On September 2nd, Huawei announced on its official WeChat account that it will officially hold a new product launch event on September 10th.
On the same day, Yu Chengdong, Executive Director, Terminal Business Chairman, and Intelligent Automotive Solutions BU Chairman of Huawei, stated on Weibo that "Huawei's most leading, innovative, and disruptive product has arrived!" This is a groundbreaking product that others thought of but could not achieve. With five years of persistence and investment, Huawei has turned science fiction into reality.
Image source: Screenshot from Yu Chengdong's Weibo account
Similarly, on July 15th of this year during the live broadcast of "Walking with Hui", Yu Chengdong also stated that he had been researching and developing Huawei's next generation foldable screen for five years. Therefore, Huawei's release this time has been speculated by the outside world to launch a "three fold screen phone".
Apple, like Huawei, wants to make history on September 10th. At 1am on September 2nd, Apple announced that it will also hold a product launch event on September 10th, during which the iPhone 16 may be released.
The showdown between the two high-end smartphone giants a week later attracted attention, but before the Huawei and Apple press conferences, Transsion, known as the "King of Africa," took the lead by releasing the three fold concept phone PHANTOM ULTRAMATE 2, which has a folded thickness of only 11mm, claiming to be thinner than Samsung's double fold.
However, Transsion confirmed to Time Weekly reporters that PHANTOM ULTRAMATE 2 is still a concept aircraft at this stage, and Transsion did not comment on when it plans to mass produce it.
Previously, there were media reports that Huawei's 30% off smartphones have started a large-scale stocking up. After years of layout, if the highly anticipated Huawei triple fold phone can move from the "laboratory" to the release, Huawei may become the world's first manufacturer to mass produce triple fold screens.
Transsion vs Huawei?
The concept folding machine of Transsion focuses on "lightweight" and "large screen".
It is reported that PHANTOM ULTRAMATE 2 adopts a Z-shaped folding scheme, with a folded screen size of 6.48 inches and a unfolded screen size of 10 inches, with an aspect ratio of 4:3, providing a visual experience similar to that of a tablet.
After folding, the thickness is 11mm. According to the news from Transsion, PHANTOM ULTRAMATE 2 can withstand more than 300000 folds in terms of hinge durability.
In August of this year, several digital bloggers shared photos on social media of Huawei's executive director, Yu Chengdong, operating a new phone in the cabin. In the photo, Yu Chengdong is holding a new three fold screen phone.
From the appearance alone, there is not much difference between Yu Chengdong's handheld three fold phone and Transsion's PHANTOM ULTRAMATE 2 at that time. However, from the picture, it seems that there is a pen slot on the right side of the Huawei screen, which embeds a stylus, while Transsion's concept phone does not have this design.
Since three years ago, there have been reports in the market about Huawei's layout of three fold smartphones. In 2022, Huawei applied for multiple patents related to foldable screens. In March this year, the China National Intellectual Property Administration announced a patent of Huawei called "folding screen equipment".
This patent describes a folding screen device comprising three shells, two hinge hinges, and a flexible screen. Among them, the opposite ends of the first hinge are respectively connected to the first shell and the second shell, the opposite ends of the second hinge are respectively connected to the second shell and the third shell, and the flexible screen is respectively connected to the first shell, the second shell, and the third shell; The first hinge can undergo deformation, causing the first shell to fold or unfold relative to the second shell, and the second hinge can undergo deformation, causing the second shell to fold or unfold relative to the third shell; The thickness of the third shell is greater than the thickness of the first shell and/or the thickness of the second shell, and the thickness of the first shell is different from that of the second shell.
Image source: Tianyancha
Compared to Transsion's concept phone, Huawei may release a three fold or "real knife and real gun" this time. Previously, industry insiders told Time Weekly reporters that 'triple screen smartphones have indeed been put into production online'.
As for pricing strategy, some industry insiders predict that the starting price of this new product may exceed the 15000 yuan mark, but the specific price will be announced on September 10th.
Double fold and then fold again?
Folding phones can meet users' dual needs for portability and large screen experience. Previously, Huawei regained its throne in the folding screen field with popular models such as Mate X5 and Pocket 2.
According to Counterpoint data, the global foldable smartphone market grew by 49% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, reaching a new high in six quarters. Among them, Huawei surpassed Samsung for the first time to become the global leader with a market share of 35%, a year-on-year increase of 257%.
Transsion also expressed optimism about the prospects of the foldable screen mobile phone market in this year's semi annual report. Transsion stated that the total investment for three technologies related to foldable screens, namely research and development of mobile phones based on thin and light foldable flexible screens, structural design and reliability research of new foldable multifunctional smartphones, and research and application of display screen interaction technology based on mobile touch screens, is expected to be 82 million yuan, 32 million yuan, and 45 million yuan, respectively. The three projects together account for 8.7% of the estimated total investment in the ongoing research project.
In fact, besides Transsion and Huawei, other smartphone manufacturers are also trying to "roll" into the triple fold.
Samsung initially demonstrated its three fold design concept as early as 2021. In terms of Honor, Honor CEO Zhao Ming pointed out, "Honor has already completed the technology of triple folding screens, and the commercialization timeline will be determined based on consumer demand. For us, triple folding is not a technical issue, but a matter of commercial choice
Analysts from AVIC Securities stated in a research report that for the panel, in the three fold mobile phone, the screen area is further increased, and the use of flexible OLED makes manufacturing more difficult. Triple fold screens also face the challenge of membrane stress, which requires both tensile and contraction stresses, and have high material requirements. UTG glass may be a better choice.
For hinges, the number of hinges in three fold phones has doubled, and MIM is a key process in hinge manufacturing that is indispensable for the processing of precision components. At the same time, the solution of 3D printing technology for titanium alloy shaft covers is expected to reduce costs and weight, becoming a complementary solution to MIM technology. Advanced materials are also constantly being applied in hinge technology.
For batteries, the screen power consumption of three fold phones and the large model of AI will become an important challenge for two fold phones. From Huawei's patents, three fold phones are likely to be equipped with 2-3 batteries, and silicon negative electrode batteries with higher energy density, faster charging speed, and longer lifespan are expected to further penetrate.
At present, domestic panel manufacturers such as BOE, Vishino, TCL Huaxing, etc. have all laid out related products.
As revealed by BOE on its official WeChat account in December 2023, it has independently developed a three fold OLED terminal with a complete machine structure that can achieve a Z-shaped folding form. By adding one folding operation, it can switch from a mobile phone to a tablet.
On August 19th, Shentianma A (000050. SZ) stated on the investor interaction platform that the company has multiple technical reserves in folding mobile phones, such as left and right and up and down internal folding, external folding, and triple folding. Among them, the internal folding and external folding solutions have been mass-produced and delivered to brand customers.
As the technology of double fold smartphones becomes more mature and moves towards slimness and affordability, the three fold solution may gradually be implemented. From the perspective of technological reserves, brand positioning, and product pricing, Huawei and Samsung are the most likely manufacturers to take the lead in challenging more expensive three fold smartphones, "said AVIC Securities.