It looks like Xiaomi wants in on the foldable phone craze.
The Chinese tech giant has already showcased a foldable phone prototype back in January 2019, although, a market-ready product is yet to be seen. But it appears that Xiaomi might skip the triple-fold design in favor of a clamshell form-factor.
That’s right, Xiaomi’s first attempt on releasing a foldable phone will take on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr 2020. Probably due to their nostalgic appeal, this form factor seems to gain more attention than the tablet-like foldable design with the likes of the Mate Xs and the original Xiaomi prototype.
This report came from sources inside the display-making industry. It’s said that Xiaomi tapped Samsung to make produce flexible OLED screens for them. The company is also thinking of working with another Korean manufacturer, LG, as the flexible screens produced in China have a “large gap in quality”.
Xiaomi might be targeted to bring the proprietary ultra-thin glass panel of the Galaxy Z Flip on its clamshell device. This special glass combines the technology from a company called SCHOTT and Dowoo Insys, which Samsung just become the largest shareholder.
No specs and price for the Xiaomi foldable clamshell phone were mentioned yet. But with Xiaomi now in the game, we might finally expect reasonably-priced foldable phones. As of writing, the cheapest foldable phone in the country is the Galaxy Z Flip, which is available for Php79,990.