Are small foldables not as popular as large foldables? The female market is growing, Xiaomi, Honor, and Apple are all here

① Market data shows that the sales of small folding screens are declining and are not as popular as large folding screens, but many manufacturers are still investing in this market segment; ② The cost of core components of folding screens has dropped, and Apple is expected to release its first folding screen in 2026 , Huawei may launch a tri-fold screen mobile phone this year.

Finance News reported on July 25 (Reporter Tang Zhixiao), recently mobile phone manufacturers have successively updated their folding screen products of different sizes, among which Xiaomi released its first small folding mobile phone.

Lei Jun said at the press conference that many people said that Xiao Fold is a "beautiful little waste" and hoped that Xiaomi's product could reverse this impression. . "Xiaomi's technology can already meet the demand. I hope everyone will call it 'beautiful little cute' after using it." users, but most of the offline experiencers are men. In addition, some salespeople admitted that in comparison, large folding screens are more popular.

At present, most mainstream mobile phone manufacturers have basically launched folding screen mobile phones in two sizes. Recently, news came out that Apple, which was in a wait-and-see state, has finally ended the experimental stage and is expected to launch as early as 2026. Some people in the industry believe that the cost of core components for folding screens has been reduced and the technology has become mature. It would be a reasonable time for Apple to release a mass production machine at this time.

Are small folding phones not as popular as big folding phones? The increase is in the female market

"Is anyone still using iPhone Mini? Small screen lovers chat in the comment area?" Lei Jun asked while interacting with netizens on Weibo before the Xiaomi launch conference.

Then Xiaomi’s first small folding screen phone MIX Flip was unveiled at the press conference, and the answer was revealed: the product’s external screen size is 3.5 inches, which is equivalent to the size of the classic iPhone 4 series. Lei Jun said that Xiaomi has adapted input methods and multiple applications for the external screen, and even added an additional microphone to the hardware so that users can use it when the screen is folded.

Xiao Fold initially just folded the screen to save size, but every time to view messages, users needed to turn the screen, which prompted manufacturers to start adding another screen to the back cover. Later, the external screen became larger and larger, and it changed from displaying notifications to displaying personality and handling simple tasks.

However, according to data from Counterpoint Research, in the Chinese market, sales of foldable screen mobile phones increased by 48% year-on-year, among which shipments of foldable large-folding models increased by 91% year-on-year. Shipments of vertically foldable models fell 1% year-on-year.

IDC data also shows that the market popularity of vertical folding products is declining. For the whole of 2023, China's foldable screen mobile phone market will ship approximately 7.007 million units, a year-on-year increase of 114.5%. It is understood that since the first folding screen product was launched in 2019, China’s folding screen mobile phone market has grown by more than 100% year-on-year for four consecutive years. Among them, vertical folding products accounted for 42.3% of the Chinese folding screen market in 2022, but by 2023, this proportion dropped by 10.4 percentage points. IDC analysts pointed out that vertical folding products still lack necessary usage scenarios, and there is a significant gap between the use experience and straight-format machines at the same price, and there is still more room for improvement in product quality.

Tianfeng Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also revealed in a report that OPPO and vivo have stopped plans to launch new up-and-down discount models originally expected to be released in 2024 because the sales profit of this model is low.

Faced with a category with obvious sluggish demand, some manufacturers are still increasing their prices, and even "beaten" the original high prices of small folding mobile phones.

Among them, the Magic V Flip launched by Honor last month starts at 4,999 yuan, which is 1,000 yuan to 3,000 yuan lower than the latest similar products from other leading mobile phone manufacturers. The nubia Flip released by Nubia in April this year is the first time that a folding screen has reached the 3,000 yuan mark.

Honor CEO Zhao Ming revealed that this pricing is "extremely difficult" for Honor, and the Magic V Flip must sell at least 1 million units to achieve breakeven.

Major General Ding, founder of Ding Technology and an industry observer, believes: “When Honor and Xiaomi entered the small folding screen market, they first saw unmet needs, especially for ‘flagship-level’ configurations. and experience expectations. By making a small folding flagship first, Honor and Xiaomi will have some first-mover advantages in the future.” According to market share statistics, Xiaomi’s foldable screen mobile phone market share is only 0.9%.

Another mobile phone industry practitioner told reporters from the Associated Press that on the one hand, at the press conference, Lei Jun mentioned that the small folding screen project started pre-research as early as 5 years ago and was approved 3 years ago. The release is not rushed at this time; on the other hand, the overall market share of Xiaomi’s folding screen category is not high, and the female users targeted by MIX Flip are also the increase that Xiaomi has been seeking. "At the press conference, Lei Jun also emphasized that female buyers of Xiaomi SU7 accounted for 28%, and it is expected that female car owners will account for 40%-50%."

Data from the "Smartphones & Smart Hardware: Purchasing Power Report of Chinese Netizens" released by Tencent's Penguin Think Tank showed that 75% of Xiaomi mobile phone users are male, and only 25% are female users.

Cailian News reporter visited a number of Xiaomi Homes in Shenzhen. Most of the consumers who stopped at Xiaomi’s new folding screen exhibition area were men, and a small number of them were men with female partners. A store salesperson told a reporter from Cailian News: "The first batch of folding screens, both large and small, has sold 30 units. They are basically bought for their partners, and few girls come to see them alone. They seem to care more about their portable phones than mobile phones. Take a set.”

The salesperson added that there are also many male users who buy MIX Flip for personal use. "The previous small folding screen configurations were not good enough. Now that the hardware performance of MIX Flip has improved, many men will tend to buy the black model for personal use."

The folding screen industry chain is maturing day by day, and Apple is also here

Although Xiaomi and Honor is betting on the high-end small folding screen segment, but large folding screens are more popular than small folding screens. This seems to be a general consensus among offline sales stores.

An Honor offline store salesperson told a reporter from Cailian News: “The best-selling model in our store is Magic V3s. The price difference between it and Magic V Flip is really not big, and its configuration is much higher. What I’m buying for you is that it has a larger screen, makes reading Xiaohongshu more enjoyable, and also takes into account business attributes.” Recently, the sixth generation of Samsung Galaxy Z series folding screen products was launched, and a reporter from the Financial Associated Press observed a large folding screen inside a Samsung store. There are more consumers experiencing the Galaxy Z Fold6 screen than the small folding screen.

The store salesperson told the Cailian News reporter: “Among the old customers, the proportion of users who repurchased the Galaxy Z Fold is higher, and many of them have transferred from previous users of the Galaxy Z Flip, which has a large folding screen. The battery life is much better.”

A mobile phone repair practitioner told a reporter from Cailian News: “Taking OPPO’s Find N3 and Find Flip3 as examples, the price difference between the large folding screen and the small folding screen assembly is less than one thousand. Yuan, but the price difference between the two new phones is almost double.”

A reporter from the Associated Press learned that for a folding screen mobile phone product, the main cost is concentrated on the screen and hinge. From a purely parts perspective, the profit margin of large folding screens is obviously higher, and as the overall cost of parts decreases, the profit margin will further increase.

Previously, Nikkei and Fomalhaut Techno Solutions, a professional dismantling agency in Tokyo, dismantled Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. The cost of parts was estimated at US$670, less than 40% of the sales price. For comparison, the iPhone 14 released in the same period Pro Max hardware costs 46% of the sales price.

Trend Force pointed out that the future development of the foldable smartphone market is closely related to the pace of cost optimization. Key components such as UTG and hinges can be mass-produced after standardization, thereby significantly reducing costs. In addition, Chinese panel manufacturers have increased shipments of foldable panels compared to Korean suppliers, which is expected to further reduce the cost of foldable phones.

As the folding screen supply chain matures, Apple’s folding phone may also be released. According to the latest report from The Information, Apple’s foldable screen iPhone, which has been secretly developed for many years, has finally ended its experimental phase and is expected to be launched as early as 2026.

According to information, Apple was approved for a large number of patents on folding screens in early spring this year, including the core hinge part of the folding screen, the spring layer design to reduce the pressure on the folding screen, etc. These patents show that Apple will focus on solving the pain points of creases and thinness.

In addition to the common small folding and large folding, Apple has also applied for a "continuation patent" on folding devices, which dates back to 2016.

It is understood that a continuation patent is based on a previously filed patent application and is usually used to protect certain aspects or inventions not covered by the original application. If the original application is rejected or partially rejected, the applicant may file a continuation application to protect the unaccepted invention.

As can be seen from the patent drawing showing a cross-sectional side view of the electronic device, the electronic device has two or more hinges to allow the device to be folded in multiple directions. This patent may form the basis for Apple’s research and development of tri-fold screen or multi-fold screen devices in the future.

最近、サプライチェーンでは、ファーウェイが今年の第3四半期と第4四半期に三つ折りスクリーンデバイスを発売するというニュースがありました。ファーウェイの常務取締役、ターミナルBG会長、スマートカーソリューションBU会長のYu Chengdong氏も生放送で、ファーウェイの次世代折りたたみ式スクリーンが5年間の研究開発期間を経て間もなくリリースされることを明らかにした。

AP通信の記者が国家知識産権局の公式ウェブサイトからファーウェイ関連の特許を検索したところ、ファーウェイが2022年3月と7月に三つ折りスクリーンに関連する特許を2件登録していることが判明した。特許の説明には、電子機器には 3 つのハウジングと 2 つの接続があることが明確に記載されています。

日経産業新聞と東京の専門解体業者による以前のHuawei Mate Xsの分解結果によれば、小売価格に対するコストの比率は約30%であり、これは、Huaweiの折りたたみ式携帯電話の利益率がSamsungよりも高いことを意味します。 。

業界チェーンの一部の人々は、技術の埋蔵量、ブランドのポジショニング、製品価格の観点から、ファーウェイとサムスンが挑戦的な三つ折り画面携帯電話で先頭に立つ可能性が最も高いメーカーであると推測しています。 「過去2年間、国内のAndroidメーカーが発売した新しい折りたたみスクリーン製品は1万元未満に集中しており、ファーウェイの三つ折りスクリーン製品の価格は少なくとも1万5000～2万元です

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