Following oppo find n and glory Magic V, vivo released its first folding screen mobile phone x fold on the evening of April 11. So far, domestic mainstream mobile phone manufacturers have basically entered the folding screen track. 2021 is called "the first year of folding screen". According to the report of smart phone model market tracking in the fourth quarter of 2021 released by market research agency omdia, by the end of 2021, the cumulative shipment of folding screen smart phones in the world had reached 11.5 million units. From the second half of 2021, the sales volume of folding screen mobile phones began to grow rapidly. In 2021, the annual shipment reached 9 million units, a year-on-year increase of 309%. Experts believe that with the improvement of user acceptance and the maturity of relevant technologies in the industry, the domestic folding screen mobile phone market may usher in a new round of outbreak in 2022, and the industry will usher in a key year of large-scale. "Stepping stone" of high-end market Folding screen mobile phones have become synonymous with high-end. Liu Xu, general manager of CCID Consulting digital economy industry research center, said that now, in addition to high-end chips, other technologies have already been widely used in low-end models, which is difficult to support the improvement of mobile phone brand "segment". Therefore, owning folding screen technology has become an important means for mobile phone brand to "show muscle". In addition, folding screen mobile phones are currently priced high, which has naturally become synonymous with "high-end". At the same time, the product form of folding screen is also an attempt for mobile phone manufacturers to break through the limitations of mobile phone appearance and function. Under the folding screen, the functions of the mobile phone are enlarged, with richer application scenarios, which meets the needs of users for screen size in large screen applications such as video and games. Therefore, it has become an important "stepping stone" for mobile phone manufacturers to seek market breakthrough. Zhong Xinlong, senior consultant of Radio Research Institute of CCID think tank, believes that although the overall smartphone market shipments are low, the market scale of folding screen mobile phones is growing rapidly, indicating that consumers generally accept the high premium and high positioning of folding screen mobile phones. The introduction of folding screen mobile phones is essentially the behavior of manufacturers to impact the high-end mobile phone market. Wang Bin, senior analyst of Zhongcheng think tank, believes that as the last mainstream mobile phone manufacturer to enter the folding screen mobile phone market in China, vivo entered the market at this time for two reasons. First, after testing the folding screen mobile phone market last year, major mobile phone manufacturers provided some valuable experience for reference and reference, and the time to enter the folding screen mobile phone market is relatively ripe; The second is to have enough "chips" in the competition in the high-end market. Nowadays, to occupy a place in the high-end mobile phone market, folding screen mobile phone has become a necessary means of "breaking the game". "Vivo's performance in the smart phone market in recent years is remarkable. In 2021, vivo's market share in the domestic market reached 21.5%, ranking first in the market. Last year, its X70 PRO + price was close to 7000 yuan, but the supply still fell short of demand. It can be said that vivo has a market foundation for price exploration. The release of vivo x fold will help vivo further impact the high-end market and win more market share." Liu Xu said. Break through two bottlenecks "The popularity of folding screen mobile phones has a lot to do with the progress of supply chain and technology. Folding screen mobile phones have always faced two difficulties, one is screen material, the other is hinge technology. Most of the pain points of users are concentrated in screen creases, display faults, fractures, etc. at present, these two bottle necks have made breakthroughs." Liu Xu said. For example, in vivo x fold released this time, the floating middle plate design brings a smoother and more durable folding screen. It adopts ultra-thin flexible glass and internal and external 120 Hz double screen high brush technology, which has better wear resistance, heat resistance and light transmittance. Oppo find n released in December last year adopts self-developed Seiko quasi vertebral hinge, which can realize multi angle stepless hover while fitting, and basically realize the seamless hidden trace folding effect; The screen material adopts a new 12 layer composite structure and ultra-thin flexible glass, which has stronger puncture resistance and enhanced durability. According to Wang Bin, the existing folding screen mobile phone hinge adopts multi angle hovering folding technology, which can be opened and closed flexibly, and its magnetic support system ensures the safety of the equipment when it is fully folded; The main materials of the flexible screen have made a qualitative leap compared with the previous generation in terms of wear resistance, heat resistance and light transmittance. It can not only improve the reliability of the screen, but also bring better display effect. In addition, the software adaptation of folding screen mobile phones of major brands has also been significantly improved in recent two years, and interactive operation and multitasking have been realized. Zhang Yi, CEO of AI media consulting group, believes that there is still room for improvement in folding screen mobile phone technology: first, many users still report screen creases and other problems after one year of use; second, the overall price of folding screen mobile phones is still high. "At present, apple is still watching, glory and vivo have just entered the track, Xiaomi and oppo have a small market share, and Samsung and Huawei are still improving their technology and technology to overcome the pain points of user experience." Liu Xu said. The market scale will still expand In 2021, mainstream mobile phone manufacturers successively entered the folding screen track. In addition to Samsung, Huawei and other brands that have already entered the track, Xiaomi released the folding screen mobile phone mix fold in March 2021. In December 2021, oppo launched its first folding screen mobile phone, find n. In January this year, glory released Magic V, a folding screen mobile phone. With the release of vivo x fold, the Android mobile phone camp gathered the folding screen product line, and the industry ushered in a key year of scale. "With the progress of hardware supply, interaction ability and application ecology, the folding screen mobile phone market will still be prosperous in 2022. It is estimated that the global shipment of smart folding screen mobile phones may exceed 18 million units in 2022, realizing a doubling growth. By 2023, the scale of folding screen mobile phone market may sprint to 30 million units. Although compared with the volume of the whole mobile phone market, the folding screen mobile phone market is still very small, but in Samsung, Huawei and so on Under the guidance of the brand, the folding screen mobile phone market has completed the cultivation of consumers, and more and more people begin to accept and even pursue this product. " Liu Xu said. At present, vivo, oppo and other manufacturers have lowered the price of folding screen mobile phones to about 8000 yuan. How much room for price reduction is there in the future? Liu Xu predicted that according to the current pricing gear of folding screen mobile phones and the market law of electronic products, the price reduction is inevitable, but it will not be fast. This year, folding screen mobile phones are still dominated by the high-end market, and there will not be too many products to choose from in the middle and low-end market. At present, the mass production scale of folding screen mobile phones is not enough, the technology is still being explored, and the price is naturally relatively high. After another one to two years, with the gradual release of flexible screen production capacity, the continuous reduction of cost and the continuous maturity of technology, the price of folding screen mobile phones will decline significantly. Zhang Yi believes that at present, the price of folding screen mobile phones is more suitable for the gift market. The stronger the price, the better to sell. The premise is that the brand and quality of the products should pass. It is expected that the price of folding screen mobile phones will be reduced slightly in the second half of next year. "This year's folding screen mobile phone market will still be a niche market, and the position of straight mobile phones cannot be shaken for the time being. However, with the increase of the scientific and technological content of folding screen mobile phones, the recognition of such products by public users will gradually increase, which will further drive the improvement of the folding screen mobile phone industry chain and supply chain." Wang Bin said. (Xinhua News Agency)