A major smartphone brand has decided to pause its large foldable screen phone product line, claims Chinese publication 163.com. The company is internally re-evaluating its foldable screen product strategy and has halted next year’s new product launch plans. Foldable phones have always been a niche market, with only a few brands like Huawei and Samsung turning a profit from these devices. Most other manufacturers are still experimenting with this form factor.
In July, Xiaomi’s Mix Flip was released and it reportedly performed well in terms of sales. Supply chain sources indicate that the Mix Flip has a projected lifetime sales volume of 500,000 units, with actual production this year reaching 460,000 units. In contrast, the total sales of the Mix Fold 4 have been less than 100,000 units.
Previously, Oppo and Vivo were rumored to have delayed their development of small foldable phones but continued to support large foldable products to maintain their high-end product lines. While Oppo and Vivo are expected to launch the Find N5 and Vivo X Fold 4 series next year, there is no clarity on whether they will launch “Flip”-branded foldable phones in future.
Additionally, Transsion, a brand focusing on overseas markets, has also stopped developing foldable phones. Its Tecno brand has recently launched the Phantom V2 Flip and V2 Fold, whereas its other brand Infinix recently unveiled the Infinix Zero Flip as a modified version of the Phantom V2 Flip. At present, there is no official word from Transsion on giving up the foldable series.
According to IDC’s latest quarterly tracking report, China’s foldable phone shipments in Q3 2024 reached 2.23 million units, marking a year-on-year growth of only 13.6%, a significant slowdown compared to the previous eight quarters.
