Xiaomi is working on a foldable phone, according to Korean publication ET Times. The publication has quoted this to be the initiation of a “Korea-China Tech War” amid companies of both countries racing towards the throne of being the first company to launch a foldable smartphone. Samsung and Huawei were known contenders and now, it has been revealed that Xiaomi has joined the race as well.
ET Times has claimed that Xiaomi is actively seeking components for a foldable phone. Keeping common requirements in consideration, hinges and flexible OLEDs are just one part of a foldable phone and these parts are confirmed to have been actively sought by the Chinese company in recent times.
Industry analysts believe that Xiaomi might follow Huawei’s footsteps and source OLEDs from BOE Technologies, a Chinese display manufacturer instead of relying on LG, which is based in Korea. This is part of why ET Times has called this a Korea-China Tech War – each company might have patriotic reasons to be the first company as well.
Indefinitely, the firm which comes up with a foldable phone will be the pioneer of the technology and will be crowned as being so. Additionally, the country from which the company belongs is obviously going to get accredited as a hub of innovation as well, so there’s a lot at stake here.
The report claims that Xiaomi’s foldable phone will carry a “fold-out” pattern. Samsung’s and Huawei’s foldable models are rumored to have a fold-in structure.
Samsung’s foldable smartphone might be called the Galaxy “X” and is expected to be a commemorative model for the 10th anniversary of the flagship Galaxy series. The phone is expected to have a 7-inch display and is rumored to cost in excess of $1500. On the other hand, Huawei’s foldable phone has only been in the rumor mill after being officially confirmed by the company’s Consumer Business President a month back. Industry sources have said that Huawei’s main ambition is not to derive profits from the phone; they only want to outpace Samsung. Oh well, best of luck?
Xiaomi is known to provide value for money. Their smartphones pack in loads of features for a fraction of the price. Just look at the Mi Mix’s Special Edition, which retails for $570 despite being embedded with 18 karats of gold trimmings. If Xiaomi continues the same trend, we might see a foldable phone going for less than a $1000…
