On the eve of the explosion of folding screens, the vivo X Fold3 series led the innovation
The folding screen is gradually becoming the pillar of the high-end mobile phone market.
After more than a decade of rapid development, the smartphone industry is facing a grim moment. The downward trend of global smartphone shipments is difficult to reverse for a while, but the market at all levels shows different trends. It is worth noting that the high-end market is rising against the trend.
This is not surprising, in the rotation of most industry cycles, the downturn of the market is often also the time of technological innovation, as one of the products with the highest technology density of smartphones in recent years, the folding screen naturally has the foundation of counterattack. According to IDC data, China's folding screen smartphone shipments in 2023 will be 7.1 million units, an increase of 114% from 3.2 million units in 2022.
The market is getting bigger and bigger, and it has also attracted more and more companies to increase the size of the folding screen, and almost all first-line mobile phone manufacturers have entered the folding screen. Technology for confidence, confidence for the market, the light of dawn is emerging, and the folding screen has finally become the mainstream.
As a leading manufacturer in the industry, vivo attaches great importance to product innovation, trying to attract consumers and guide the progress of the industry through more and more competitive products.
From mass production to all-round, and then to all-round and thin, vivo folding screen products continue to exceed user expectations, allowing users to have an attitude towards folding screens, from testing the waters in the folding screen 1.0 era to becoming "difficult to return" in the folding screen 2.0 era. The release of the vivo X Fold3 series is believed to be a powerful impetus to the entire folding screen mobile phone market, which will enter the mature stage of public acceptance and wide application as soon as possible.
From niche to popular
With the increasing maturity of folding screen mobile phone technology, more users have begun to pay attention to folding screen mobile phones, and folding screens have attracted more consumers who pursue performance and personality to buy with comprehensive functions and fashionable appearance, and have become the main consumer products in the high-end market of smart phones.
In recent years, the sales of folding screens have continued to grow, showing a rapid upward trend, starting from their official debut in 2019 and maintaining them to this day. According to IDC's market report, China's folding screen mobile phone shipments will be about 7.007 million units in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 114.5%, and an average of more than 100% for four consecutive years.
Counterpoint Research predicts that from 2024, foldable smartphones will become more popular, and at the same time, the share of folding screen phones in the high-end phone market has also continued to increase, and has entered a stage of rapid penetration, which is expected to reach the level of 20% by the end of 2025, and shipments are expected to exceed 100 million units by 2027.
In fact, mobile phone manufacturers provide users with a variety of choices through different designs and technological innovations. For example, different folding methods, the improvement of the screen refresh rate, and the optimization of the secondary screen function are all important features of the technological development of folding screen mobile phones in 2023.
vivo's principle of making folding screens is "to be a flagship, without compromise", and the original intention is to allow users to "be the main force and not be entangled". Starting from the first generation of large folding products X Fold, first ensure the same good overall experience as the straight flagship, and then talk about the innovative value of the folding form, which is the biggest difference of vivo folding flagship. For a long time, users' choice of folding screen mobile phones has meant trade-offs and compromises, and folding screens are often missing in terms of basic experience such as performance and battery life.
The vivo X Fold series and the small folding X Filp not only close the gap between straight flagships, but also provide an experience that surpasses straight flagships, winning consumer recognition. In last year's 618, the vivo X Fold2 and vivo X Filp that had just been released won the sales championship of large and small folds in the market respectively, proving with sales data that vivo can not only get out of the product route independent of the market, but also establish a new product paradigm for the market.
The vivo folding screen achieves a significant weight reduction and thickness reduction of the fuselage under the premise of full performance configuration, eliminates consumer concerns with a comprehensive performance experience comparable to that of a straight board flagship and leading crease control technology, and then conquers the hearts of consumers with an innovative folding and hovering experience, making vivo folding screen one of the very good choices for consumers to upgrade their main machines.
Do a good job of folding, but also do a good job of flagship
As the most innovative product, the folding screen has always been pinned on by the industry and is regarded as the market savior that drives consumer demand. However, previously subject to the constraints of related technology and cost and other factors, the folding screen is still quite different from the straight flagship in terms of image and battery life, but now this gap is shrinking, and it can even provide an experience that surpasses the straight flagship.
Take the vivo X Fold3 series, for example, in pursuit of the ultimate lightweight design without compromising durability. With a weight of 219 grams, the X Fold3 has set a new record for the thinness and lightness of a large folding phone, while maintaining a thin and light body, the X Fold3 Pro has also reached the top protection standards, including the industry's first five-star drop resistance certification and IPX8 water resistance from SGS, making this series of mobile phones still perform well in extreme environments, meeting users' expectations for the portability and durability of folding screen phones.
In terms of core configuration, the vivo X Fold3 series folds the first third-generation Snapdragon 8 SPU flagship chip, and joins hands with LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0 to form a new generation of folding performance iron triangle, which not only outperforms similar folding screen products in terms of running scores, but also ensures the stability and smoothness of the mobile phone in high-intensity use scenarios through the advanced ultra-wide-area intelligent cooling system, the global signal amplification system and the industry's first Samsung E7 The strongest "large inner screen".
In terms of imaging, the vivo X Fold3 series is equipped with a ZEISS full-range professional imaging system, especially the X Fold3 Pro, which integrates cutting-edge technologies such as ZEISS T* coating technology, ultra-sensitive VCS bionic outsole main camera, and industry-leading 6nm self-developed image chip V3, thus setting a new height in portrait photography, night scene capture, telephoto shooting, etc. In particular, it is worth noting that through the 4K movie portrait video function empowered by the 6nm self-developed chip V3, users can easily create high-quality portrait video content with cinematic texture.
In 2024, which is known as the "first year of AI mobile phones", it has become mandatory for mobile phones to have AI functions. This is a battle for the future around user experience, and it is also a key battle for the next market landscape, and the vivo X Fold3 series also attaches great importance to the use of systems and AI.
The vivo X Fold3 series is equipped with OriginOS 4 to achieve a smooth experience comparable to iOS, and at the same time, with the help of the AI blue heart model, it breaks the ecological barrier and achieves seamless connection with iOS devices, comprehensively improving work efficiency and life convenience. As the industry's largest model, the AI blue heart model has penetrated into all aspects of users' lives in an all-round way with its excellent intelligent service capabilities, effectively enhancing the practical value and intelligence of folding screen mobile phones.
In terms of battery life, the vivo X Fold3 series introduces a new generation of blue ocean battery life system, which maximizes battery capacity and uses advanced technologies, such as the equivalent 5700mAh blue ocean battery (X Fold3 Pro), second-generation silicon materials, semi-solid-state battery technology, and micron-level laser array etching technology, to achieve the integration of higher energy density and more efficient battery management in a thinner and lighter body. Not only that, vivo also ensures all-weather high performance and long-lasting battery life through all-round power consumption optimization of software and hardware.
In fact, it is not difficult to see that the vivo X Fold3 series has become a new benchmark for folding screens by virtue of its comprehensive leadership in thinness, battery life, imaging, AI and performance, etc., and the release of the vivo X fold3 series marks that the folding screen technology and experience have truly entered a mature period, marking that the folding category is truly moving towards the mass market.
The folding screen came to the eve of the outbreak
The development of folding screen has mainly gone through three stages, from 2016 to 2020, folding screen mobile phones have accumulated steadily, and in 2019, leading manufacturers began to enter the folding screen market, and consumers at this stage mainly have a wait-and-see attitude towards folding screen mobile phones.
From 2020 to the first half of 2023, manufacturers regard thinness and thinness as the main development direction of folding screens, and strive to make thinner and lighter products by reducing the weight and thickness of hardware. In 2023, the performance of folding screen mobile phones will reach new heights, and a variety of original technologies and materials will be used in the aspects of screen, communication, and software functions, and product development will begin to develop in the direction of thinness, lightness and all-rounding.
For major mobile phone manufacturers, whether it is the growth of the market or the involution of friends, it means that the development of folding screen technology has become a trend that mobile phone manufacturers cannot ignore.
For manufacturers, it is not only about the current competitive landscape, but also about whether enterprises can continue to lead the development of the industry in the future and meet consumers' expectations for cutting-edge technology experience, which is a necessary and potential development path.
Through the successful practice of the X Fold series of folding screen mobile phones, vivo has not only created an unprecedented experience for consumers, but also opened up new market opportunities and development space for itself and the entire mobile phone industry. High-performance hardware configuration, strong appearance, sense of science and technology, and unique patented technology bring users a strong sense of high-end, which has also become the main force for folding screen mobile phone manufacturers to lay out the high-end market in the future.
Fourteen years ago, the success of the iPhone 4 may not have been a technological revolution, but a series of meticulous details. From the stunning appearance of the retina screen to the originality of the skeuomorphic icon, from the design aesthetics of Jobs, to the user-friendly operation logic of iOS, coupled with the ecological environment of the mobile Internet, this glorious moment has been created.
Today's folding screen mobile phone is like the eve of the outbreak of smartphones. With the next intensive press conference, more fierce competition and more diverse product choices, folding screen phones are about to complete the explosion from 0 to 1 and usher in their own iPhone 4 moment.