Xiaomi is yet to set its foot on the foldable smartphone segment and that's changing in 2021. The Chinese smartphone company is tipped to launch three foldable phones in 2021. Samsung is currently ruling the foldable smartphone segment with the likes of Z Fold 2 and Z Flip. The South Korean company so far launched three foldable phones and the ones launched in 2020 are the best effort from the brand. The Galaxy Z Flip is a vertically folding smartphone whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a horizontally folding device. Xiaomi might launch foldable phones in three different form factors. It is also expected that the first foldable phone in 2021 will also be from the house of Xiaomi.
Xiaomi Foldable Phones: What to Expect?
This news is tipped by Ross Young, the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC). Ross tips that Xiaomi will be the first smartphone brand to launch a foldable smartphone in 2021 since the flagship Mi 11 series is launching next week, and the company will be left with no flagship launches for Q1 2021. Ross also tipped the form factors to be used by Xiaomi; He says the three foldable phones from the company will have different designs.
The first foldable phone will be outfolding, the second one will be in-folding and the third one will be a clamshell foldable phone. We have seen Samsung using both the in-folding and clamshell foldable phone design, so we are excited to see how Xiaomi improves the design compared to existing Samsung foldable phones. On the other hand, not many brands tried to launch outfolding foldable phones, except for a few like Royole. The Royale FlexPai is the outfolding foldable phone from the company. The major concern with outfolding foldable phones is the display would be exposed to scratches.
Besides Xiaomi, other smartphone brands like Oppo and Samsung are also reportedly working on outfolding phones. In 2021, Samsung will likely launch three foldable phones- Galaxy Z Flip 2, Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold Lite. It seems like 2021 will be the year of foldable phones. More brands, especially the ones from China, will be stepping their foot in the segment.
