Half of Huawei’s smartphones could come with foldable screens by 2021, with the Chinese tech giant looking to build on the forthcoming release of its Mate X.
The company’s CEO, Richard Yu, made the bold claim following the launch of his firm’s new P30 smartphone.
Asked about Huawei’s plans for folding phones, Yu said, “I think that on a flagship level in two years, half of our devices could be foldable.”
The Huawei Mate X was revealed during February’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, just weeks after Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. It features a main 8–inch tablet screen that can be folded into a 6.6–inch smartphone.
Due to go on sale in June, it costs a massive €2,229 SIM-free. Yu, however, believes that prices will tumble as such handsets become more prevalent.
Apple foldable iPhone teased in new renders
“As times fly, the costs will reduce, I think in two years foldable phones will have a similar price to current flagship phones.”
Yu also revealed that Huawei had plans for a smaller foldable phone, including one that could be closed down into something half the size of the new P30.
While Yu’s predictions are bold, the success of foldable smartphones hinges on the success of his company’s Mate X and the Galaxy Fold.
Both are set to be released in limited numbers, meaning it will be hard to gauge demand. However, with the likes of LG and Xiaomi priming their own folding phones for release, there’s a strong chance the market will offer plentiful options by the end of 2019.
It’s not yet clear if Apple plans to offer a foldable iPhone. If it does so, any such device would not materialise until 2021 at the earliest.
Source
