Huawei's New Tri-Foldable Phone Leaks: Yu Chengdong Shows It Off on a Plane, Possibly a "Show of Muscle"

Huawei's New Tri-Foldable Phone Leaks: Yu Chengdong Shows It Off on a Plane, Possibly a "Show of Muscle"On the morning of August 9th, multiple tech bloggers shared photos on social media of Huawei's Executive Director, Yu Chengdong, operating a new phone within an airplane cabin. The photos show Yu holding a tri-foldable phone with what appears to be the WeChat app open on the screen

Huawei's New Tri-Foldable Phone Leaks: Yu Chengdong Shows It Off on a Plane, Possibly a "Show of Muscle"

On the morning of August 9th, multiple tech bloggers shared photos on social media of Huawei's Executive Director, Yu Chengdong, operating a new phone within an airplane cabin. The photos show Yu holding a tri-foldable phone with what appears to be the WeChat app open on the screen. The left screen displays a message list, while the right screen shows a chat window or a webpage being browsed. A hidden stylus can be observed within the protective case on the right side of the phone.

Rumors of Huawei releasing a "tri-foldable phone" have been circulating throughout the year. Earlier reports suggested Huawei had already begun to stock up heavily for this device. As the hinge is the most critical component in foldable phones, Huawei has increased its orders for hinges from Taiwanese manufacturers, such as (Zhaoli) and (Fushida). Panel manufacturers will also benefit from this move.

A consumer electronics industry insider told the "Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily" reporter that Huawei's tri-foldable phone has entered production. "It's expected to be expensive and in limited quantities. It's unclear how mature the technology is. It's more of a 'show of muscle' product, generating buzz. It might be launched in Q3 or Q4 of this year."

On July 15th, Yu Chengdong revealed during a live stream titled "Walking Together with Glory" that Huawei's next-generation foldable phone, after five years of research and development, is about to be released. "Everyone can imagine what the next generation of foldable phones will be, but they can't do it. We've been thinking about it for five years, and it's finally about to come out."

Currently, Huawei holds the top market share in China's foldable phone market. According to IDC data, the total shipment of foldable phones in China reached 2.57 million units in Q2 2024, representing a year-on-year increase of 104.6%. Huawei accounted for 41.7% of the market share, followed by vivo, Honor, OPPO, and Samsung with respective shares of 23.1%, 20.9%, 8.4%, and 3%.

Tianfeng Securities believes that foldable phone growth in China exceeded 100% in the second quarter, and they continue to monitor investment opportunities in the foldable phone industry chain. "The UTG segment of foldable phones that we track shows that demand remains strong despite the downtrend in consumer electronics, driven by the continuous decline in price bands. This further promotes a positive cycle in downstream demand. We remain optimistic about the continued penetration of foldable phones in the next 3-5 years."

Huawei's tri-foldable phone release might become a new focal point in the high-end market. Although information about this new device is still limited, its powerful technological prowess and market influence have already generated significant anticipation among consumers.

Besides Huawei, other Chinese smartphone manufacturers are also actively exploring the foldable phone market. As technology advances and costs decrease, foldable phones are expected to achieve greater breakthroughs in the coming years, becoming a crucial growth driver in the smartphone market.