Foldable smartphones featuring a three-part design have yet to reach mass production by well-known manufacturers. Huawei aims to be the pioneer in this market by launching the world's first phone equipped with three displays. However, it is unlikely to be a mass-market device, as its price may exceed $4000. Consequently, this device could be more than double the cost of the Samsung Galaxy Fold6, yet it will offer lower performance.
Recently, Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu was spotted holding a smartphone that folds twice from three segments. This suggests the existence of such a device, and the CEO is likely testing it to evaluate its performance in real-world conditions. The device he was handling might have been a pre-production model, as there are no reports of mass production starting. Meanwhile, insider @jasonwill101 stated on social media platform X that the company is still working to reduce the smartphone's cost, with the engineering sample priced at 35,000 yuan, or approximately $4887.
Currently, the cost of Huawei's tri-fold engineering prototype is over 35,000 RMB, and the company is continuously working on reducing costs. The anticipated retail price for the mass-produced model is set at 29,000 RMB($4000) pic.twitter.com/2JBvtx9IIN
— jasonwill (@jasonwill101) August 13, 2024
This is a significant amount for a smartphone, even if it offers a one-of-a-kind form factor. Rumors suggest that the expected retail price could be dropped to 29,000 yuan, or $4049, making it more than twice the price of the Samsung Galaxy Fold6. The high cost could be attributed to a smaller production run, although rumors have not confirmed this. Given that Huawei cannot source processors using cutting-edge TSMC technology and is forced to rely on its local manufacturing partner SMIC, it has to resort to repurposing older lithography technology for large-scale production of its chipsets.
Currently, the Kirin 9010 chip appears to be the only viable option for such a smartphone. However, it is significantly slower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9300 found in competing devices.
Source: wccftech
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