Analyst: OPPO and Google will release foldable smartphones this year

OPPO and Google are going to release smartphones with folding screens this year, says a screen analyst. Those displays are models with ultra-thin glass underneath from Samsung. Earlier, the analyst said that Xiaomi would come with three models with folding screens.

At Xiaomi, the models that resemble the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 and a folding phone with the screen inside such as the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr will be equipped with the Samsung screens, reports Ross Young of analyst firm DSCC. There would also be a model with a screen on the outside that works like the Huawei Mate Xs, but where that screen comes from, Young does not report.

Nothing is known about the devices from Oppo, Vivo and Google. The move would be particularly striking for Google: only a few Pixel phones appear per year and last year only midrange models were released. Folding screens are still expensive components that are only found in phones with a suggested retail price above 1250 euros.

The smartphones are possible, because Samsung would sell folding screens to other manufacturers. Until now, Samsung kept the foldable displays with ultra-thin glass underneath to itself. As a result, the number of models on the market with folding screens remained relatively limited. DSCC is an analyst firm that only focuses on the display market. The company’s predictions have often turned out to be correct.

Look back: video review Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 from last fall