacturers.
Huawei and Xiaomi, as the two major mobile phone brands in China, have invested a lot of R&D and innovation in folding screen mobile phones, providing consumers with more choices and experiences.
Yu Chengdong's anger, although somewhat emotional and subjective, also reflects his pride in Huawei and wariness of his friends, and also stimulates Xiaomi fans to fight back and argue, and to a certain extent, it also promotes the competition and development of folding screen mobile phones. We look forward to Huawei and Xiaomi continuing to innovate and progress in foldable phones to bring better products and services to consumers."