Since the beginning of this year, OPPO、 Huawei and other mobile phone manufacturers are competing to launch new foldable screen phones, achieving breakthroughs in flexible screens, hinge structure design, lightweight and other aspects. However, the industry believes that this market is currently in a stage of adjustment and still faces multiple challenges such as technology, cost, and market acceptance, making it difficult to change the situation of slowing growth in the short term. On March 20th, Huawei released its first wide folding screen phone Pura X, which quickly became a hot topic in the industry. On March 30th, the phone was officially launched for sale, and there was a buying frenzy both online and offline. Previously, OPPO's lightweight and foldable phone Find N5 also went on sale on February 26th, and the market demand was also strong, with some versions even experiencing stock shortages. Since its launch in 2019, foldable phones have attracted consumers' attention for their differentiated experience created by changing their appearance. Domestic manufacturers are focusing on launching their own foldable screen mobile phone products in order to achieve breakthroughs in the high-end market. In terms of market share, according to IDC data, Huawei will lead the Chinese foldable screen smartphone market with nearly 50% market share in 2024; Honor's market share is 20.6%, ranking second steadily; Thanks to the excellent performance of the X Fold3 series products, vivo ranks third with a market share of 11.1%; Relying on the success of its first vertical folding product, Xiaomi occupies fourth place with a market share of 7.4%; OPPO holds a market share of 5.3%, ranking fifth. With the continuous development of the foldable screen mobile phone market, companies in the flexible screen, hinge and other industrial chains are also accelerating their layout. Screen supplier BOE A (000725) recently stated that its flexible AMOLED products have strong competitive advantages in high-end flagship mobile phone products such as folding and LTPO, and their shipment volume is among the top in the industry. Functional coating composite material supplier Stick (300806) has successfully achieved the composite application of multi-layer flexible optical materials. Through precise molecular structure design and synthesis process, Stick (300806) effectively solves the industry problems of obvious creases and easy delamination, making the material have the characteristics of both rigidity and flexibility, and successfully achieving mass production. The liquid metal hinge structural components produced by Yi'an Technology (300328) have been widely used in foldable screen smartphones. In addition to flexible screens and hinges, accessories such as UTG (ultra-thin flexible glass cover) are also an indispensable part of foldable phones. Lansi Technology (300433) stated that the company has already laid out the manufacturing process for folding screens such as UTG, deeply cooperating with major brands for research and development production, and has the ability to quickly mass produce flexible screens and modules of various materials required for folding screen phones. Changxin Technology (300088) also stated that the company has a close cooperation with OPPO to provide UTG products for OPPO Find N3 Flip and OPPO Find N3. Despite the continuous efforts of industry chain companies, the industry believes that the slowdown in the growth rate of the foldable screen mobile phone market is difficult to change in the short term. According to IDC data, despite 5 years of development, the shipment of new foldable phones in 2024 will only account for 3.2% of all new phone shipments for the year. IDC predicts that the shipment volume of foldable screen smartphones in the market will be around 10 million units by 2025, and after 2026, the shipment volume will enter a period of significant growth again. In the past few years, users of foldable screen phones have mainly focused on trying new things out, with usage scenarios mainly concentrated in mobile office, large screen entertainment, and other areas Guo Tianxiang, Research Manager of IDC China, said, "Although foldable screen phones have made continuous progress in terms of thinness, battery life, imaging, creases, etc., they lack more usage scenarios, and the product price and user experience do not have an absolute advantage compared to straight products, which makes it difficult for users to make greater breakthroughs temporarily." Since the beginning of this year, only a few manufacturers such as Huawei and OPPO have launched new foldable screen models. Guo Tianxiang revealed that more domestic manufacturers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude towards foldable screen smartphones, and many brands have reduced their foldable screen product lines and lowered their shipping targets. Industry insiders say that the foldable screen mobile phone market is currently in a stage of adjustment, with slowing growth and facing multiple challenges such as technology, cost, and market acceptance. However, in the long run, with the maturity of technology and the decline in prices, there is still great potential for development. (New Society)