The last year was marked by the arrival of 5G and the first foldable smartphones. Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola revealed their first foldable champions in the last year. Motorola’s offering was the most different from a clamshell-like form factor. This year, Samsung revealed a new smartphone dubbed Galaxy Z Flip with the same approach. Now, more players are set to enter this trend and according to a new report, Xiaomi is developing a foldable flip phone.
Xiaomi’s clamshell foldable phone will feature foldable OLED display
The report comes from ZNet Korea and cites electronics component industry insiders. According to it, Xiaomi has requested Samsung Display to supply them with a clamshell-type flexible OLED display. It will be very similar to the one that the Korean firm has in the Galaxy Z Flip – An Ultra-Thin Glass Oled display underneath a layer of plastic. Furthermore, it seems that Samsung isn’t the only supplier. Xiaomi may also use some clamshell foldable OLED displays from LG. The report quotes an unnamed insider in the display industry. According to him, foldable panels from BOE and CSOT are somewhat inferior in quality than those produced by Samsung Display. As a result, Xiaomi went with Samsung Display. No one wants to fail in this segment.
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Xiaomi’s clamshell foldable smartphone mass production will reportedly start in the second half of 2020. Unfortunately, there are no details regarding specifications, pricing or availability right now. If that is indeed coming we expect to see something with flagship-grade specifications. The concept you see in the featured image is a result of concept design Waqar Khan. It is based in the company’s recent patent filings. We recommend you to take this report with a pinch or two of salt. After all, there’s still no consistent info to confirm if Xiaomi will really bring a foldable smartphone this year. While it makes sense, the expected drop in smartphone sales may force companies to take fewer risks.