Foldable

Images of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 have appeared online seemingly taken from an official promo video for the upcoming foldable phone. The screenshots show the Galaxy Z Flip 3 sporting at least four different colors; however, a noted industry source has stated that the Samsung flip phone will come in eight colors. Production of the device will apparently begin in July.

Recent reports suggest that Samsung is developing an "Armor"-themed series of new design features for its next-gen mobile devices, the latest of which could be applied to rear panels, displays or both. These leaked marketing buzzwords have sparked speculation that they are intended to enhance durability in next-gen products, the Galaxy Z Flips and Folds of the future included.

What happens when you bend a ~US$3,000 foldable phone the wrong way? Fans of the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything can now find out, as the Huawei Mate X2 has paid it a visit. Its new chassis endured various tests of its robustness in the process, ending with a possibly surprising end to the vlogger's famous test.

Samsung is reportedly developing the new "Armor" frame for the smartphones of the immediate future. Now, a new tip suggests the OEM might combine it with another new feature called Pro-Shield. It is apparently destined for various device categories, and might thus benefit the potential tri-folding tablets hinted at in another new leak.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) had indicated that its flagship Consumer Electronics Show (CES) might be able to return to a live format in 2022. Now, the group has confirmed that this is indeed the case. Therefore, the conference will be held in its classic Las Vegas setting through January 5 to 8 of next year.

The Mate X2 foldable phablet has been slated as the first device to see a public roll-out of Huawei's new in-house software, HarmonyOS. According to some knowledgeable Weibo users, the OEM has now started this process off. It seems the new system is still a developmental build, but is being sent as an OTA to the general public nonetheless.

Xiaomi Germany has apparently confirmed that there will be no global Mi Mix Fold, nearly a month after the device's announcement. It is unclear what has happened to the Mi Mix Fold Special Edition that Xiaomi teased for global audiences, though.

Huawei launched its Mate X2 flagship in February 2021 with a new design and a sky-high price-tag, even for a foldable device. Its new refresh might be a slightly better deal, however. It has the exact same specs as before - except for its SoC, which is the Kirin 9000 without the usual 5G modem. Therefore, it might cost a little less on its release in China.

It could be said that Xiaomi's Mi Mix Fold is the best flexible-display device on the 2021 market thus far. However, it debuted as a Chinese-market exclusive. Then again, the tipster Mukul Sharma has uncovered evidence that could point to its first international release soon.

Xiaomi's Mi MIX Fold is quite resilient, as it lasted a little over a week in a torture test that had it fold and unfold itself over 400,000 times. It is quite an impressive feat, considering that Samsung's original Galaxy Fold lasted a little over 100,000 cycles before sustaining damage.

According to a new leak, the Galaxy Z Fold3 has obtained an actual certification for ingress-protection. The new tip fails to mention the exact IPxx number in question; nevertheless, it will still be the first time a foldable phone has had such a spec. Meanwhile, the Z Fold3 is also now rumored to be lighter than its predecessor.

Samsung has reportedly applied to trademark the phrase "Armor Frame" in the EU, US and South Korea. Its new American IP application specifically indicates that it applies to smartphones, inviting speculation that it refers to a new engineering or design tweak for its upcoming flagships, particularly those of a foldable nature.

Tipster Ice Universe has targeted the second half of 2021 for a breakthrough of smartphones with under-display cameras (UDCs). Devices expected to feature the technology include the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range, Xiaomi MIX 4, an Oppo foldable, VIVO and ZTE.

LG has announced that it is out of the Android smartphone game; on the other hand, the cutting-edge Rollable mobile device is apparently being readied for launch. The latest step in this process is having it certified to use NFC, as the leaker Mukul Sharma has discovered.

Samsung is slated to launch the next generations of the Z Fold and Z Flip flagship lines in the second half of 2021. However, the OEM is now said to have an even more interesting foldable in the works for the next year after that. This "Galaxy Z Fold Tab" might be capable of bending at two points and, thus, have the scope for more modes compared to its predecessors.

The Mi Mix Fold is Xiaomi's first-gen foldable phablet, and thus offers an 8-inch main display in a book-like form-factor. It has just been released for sale in China, which, according to the OEM, has been a complete success. Xiaomi claims to have sold all stock of the device for ~US$61 million in just 1 minute.

Weibo and Twitter stalwart Ice Universe has heard from multiple sources that the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 will use an unannounced chipset from Samsung. It could likely be the Exynos 2100 successor, tentatively called the Exynos 2200.

TCL has unveiled its latest flexible-display concept at its 2021 Display Your Greatness global product launch event. It combines folding and sliding technology into one chassis, meaning, as the OEM asserts, that it can be a smartphone, a phablet and a tablet in one. This new kind of convertible could well be part of the future of mobile tech.

The US Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) has approved Samsung's patent for what is depicted as a "display device" that folds in half. It appears to be at least tablet-sized, and may thus be for the long-rumored Galaxy Tab Fold, or a very similar device. The document shows how Samsung intends to make a flexible display work on a larger scale.

Microsoft originally started to pitch the dual-display Surface Neo in late 2019; however, it ultimately failed to make it to its projected real-life launch. Now, a leaker has posted a video that purports to reveal the design of the erstwhile "foldable tablet". It appears to show a device that might indeed have been a larger Duo in real life.

Xiaomi has only just released its inaugural foldable in its native China. It has also announced its potential out-of-warranty repair costs, which specify amounts for which a whole new conventional flagship could be bought instead in some cases. For example, a 16GB Mi Mix Fold official motherboard replacement costs more than a brand-new Mi 11 Pro right now.

Samsung is reportedly working with legendary camera manufacturer Olympus to develop camera hardware for its upcoming devices. We could see it in action alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 3 this year or on the Galaxy S22 Ultra in 2022.

OPPO has patented a new kind of phone or phablet with an optional secondary display to which it can attach using custom-designed hinges. Therefore, this detachable portion could act as a keyboard, or perhaps allow the entire product to imitate a Surface Duo at will. The OEM has also apparently patented a mobile gaming controller with in-built earphones.

The projected 2021 upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hint that this upcoming clamshell foldable will have a improved display and design compared to its forebear. Then again, a new leak suggests it will also stick with the underwhelming battery capacity of yesteryear.

The Mi Mix Fold may have many great features on paper, but hands-on shots show that Xiaomi has been unable to overcome the crease that plagued earlier foldable smartphones. Clearly, Xiaomi has some catching up to do before it can match Huawei's Mate X2.

A select handful of mobile device OEMs design their own custom silicon, and Xiaomi has just re-joined these ranks with the new Surge C1. Unlike other first-party chipsets, this one is a new image signal processor designed specifically for the company's new flagship foldable device. It controls a cutting-edge liquid lens, as well as a multi-use sensor.

The Mi Mix Fold is big in every sense of the word. Not only does it have an 8.01-inch display when unfolded, but it also weighs between 317 g and 332 g, depending on which configuration you choose. Additionally, the Mi Mix Fold has a 108 MP camera, a liquid-lens telephoto camera, a new Surge C1 ISP and a 5,020 mAh battery capacity. The Mi Mix Fold costs between CNY 9,999 (~US$1,521) and CNY 12,999 (~US$1,977), too.

Huawei has confirmed that its HarmonyOS will start to roll out from April 2021. This in-house OS is intended to replace EMUI, which is based on Android, on its mobile devices. This process will start with the Mate X2, the OEM's latest foldable flagship.

According to multiple reports, Xiaomi's first foldable smartphone may be making a guest appearance at its March 29 hardware launch event. The device has been certified at the MIIT in China with up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, too.

According to Nikkei Asia, Samsung is planning to launch a new Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip this year and a device that folds in two ways. Apparently, the device will expand to a conventional 16:9 or 18:9 aspect ratio.

Renowned leaker Even Blass has posted Samsung's product release schedule for 2021. It says that new Chromebooks and Galaxybooks are slated to be launched in April, followed by the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite in June, the Galaxy A82 in July and finally, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE in August.

After the cancellation of the new Galaxy Note series for 2021, SamMobile has confirmed that Samsung still has some interesting hardware due in 2021. We must wait until at least the autumn for any new flagship smartphones, though.

A foldable Mi Mix smartphone remains a hot topic, not least because photos of an alleged prototype have appeared online. Specifications for a Xiaomi ODIN have been published too, apparently having been seen in MIUI code. Some of its specifications include a 120 Hz AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 888 SoC and what may be an in-display fingerprint scanner.

OPPO has just launched its "conventional" Android flagship phones for 2021. However, the prolific leaker Digital Chat Station now asserts it has something much more "interesting" to debut in this year's impending second quarter (2Q2021). This, apparently, will be its first-gen foldable-display phone.

More details have emerged about the next Galaxy Z Fold, presumably called the Galaxy Z Fold3 or the Galaxy Z Fold 3. According to a new report, the third-generation foldable smartphone will be thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold2, in part because of a redesigned hinge and a new display. There may even be a Galaxy Z Pro model this year, too.

The latest analysis of the flexible display market indicates that the sales of smartphones with foldable or rollable displays in 2021 are capable of far exceeding those of 2020. Their shipments are projected to grow to a total of 5.1 million, or 128% year-on-year (YoY), thanks to an influx of new models from new OEMs this year. Then again, most of these predictions may not pan out for at least 3 months.

The new luxury foldable that carries the Vertu banner, namely the Ayxta Fold 5G, is actually a Royole FlexPai 2 with a back cover dressed in leather and with a few other minor visual touches. Hardware-wise, there is nothing mindblowing, but the price for China (via JD.com) exceeds the equivalent of US$7,000.

A well-known industry insider has offered his view on the name of Xiaomi's upcoming foldable smartphone. Apparently, the device will herald the Mi Mix series' return, which Xiaomi has left dormant since the Mi Mix Alpha.

Microsoft’s Surface Duo will address at least two major shortcomings when it launches later this year. The new device will pick up 5G support for the first time but is also expected to bring substantially improved camera performance.

Foldable-display phones are slowly becoming more prevalent; however, they are still at a point at which they can only do so in one way per device: inward or outward. However, a new leaked video suggests a concept device that can bend in both directions is out there now. This possible breakthrough in the technology has allegedly been achieved by the panel-maker BOE.

Google is working on a foldable Pixel according to tipster Jon Prosser. Prosser’s remarks align with rumors of a foldable Pixel which surfaced in the middle of last year. While exciting news, it does raise questions about Google’s pricing and specification strategy.

Foldable devices nowadays come with relatively small displays, but, in a few years, we may be able to work with devices that integrate larger foldable screens like the Foldbook concept proposed by Wistron. By default, Foldbook offers a 17-inch touchscreen, which can be folded in half to act as a 10-inch laptop. Furthermore, the concept includes a docking station that transforms the tablet into an all-in-one PC.

OPPO asserts that slidable-OLED phones like its X 2021 are the best things since foldables. The OEM has teased the device in more detail than ever before at the MWC Shanghai 2021, outlining the various techniques it has developed to ensure its durability and functionality.

The Scroll smartphone concept in inspired by ancient scrolls and comes with a 10-inch display rolled up inside a stylish tube-like leather finish case, while the ZeroEdge design proposes a 14-inch 99% screen-to-body ratio OLED display that wraps around its left and right edges to offer side touch functions like we see on quad-curved smartphone displays.

LG has denied that it has cancelled its plans for the LG Rollable, its futuristic smartphone that can extend its rollable display into a tablet. At the same time, however, the company’s mobile future is far from certain.

Remote (or over-the-air) charging is a futuristic technology that a handful of mobile device OEMs claim to have cracked in 2021 thus far. The latest of these is OPPO, a company that has released a video of its new breakthrough in conjunction with MWC Shanghai. It also features OPPO's slidable-display phone, shown charging without cables or pads of any kind.

A new foldable device by TCL has turned up online. It appears to be the tri-folding tablet that TCL talked about in 2020, which can fold along two separate axes. In this particular instance, one part of the screen is being used as a makeshift keyboard.

Samsung has announced that (almost) every Galaxy-branded smartphone will receive at least four years worth of software support. The list includes several devices from the Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy A, Galaxy Tab, and Galaxy Fold series of smartphones.

Huawei has announced the Mate X2 in China. This new foldable has been updated with an inward-folding design, much like its closest Samsung rival. However, the OEM has also set it apart with a new, space-saving design - on which a massive price-tag has been slapped, even for its premium category.