Apple folding phone could come soon after Samsung Galaxy Z Fold
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Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G is displayed at IFA Berlin’s consumer tech fair, September 6th, 2019.
Hannibal Hanschke | Reuters
BARCELONA – The vast majority of new smartphones on display at this year’s Mobile World Congress — an event that tech giants use to showcase their latest handsets — looked remarkably similar to the rectangular slabs we’re accustomed to. There were however a few that stood out.
These were folding phones — or flip phones — which appear to be making something of a comeback roughly two decades after the style first hit the market.
CCS Insight Chief Analyst Ben Wood stated that “we’re beginning to see the emergence foldable devices,” adding that many more were on the horizon. The future is exciting because there are so many possibilities.
South Korea SamsungOppo from China was among many manufacturers showing smartphones that could fold in different ways. This can double the screen size of a smartphone user in no time. Samsung displayed the Galaxy Z Fold range, and Oppo showed its Fold N.
Apple is next?
Apple remains a significant omission on the market for folding gadgets, though it is only a matterof time until Apple launches such an item, Wood said. He said that Apple’s flexible display technology has been in use for over a decade.
Apple does not like to rush. He added that Apple will “wait and watch” how the market develops. Apple didn’t immediately reply to CNBC’s request for comment.
Wood explained that Apple’s iPads, iPhones, and iPads have proven so successful that it doesn’t require to make any changes. Wood believes that Apple will launch flexible products when the right time comes.
Last May, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reportedly said in a note to investors that Apple was planning to launch a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch display in 2023.
CNBC spoke with Anshel Sag of Moor Insights and Strategy as principal analyst. He said that Apple would likely release a flexible product when it is less important to have durability and when the cost of display technology has fallen.
Sag indicated that they are still at least a year away from reaching that point, even though Samsung is solving many of the problems that were once present.
He stated that Apple could bring a flexible product to the market, and that it might look more like an ‘flip-style’ than a traditional ‘fold’. This improves its portability and appeals to a wider consumer audience.
You get more of the same
Wood noted that the majority handsets at MWC have not changed beyond the folding phones.
The predominant form factor for the rectangular touchscreen in black is He said that it’s “a sea of the sameness”.
Wood explained that some new MWC devices featured a faster charging speed or a better camera, while most hardware upgrades have been incremental.
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