The 2024 Small Foldable Phone Market: Huawei Pocket3, Xiaomi MIX Flip2, and Honor MagicV Flip2 Lead the Charge

The 2024 Small Foldable Phone Market: Huawei Pocket3, Xiaomi MIX Flip2, and Honor MagicV Flip2 Lead the ChargeThe foldable phone market has been booming in recent years, with intense competition between large and small foldable phone camps. While several large foldable phones are rumored for release this year, the latest leaks point to significant updates in the small foldable sector

The 2024 Small Foldable Phone Market: Huawei Pocket3, Xiaomi MIX Flip2, and Honor MagicV Flip2 Lead the Charge

The foldable phone market has been booming in recent years, with intense competition between large and small foldable phone camps. While several large foldable phones are rumored for release this year, the latest leaks point to significant updates in the small foldable sector. Prominent tech blogger @DigitalChatStation revealed that "this year's confirmed flagship small foldable updates include: Huawei Pocket3, Xiaomi MIX Flip2, and Honor MagicV Flip2." This signifies that Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor will be the main driving forces behind small foldable phone upgrades this year.

In contrast to the small foldable market's update plan, the landscape for large foldable phones is somewhat different. Previous reports suggest that OPPO, vivo, Honor, and Huawei will all launch new large foldable phones. This means Huawei and Honor will simultaneously iterate on both large and small foldable phone lines; Xiaomi seems to prioritize its small foldable product line; while OPPO and vivo appear more focused on large foldable iterations.

Some leaked information is already circulating about the upcoming small foldable phones, with the Xiaomi MIX Flip2 receiving the most attention. Its internal codename is reportedly "Bixi," with international model number 2505APX7BG and Chinese model number 2505APX7BC. The phone is expected to feature either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or 8+ Gen 2 chip. Furthermore, the Xiaomi MIX Flip2's camera system has been upgraded, replacing the 50MP OV50M2 telephoto lens of its predecessor with a 50MP Samsung S5KJN5 ultrawide lens.

The previous generation, Xiaomi MIX Flip, featured the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform, a Leica Summilux lens, and a starting price of 5999. Notably, Xiaomi officially stated that 32% of Xiaomi MIX Flip users switched from iPhones. This raises the question of whether the Xiaomi MIX Flip2 can replicate this success and continue attracting a significant number of iPhone users to switch.

In comparison, information on the Huawei Pocket3 and Honor MagicV Flip2 is currently scarce, but we can speculate based on their predecessors' designs and specifications. The Huawei Pocket2, launched last February with a starting price of 7499, retained the "pearl double ring" design, featured a Xuanwu water drop hinge, and offered IPX8 water resistance up to 2 meters. It boasted a 6.94-inch inner screen (26901136 pixels) and a 1.15-inch always-on outer screen (340340 pixels). In terms of imaging, it featured a 10.7MP ultra-wide front camera and a rear quad-camera system with a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 2MP ultra-spectrum camera, along with the XDFusion Pro portrait engine. The battery was a 4520mAh unit supporting 66W wired and 40W wireless fast charging.

The Honor MagicV Flip, released in June 2024 with a starting price of 4999, featured a 4-inch outer screen (0.1-120Hz refresh rate) with deep application optimization, and a 6.8-inch Honor Oasis eye-protection inner screen supporting 3840Hz flicker-free dimming. It was powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform and a 4800mAh Honor Qinghai Lake battery with 66W fast charging. The camera setup included a 50MP Sony IMX816 front camera and a rear dual-camera system with a 50MP f/1.9 main camera and a 12MP f/2.2 112 ultrawide macro camera (with autofocus).

In conclusion, the 2024 small foldable phone market will be even more competitive, with flagship products from Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor becoming the focal point. The Xiaomi MIX Flip2's upgraded specifications and market performance, along with the specific parameters and pricing of the Huawei Pocket3 and Honor MagicV Flip2, will significantly impact the overall market landscape. Consumers can choose the small foldable phone that best suits their needs and budget. The ultimate performance of these three phones is something we eagerly await.