Indeed, foldable devices are not mature from products to industrial chain. However, innovation comes from iteration, and technology giants need to occupy the niche in new technology.

Upper and Lower Folding and Glass Cover

First of all, to analyze Flip's most popular point of view, one is the vertical folding up and down.

This involves the choice between portability and operability. Compared with ordinary smart phones, the flip screen is not much larger, but it can be very small after folding, with more emphasis on portability and become a pocket device. Some people think that the mobile phone has entered the stage of handheld device and wearable device from pocket device. Now we put the mobile phone in the pocket for a short time. Therefore, the smart phone often sacrifices the convenience slightly to meet the greater operation and interaction ability. Of course, perhaps the judgment of Samsung and Motorola is that mobile phones will be pocket devices and willing to invest further.

It should be pointed out that there is an essential difference between the upper and lower folded mobile phone and the previous flip phone, the flip phone is only for portability and compromise, open and folded after the screen size is the same, but expand the interactive device keyboard, display, interaction efficiency has not improved. But now Flip, for example, is at least twice as efficient as a portable display, with a 6.7-inch interactive screen that folds into half the size of the portable screen.

"The foldable ultra-thin glass (UTG: Ultra-Thin-Glass) used by Samsung for the release of Galaxy ZFlip is significantly better than CPI in terms of hardness and durability," Chen Jun, deputy general manager of consultancy, told 21st Century Economics. Compared with the CPI protective cover plate, the ultra-thin glass has high hardness, but it is fragile, especially when the bending rate is very small, it is very obvious. To this end, Samsung Galaxy ZFlip adopted a combination of CPI UTG, which is to cover a layer of CPI protection film on ultra-thin glass, while increasing the surface hardness of the cover plate while reducing the fragility of UTG and greatly improving its reliability.

Hu Wei, general manager of donglihua, also pointed out that although CPI has the characteristics of bending resistance, high transparency and non fragile, its hardness, impact resistance and optical effect are not as good as foldable glass. For example, CPI has poor scratch resistance and is prone to scratches; CPI has poor impact protection. When it is hit by external forces, the OLED display inside CPI is easily damaged. But the ultra-thin toughened glass has enough hardness. When it is impacted by external force, even if the flexible glass breaks, it can effectively protect the OLED inside.

In Hu Wei's view, with the trend of folding screen, foldable ultra-thin reinforced glass will eventually replace CPI. And glass cover manufacturers have been engaged in research and development, for technical commercialization, such as Corning, Asahi Glass, Electrical Nitro (NEG), Short, ECOY, Dong Lihua, DoInsys and so on.

Although from the mechanical point of view, folding up and down is not a revolutionary innovation, but from the perspective of interaction and materials, it is groundbreaking, including glass cover technology, hinge technology, support any angle folding and so on. The new small pocket design also has cost considerations. Only after the cost of the supply chain is reduced, can the popularity of folding screen be promoted, and then there is more extension space on this basis.

Foldable wind, who will lead?

Although there are negative noises about the new folding mobile phones in public opinion, it has to be said that Samsung is indeed leading the trend of folding screen, and constantly debugging the core industry chain, such as the core screen. The significance of flip's mobile phone may not be its sales volume, but that Samsung continues to stand firmly in the industrial chain of folding screen technology.

Some say foldable phones are pseudo-demand, pseudo-innovation, and one insider told 21st-century economics:"A good product is certainly important and even a new era.” However, there are constantly immature products, will give birth to excellent products. the key is that we are constantly innovating to select the shortlisted products among the many innovations, which is the result of extensive screening and an iterative evolution process. We have to do a lot of trying, to do horizontal folding screen, vertical folding screen, to do big screen, do small screen, after the market is possible, and the market and supply chain complement each other.

It's very important to dare to try, to integrate the supply chain and to control the cost, because it's not an easy decision. It's not the end of a screen. For Samsung, especially Motorola, it may be a desperate attempt. Maybe the product may not succeed in the end, but their influence on the industry chain is far-reaching. Moreover, Samsung is ready to ship and supply millions of products.

In other words, samsung is considering the industry chain, it will set off a wave of folding, even if not sell folding phone, can continue to sell folding screen.

In 2020, the giants'foldable phones will be available.

According to the data in the Research Report of foldable smart terminals series of Qunzhi consulting, the global sales volume of foldable smart phones will be about 700000 in 2019, of which Samsung will ship about 450000. It is estimated that the global sales volume of foldable smart terminals will be about 4 million in 2020, with a year-on-year growth of about 519%.