On the eve of the Spring Festival, Huawei and Apple both broke out heavy news about folding screen products. Among them, Huawei is rumored to be developing a "three-fold screen" mobile phone, while Apple, which has not yet launched a folding screen product, is said to be expected to "break the ice" as soon as 2026.
Although there is still great uncertainty about the above actions of Huawei and Apple, these two major consumer electronics giants have actually laid out the patents related to folding screens. This is also regarded by the market as a "catalyst" to boost the folding screen track.
The industry expects that with the release of new folding screen mobile phones from Samsung and Xiaomi in 2024, and the expectation that Huawei and Apple will join the "melee", the consumer electronics industry is expected to set off a folding screen boom within the year. And the industrial chain will also benefit from this.
Huawei and Apple patents landed
The folding screen is not a new product in the consumer electronics industry, but a recent news from Huawei has attracted attention in the industry. It is reported that Huawei is developing a new "tri-fold screen mobile phone", and has begun to stock up on a large scale, which is expected to be available as soon as the second quarter of this year.
Previously, Huawei has released a total of three types of folding screen phones, one is a small folding screen phone that folds up and down, the latest product is the Pocket S, released on November 02, 2022, the second is the left and right outer folding phone, the latest is the Mate Xs2, released on April 28, 2022, and the third is the left and right inner folding screen phone, the latest Mate X5, released on September 8, 2023.
Huawei did not respond to the "tri-fold screen mobile phone" message. However, after searching the relevant patents from the official website of the State Intellectual Property Office, it was found that Huawei did register two patents related to tri-fold screens in March and July 2022. Huawei's patent description clearly mentions that the electronic device has three housings and two connectors.
Coincidentally, Apple has also recently reported heavy news about the folding screen. In related news, Apple is considering launching a foldable iPad mini as its first foldable device. The news quoted the supply chain as saying that Apple has asked display suppliers such as Samsung and LG about the feasibility and cost of foldable screens.
It is reported that Apple plans to release this foldable iPad mini in 2025 or 2026, which has a screen size of 8.3 inches, which is the same as the current iPad mini. However, the device can be folded in half for easy carrying and use.
It is reported that once mass production is decided, Samsung Display is expected to call the 6th generation A3 or A4 OLED series production line that produces iPhone OLED to produce foldable panels. In addition, Apple is also discussing ultra-thin glass (UTG), foldable panel cover windows and hinge concepts with Samsung Display, LG Display and others, which are at the core of the product's mechanics.
It is worth noting that just in January, the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office published a list showing that Apple obtained a patent for a technology on folding screens, introducing a method for chemically manufacturing textured glass at the fold to prevent the glass from breaking. The patent describes a flexible screen technology that uses an array of pixels to form a display panel that bends along the hinge when the device is folded.
This also shows that the consumer electronics giant is preparing for the launch of folding screen products.
Or will usher in a new round of new opportunities
In fact, from 2023 onwards, folding screen phones are regarded as one of the few growth points in the consumer electronics industry.
According to Counterpoint data, the global sales of folding screen mobile phones will reach 18.6 million units in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 41.98%. "In the future, as pain points such as thinness and screen creases are solved one after another, and the user experience is greatly improved, folding screen mobile phones are expected to occupy more share in the mobile phone market and become a new growth pole in the mobile phone market. ”
The agency predicts that the global shipment of folding screen mobile phones is expected to exceed 100 million units in 2027, while the current global penetration rate of folding screen mobile phones is less than 2%.
It is worth noting that Chinese consumers have shown strong interest in foldable screen phones. According to agency statistics, as many as 64% of Chinese high-end smartphone users ($400 and above) are willing to choose a folding screen mobile phone next time they buy a phone. 89% of potential foldable phone buyers prefer a large foldable phone, mainly due to its larger screen and enhanced multitasking capabilities. Android phone users are more interested in folding screen phones, reaching 71%, compared to 58% of iOS users.
According to CINNO Research data, in the third quarter of 2023, the sales of folding screen mobile phones in the Chinese market will reach 1.98 million units, a year-on-year increase of 175%, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 70%, a year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter growth, and has been the twelfth consecutive quarter of positive year-on-year growth. In contrast, China's overall smartphone market shipments fell 6.3% year-on-year to 67.05 million units in the quarter.
The increase in sales is mainly due to the release of folding screen mobile phones of many domestic giants. Since July 2023, Huawei MateX5, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, Honor Magic V2, and OPPOFind N3 have been released one after another. Previously, Jingdong data showed that only 4 hours after the opening of JD.com's Double 11 event, the transaction volume of folding screen mobile phones increased by more than 3 times year-on-year.
In 2024, the folding screen track may usher in a new round of "trendy". Samsung is expected to release its Galaxy Z Flip 6 in the middle of this year, while the Xiaomi MIX Fold 4 may be released earlier to May. It is reported that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is expected to be equipped with a dual-cell solution, and the final typical value is expected to be 4000mAh. Xiaomi's new folding machine, the MIX Fold 4, will also be sold to overseas markets for the first time.
It is in the stage of 1-N explosive growth
In the face of the hot wave of folding screens that may hit in the future, the domestic industrial chain has already been laid out.
Previously, Huaxing Optoelectronics, Visionox and BOE have all displayed their tri-fold screen concept terminals. CSOT Trifold is a concept machine that the company demonstrated in early March 2020 with a tri-fold screen design, which is 6.65 inches when fully folded and up to 10.1 inches when unfolded.
Visionox unveiled a flexible AMOLED trifold screen terminal at the 8th China Electronic Information Expo (CITE 2020), with a screen size of 5.4 inches when folded and 12.3 inches when unfolded.
In addition, BOE also developed a prototype of f-OLED flexible "N" shaped folding display in early 2022, which supports both inward and outward folding on one screen. The screen size is only 5.6 inches when fully folded, and 12.3 inches overall when unfolded.
It is worth mentioning that BOE has ranked first in foldable panel shipments in the fourth quarter of 2023, surpassing Samsung Display. It is reported that Samsung Display's foldable panel shipments in the fourth quarter of 2023 will only be 2 million pieces, while BOE's foldable panel shipments can reach 3.8 million pieces after calculation.
According to DSCC data, Samsung Display's foldable panel shipment share in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 36%, the lowest level since the first quarter of 2021, with its market share falling by half from the previous quarter (76%) and shipments down 80% from the previous quarter.
This is due to sluggish demand for the Samsung Galaxy Foldable Z 5 series, which was launched in August 2023. Thanks to the increase in the production of folding screen mobile phones by domestic smartphone companies such as Huawei, Honor, OPPO, and vivo, BOE's market share jumped from 16% in the third quarter of last year to 42% in the fourth quarter.
In addition, a research report by Shanxi Securities also believes that folding screen mobile phones are in a period of rapid growth, which is not only good for display modules, but also good for hinge-related equipment. According to the agency, an important increment in the supply chain of folding screen products comes from hinges, covers and flexible panels, and these three types of components account for a relatively high cost in folding screen mobile phones.
With the rapid increase in the shipment volume and penetration rate of folding screen mobile phones, the assembly, testing, manufacturing and other aspects of equipment related to folding screen mobile phone screens are expected to increase accordingly. China Securities Construction Investment believes that the current penetration rate of folding screen mobile phones is only in single digits, and it is in the stage of 1-N explosive growth.
责编:刘安琪 | 审核:李震 | 监审:万军伟
(Source: China Fund News)