Xiaomi will launch three folded smartphones in 2021. Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), shared the alleged developments via Twitter. Previously, Xiaomi had already been connected to a folding smartphone to be in the works. Besides Xiaomi, other players including Oppo and Samsung are also planned to work on foldable smartphones. Young also said in another tweet that Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 will have a smaller main display and a cover display.
According to Young’s tweet, the next folding smartphone “to hit the market” is likely to come from Xiaomi. He said that Xiaomi is expected to have three folding smartphones on the market in 2021 that could be launched in three form styles – out-folding, in-folding, and clamshell. However, he did not say which of these versions would be released first. Earlier this year, the report reported that Xiaomi had put an order with Samsung Display and LG Display for folding OLED panels for a clamshell-type handset.
In another tweet, Young indicated that Samsung might launch the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 3 (not the final name) with smaller displays than its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Rs. 49,998. Young also stated that the main display of the foldable smartphone will be lowered from 7.59-inch to 7.55-inch. The cover panel will be 6.21 inches long relative to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 6.23-inch screen, so Samsung needs “more space for S Pen.”
Young further argued that the supposed Galaxy Z Flip 3/Flip Lite would have a 6.7-inch display and that the South Korean tech giant would integrate a 120Hz refresh rate and low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPO) technology on the handset. In reality, a recent report reported that Samsung would be releasing the Galaxy Z Flip 2, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Fold Lite folding smartphones in 2021.
Citing OLED testing company UBI Research, the study estimated that the Galaxy Z Flip 2 would have a 6.7-inch internal screen and a 3-inch external screen, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 would have a 7-inch internal screen and a 4-inch external screen, and the Galaxy Z Fold Lite would also have a 7-inch internal screen and a 4-inch external screen. The study also reported that all three Samsung folding models would use ultra-thin glass as a window cover and use the in-folding design process.
