Recently, the folding screen mobile phone market has continued to heat up, which is closely related to Huawei's upcoming new products. Previously, "Huawei Terminal" officially announced that it would hold the Huawei Extraordinary Brand Ceremony and Hongmeng Zhixing New Product Launch Conference on September 10. The teaser video released by Huawei terminals shows that Huawei Mate The XT "Extraordinary Master" is about to be unveiled, and its three-fold screen design is shown in the video.
The folding screen mobile phone market ushered in a new boom
At present, major mobile phone manufacturers have been committed to the research and development of three-fold screen mobile phones. FOR EXAMPLE, TRANSSION HOLDINGS RECENTLY LAUNCHED THE PHANTOM ULTIMATE 2, AN ULTRA-THIN AND LIGHT TRIFOLD CONCEPT MACHINE. At the same time, brands such as Huawei, Honor, and Xiaomi have also launched a number of iterations of folding screen mobile phones. Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known technology analyst, has previously said that Apple's folding screen device is expected to come out by the end of 2027 or 2028.
The development from two-fold screen mobile phones to three-fold screen mobile phones marks significant progress in folding screen technology and industrialization. Manufacturers have made key breakthroughs in flexible screen materials, hinge design and software adaptation.
Three-fold screen mobile phones provide more diversified folding forms to meet the needs of users in different scenarios, which is not only expected to stimulate a new round of replacement, but also give higher added value to smartphones. With the continuous advancement of technology, folding screen mobile phones are expected to become one of the mainstream mobile phone products in the future.
The folding screen mobile phone market is performing strongly
At present, folding screen mobile phones are becoming more and more popular with consumers. According to data from CINNO Research, in the second quarter of 2024, the sales of folding screen phones in the Chinese market reached 2.62 million units, up 125% year-on-year and 11% quarter-on-quarter, which is the fourth consecutive quarter to maintain a triple-digit year-on-year growth rate. In the first half of 2024, the cumulative sales of folding screen mobile phones in the Chinese market reached 4.98 million units, a year-on-year increase of 121%, and the market penetration rate increased from 1.7% in the same period last year to 3.6%, an increase of 1.9 percentage points.
Globally, according to Counterpoint Research, folding screen phone shipments increased by 48% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2024.
According to the "2024 China Folding Screen Mobile Phone Consumption Insight Report" released by iResearch, the share of folding screen mobile phones in the high-end market continues to expand, and it is expected to reach 20% by the end of 2025. Counterpoint predicts that by 2025, global shipments of folding screen phones will grow to 55 million units.
Listed companies respond to the progress of folding screens and flexible screens
Recently, a number of listed companies have responded to their latest progress in folding screen and flexible screen technology on interactive platforms.
Kaisheng Technology said that the UTG glass it produces is suitable for folding screen equipment, and the company has established a national ultra-thin flexible glass industry chain of "high-strength glass-ultra-thin thinning-high-precision post-processing".
Fleish's new materials mentioned that the company's electronic-grade functional materials mainly include tape series, protective film series and release film series, which can be applied to folding screen mobile phones, computers, wireless charging modules, graphite heat dissipation modules and automotive screen protectors. These materials are mainly supplied to downstream die-cutting factories and ultimately applied to 3C products. Zhejiang Ouren New Materials Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fulai New Materials, has three patents in sensors, and its flexible sensors are currently in the research and development stage.
Lushan New Materials pointed out that the company's OCA optical film covers OCA for touch screens, optical fiber OCA for LCD, NCF products for polarizer bonding, as well as OCA films suitable for vehicles, folding screens, and flexible screens. These products meet the general performance requirements of consumer electronics. Lushan New Material's optical film products TOCF and OCA materials have been shipped in batches. Among them, OCA optical film for folding screen and flexible screen has been systematically verified by BOE and OPPO, and has received good feedback, and its performance is in a leading position among similar products in China; The OCA film for automotive use has been verified by the customer and meets the test requirements.
Bayi Spacetime said that the PSPI photoresist developed and produced by it can be used in the production process of flexible screens and folding screens. In addition, the intermediates and pre-sublimation materials of OLED light-emitting materials produced by the company are also an important part of the supply chain of flexible screens and folding screens.
Delong Laser revealed that the company has a layout in the field of laser processing equipment related to folding screen applications, including cover cutting (UTG glass/CPI), carbon fiber cutting, metal hinge processing (titanium alloy cutting/metal welding), flexible OLED processing (cutting/punching/repairing) and laser processing equipment such as laminated cutting and stripping machine. Except for the metal hinge processing equipment, which is still being tested and verified, all other products have received small batch orders and started to ship.
The development from two-fold screen mobile phones to three-fold screen mobile phones marks significant progress in folding screen technology and industrialization. Manufacturers have made key breakthroughs in flexible screen materials, hinge design and software adaptation.
Three-fold screen mobile phones provide more diversified folding forms to meet the needs of users in different scenarios, which is not only expected to stimulate a new round of replacement, but also give higher added value to smartphones. With the continuous advancement of technology, folding screen mobile phones are expected to become one of the mainstream mobile phone products in the future.
