TechPhonesJust as folding phones get exciting, two big brands are tipped to pull outThere could be fewer manufacturers, but more diverse devicesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

TechPhonesJust as folding phones get exciting, two big brands are tipped to pull outThere could be fewer manufacturers, but more diverse devicesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

There could be fewer manufacturers, but more diverse devices

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Oppo Find N2 Flip

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Quick SummaryReports suggest that the folding phone market is going to see some disruption, with Oppo and Vivo potentially withdrawing, due to a fall in market share. Samsung dominates the market and there are rumours of rollable and three-panel folding devices approaching launch.

Reports suggest that the folding phone market is going to see some disruption, with Oppo and Vivo potentially withdrawing, due to a fall in market share. Samsung dominates the market and there are rumours of rollable and three-panel folding devices approaching launch.

Reports suggest that the folding phone market is going to see some disruption, with Oppo and Vivo potentially withdrawing, due to a fall in market share. Samsung dominates the market and there are rumours of rollable and three-panel folding devices approaching launch.

Reports suggest that the folding phone market is going to see some disruption, with Oppo and Vivo potentially withdrawing, due to a fall in market share. Samsung dominates the market and there are rumours of rollable and three-panel folding devices approaching launch.

Folding phones have brought diversity to the smartphone market over the last couple of years, giving manufacturers the opportunity to bring a little excitement to a segment that was getting a little boring. But this fledgling market might soon lose a couple of participants, reducing the options available to buyers when selecting thebest folding phone.

Folding phones typically come in two formats, there’s the flip phone style and then there’s the book style. The first design means that when the phone is folded, it’s more compact like theSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 5; the second design sees it get larger, allowing more screen space, like theOnePlus Open.

Vivo on the other hand released the Vivo X Fold 3 and Vivo X Flip in China in 2023, but these devices were launched for China only and didn’t expand to global availability.

Conversely, we’ve seen increased competition fromGoogleentering the market with thePixel Foldand Motorola’s continued expansion of its Razr line, which is winning fans in the US and Europe at least.

What’s perhaps odd is thatOnePlus, which is closely tied to Oppo, has only just launched its folding phone - and to much acclaim too.

Where do folding phones go from here?

Samsung dominates the folding phone market with its sixth-generation devices due to launch in 2024 and already enjoying over 60% of the market.

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Rumours suggest that Samsung could be looking at athree-panel device, something thatHuaweiis also said to be investigating. Beyond that, there is ongoing talk about rollable devices, with Samsung again said to be looking at this possibility.

Samsung Display is a big manufacturer of flexible display panels, hence the company’s involvement in many future developments in this category of device.

For some, the folding phone category won’t really get interesting untilApple joins the fray- but that’s not expected to be for a couple of years. The question is what the competition will look like at that point if other brands decide to leave the category.

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