The Folding Screen Phone Market is in Flux: What is the Future of Small Folding Screens?

The Folding Screen Phone Market is in Flux: What is the Future of Small Folding Screens?In recent years, the appearance of mobile phones has been constantly evolving, from straight screens to curved screens, then to punch-hole screens, and the mobile phone market is full of diversity. As a brand-new design concept, folding screen phones have quickly become the focus of the market due to their unique folding method and portability

The Folding Screen Phone Market is in Flux: What is the Future of Small Folding Screens?

In recent years, the appearance of mobile phones has been constantly evolving, from straight screens to curved screens, then to punch-hole screens, and the mobile phone market is full of diversity. As a brand-new design concept, folding screen phones have quickly become the focus of the market due to their unique folding method and portability. However, the performance of major manufacturers in this field varies widely.

Recent rumors from bloggers regarding the future of phone designs have raised questions about the future of small folding screen phones. The unique folding design meets the user's dual needs for portability and large screens, bringing a new user experience. From the initial Samsung Galaxy Fold to the later Huawei MateX series, folding screen phones have gradually transitioned from concepts to reality, becoming highly sought-after products in the market. However, the development of folding screen phones has not been smooth sailing, with high prices, fragile screens, and complex production processes limiting further market expansion.

Despite these challenges, manufacturers continue to explore, with Huawei even launching a triple-folding screen phone, pushing the popularity of the folding screen market to new heights. Small folding screen phones have also gradually gained attention, with their ultra-thin design, lightweight body, and exquisite craftsmanship offering users a new user experience. For users seeking portability, the selling points of small folding screen phones are undeniable, attracting the attention of many phone manufacturers.

However, the blogger points out that in the coming period, only Huawei and Xiaomi will continue to update their small folding screen phones, while other manufacturers will slow down their pace. There is currently no news from Vivo regarding small folding screen phones, and neither Honor nor OPPO has shown any signs of mass production for new models, which means that the market will be dominated by Huawei and Xiaomi for the next six months.

This phenomenon is not accidental. On the one hand, small folding phones use expensive materials such as flexible OLED panels and foldable glass, and their complex hinge design makes their cost significantly higher than that of ordinary straight-screen phones. However, in terms of functionality, small folding phones do not differ much from straight-screen phones, limiting their pricing ability. This has resulted in the price of most small folding phones being similar to that of flagship straight-screen phones, leading to lower profit margins for phone brands.

On the other hand, while the folding design offers a more compact and portable appearance, it does not bring new user experiences. In contrast, large folding screen phones, with their larger screens and richer usage scenarios, have quickly won over consumers. Therefore, limited by high costs, limited profit margins, and a lack of innovative usage scenarios, small folding phones still struggle to gain a foothold in the market. This could be the reason why most manufacturers are reluctant to continue developing small folding phones.

Unlike Huawei and Xiaomi, Redmi, as a sub-brand of Xiaomi, has not shown much interest in the folding screen phone market, nor in the small screen phone market. Earlier, there were rumors in the market that many manufacturers would focus on the small screen market next year. Combined with the success of the Xiaomi Digital series, many users expect Redmi phones to also enter the small screen market. However, according to the blogger's information, Redmi phones are unlikely to enter the small screen market. In the long run, this strategy is correct.

Redmi has always focused on cost-effectiveness, committed to providing users with high-quality products at low prices. Small screen phones have higher requirements for craftsmanship and it is difficult to fit many components, meaning that building small screen phones could make it difficult to include a lot of hardware, while also potentially increasing the price. This would not be beneficial for Redmi's long-term development.

Furthermore, the small screen phone market is not particularly wide. When all major mainstream phone manufacturers enter the small screen market, there will not be much space left for Redmi. Moreover, the current phone functions are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and many users use their phones for work, making small screen phones inadequate for office needs.

In addition, nowadays, there are high requirements for battery life, heat dissipation, and imaging capabilities for smartphones. It would be very challenging for small screen phones to achieve perfection in all these aspects. This could also be one of the reasons why Redmi phones are abandoning the small screen market. These are just speculations, and the specific reasons need to be confirmed by official information.

Small folding screen phones, as a new force in the smartphone market, are undergoing a transformation from concept to reality and from niche to mainstream. Small screen phones were once disregarded, but they have indeed attracted the attention of many users. However, market competition is brutal, and multi-faceted considerations are necessary for better development.

The mobile phone market is in constant flux, and the future of small folding screen phones is full of challenges. Whether they can gain a foothold in the fierce competition remains to be seen.