The introduction of foldable smartphones to the world was the most exciting thing to come out of last year. This year, we expect to see more smartphone makers join the fray as the display technology matures and the cost to produce foldable displays goes down. Right now, there are two different types of foldable smartphones: the Galaxy Fold-style devices that fold horizontally and the Galaxy Z Flip-style phones that fold vertically like the old clamshell phone design. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola’s Razr are the only two clamshell foldable smartphones on the market right now, but it seems that Xiaomi is preparing to release its own clamshell-like foldable smartphone later this year.
The Galaxy Z Flip uses a bendable “Ultra-Thin Glass” OLED display underneath a layer of protective plastic. The Motorola Razr, meanwhile, simply has a bendable plastic OLED display. The Galaxy Z Flip’s display is manufactured by Samsung Display while the Motorola Razr’s display is dual sourced from Chinese display makers BOE and CSOT. According to a report from ZDNet Korea, Xiaomi has requested that Samsung Display supply them with a clamshell-type flexible OLED display similar to the one found in the Galaxy Z Flip. The report goes on to say that Xiaomi may also source clamshell foldable OLED displays from LG Display (who reportedly previously supplied foldable displays to Huawei). The report states “an unnamed insider in the display industry who says that the foldable panels currently produced by BOE and CSOT are of a lower quality than those produced by Samsung Display, which is why Xiaomi went with Samsung Display.” Mass production of Xiaomi’s clamshell foldable is expected to begin in the second half of 2020.
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