Xiaomi folding display 2019

Xiaomi could be working on folding screen smartphone: Will 2019 see more of these?

Xiaomi has been rumoured to be working on a foldable device, according to ET News. But, it’s not clear if this is the final device, or a mere prototype. However, take this news with a grain of salt, as this video could be fake. Xiaomi hasn’t yet confirmed its plans to launch a foldable device in the near future.

Can’t speak to the authenticity of this video or device, but it’s allegedly made by Xiaomi, I’m told. Hot new phone, or gadget porn deepfake? pic.twitter.com/qwFogWiE2F

Android natively supports foldable devices

Google is officially supporting foldable smartphones that run on Android mobile OS. At the company’s Android Developer Summit held in November last year, Google revealed that Android will have support for screens that bend and fold. During the presentation, David Burke, the company’s vice president for engineering, described the experience of using a foldable device as “Screen Continuity”, allowing an app to seamlessly between a bigger screen and a smaller display.

First-generation foldable phones likely to be expensive

Whether you like it or not, foldable smartphones are likely to remain a niche in the first few years. To be fair, they won’t make a huge impact on the overall smartphone market. A recent report claimed that Samsung’s foldable smartphone will cost about $1,800 (or approx Rs 1,25,163). That’s a steep price to pay for a smartphone. But given the time and effort that have gone into making a foldable smartphone, it would be less surprising if Samsung asks you to shell out over a lakh for a foldable phone. Keep in mind that this is a piece of unconfirmed news and not a confirmed price from Samsung.

Samsung reportedly sent foldable displays to OPPO, Xiaomi to help grow the ecosystem

The current trend in smartphone design is small bezelsand display notches. Foldable phones have threatened to be the next design trend for a while, but so far nothing has materialized. Samsung is one of the manufacturers that has been working on foldable phones for a while. According to a report from ETNews, Samsung is already sending samples of foldable displays to the competition.

Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung, has reportedly sent samples of potential folding displays to Oppo and Xiaomi. Why would Samsung do this when they don’t have a foldable phone of their own? Making displays for other manufacturers is a big source of income for Samsung. They have even made iPhone displays. But the other reason is more important to the future of Samsung’s foldable phones.

Another possible reason is to grow the folding ecosystem before they launch their own foldable device. Oppo and Xiaomi can get the idea of a foldable phone into the minds of customers before Samsung swoops in with a superior product. Analysts predict they could ship up to a million foldable displays next year and up to 5 million in 2020. If foldable phones are going to happen, Samsung wants to be in on it.

Huawei is reportedly looking forward to beat Samsung by launching the world’s first smartphone by the start of 2019. Fresh information has revealed that apart from Huawei, other Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Oppo are also working on foldable smartphones.