Honor, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Motorola Launching...
As the pioneer of foldable phones, Samsung Electronics is set to unveil its new Galaxy Z Fold and Flip5 series on the 26th, while Chinese smartphone manufacturers are releasing new foldable smartphones one after another, seemingly to counter this move.
Honor, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer spun off from Huawei, launched the Magic V2 in China on the 20th. The Magic V2 is notable for significantly reducing the thickness and weight, which have been considered drawbacks of foldable smartphones. When folded, it measures 9.9mm, which is 4.3mm thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold4 (14.2mm). When unfolded, it is 4.7mm thick, 1.6mm thinner than the Fold4 (6.3mm). The weight is 231g for the leather version and 237g for the glass version, lighter than the Fold4 (263g). It is comparable to the S23 Ultra (233g). It is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as the application processor (AP), which serves as the brain of the smartphone. The starting price for the 256GB model is 8,999 yuan (approximately 1.6 million KRW). The release schedule outside China has not yet been announced. Since the previous model Magic Vs was sold in the global market, it is expected that the Magic V2 will also expand its sales countries.
OnePlus has also filled the void left by Samsung Electronics’ absence at the New York Unpacked event. OnePlus is reportedly planning to hold a large-scale event in New York, USA, on the 29th of next month to unveil its first foldable smartphone, the OnePlus Open. Samsung usually holds its Galaxy Unpacked event in New York in August, but this year, unusually, it is moving the event forward by one month and holding it in Seoul.
Xiaomi is scheduled to release the Mix Fold 3 next month. It is thinner than its predecessor, which was 11.2mm thick when folded. It will be equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and a 5x periscope-style telephoto camera, and is expected to support 50W wireless charging. However, IT tipster Ice Universe revealed that the Mix Fold 3 will be released only in China.
Additionally, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra passed the radio certification from the National Radio Research Agency on the 13th. Typically, radio certification is obtained shortly before a device’s release. The Razr 40 Ultra features a clamshell form factor similar to the Flip series and was unveiled in the US, China, and European markets in June. It is expected to be released in the Korean market in the third quarter.
It is not the first time that Chinese manufacturers have rushed to unveil smartphones ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. Ahead of the Galaxy S23 series Unpacked in February this year, Xiaomi, Vivo, OnePlus, and Motorola also consecutively revealed premium new products.
Although the global economic downturn has prolonged and the smartphone market has shrunk, the premium smartphone market, including foldable phones, is on the rise. According to Counterpoint Research, the global smartphone market shrank by 14.2% in the first quarter compared to last year, but foldable phone sales increased by 64%. Foldable phone shipments this year are expected to reach 22.7 million units, a 52% increase from last year.
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