Foldable smartphones are about to start a chaotic battle! Honor Magic V2 leads the way, bringing a wave of new devices

Foldable smartphones are sparking a fierce battle, with Honor Magic V2 taking the lead and introducing a wave of new devices

【Phoneauto】Foldable smartphones have been developing for several years, and now their sales are growing against the trend. According to the data released by research firm Counterpoint Research for the first quarter, global smartphone sales declined by 14.2%, but foldable smartphones surged by 64%, reaching 2.5 million units.

Honor Magic V2

Mainstream manufacturers are also constantly iterating their own foldable smartphones. Honor Magic V2 will be released on July 12th, Samsung Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 are scheduled for July 26th, and Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has already confirmed its release in August. In addition, OnePlus’ first foldable smartphone, OnePlus V Fold (possibly named “OnePlus Open”), may also be released in August. The release date of OPPO Find N3 series and Samsung W25 series, whose release time is currently unknown, should also be unveiled in the second half of the year. The models and names of foldable smartphones from other manufacturers are still uncertain, but it can be seen that the era of fierce competition in foldable screens has arrived.

This time, the Honor Magic V2 is coming on strong, and various pre-release information has fully raised everyone’s expectations.

• Apple topped the trending searches list a staggering 117 times in the first half of the year! Surprisingly, even more than Huawei
• The Honor Watch 4 is launched with dual standby, just like a phone, it achieves dual card dual standby functionality
• MediaTek launches Dimensity 6000 series mobile chips targeting mainstream 5G terminals

According to leaks, compared with the previous generation of Magic Vs, the workmanship of Honor Magic V2 is more exquisite; it completely surpasses Vs in terms of weight; it adopts a brand-new system, with a significant improvement in both security and experience; it easily beats Vs in terms of photography, “it is not inferior to its big brother”; it has even better battery life; and it charges faster as well.

Honor Magic V2

On July 3rd, Zhao Ming, CEO of Honor Terminal Co., Ltd., released an interview video on Weibo, stating that Honor Magic V2 is a revolutionary product. It is a flat flagship among foldable screens and a foldable flagship among flat phones. He said that Honor Magic V2 is not challenging existing foldable smartphones, but aiming to break the boundaries between foldable screens and flat phones.

The Honor Magic V2 is extremely thin. It is reported that there has been intense debate within Honor regarding the thickness of the phone. Zhao Ming revealed that the Magic V2 has undergone a program reconstruction, making it 0.1mm thinner than the thinnest foldable screen phone on the market. The final result is an extremely thin device.

For reference, the thinnest horizontally foldable screen phone in the industry at the moment is the Huawei Mate X3 (5.3mm), followed by the Xiaomi MIX Fold2 (5.4mm). Based on Zhao Ming’s post, the thickness of the Honor Magic V2 is at least 5.3mm, and it may even be lower than 5.3mm, making it one of the thinnest foldable screen phones on the market.

Honor Magic V2

In addition, the Honor Magic V2 solves three major issues at once: battery life, signal, and eye protection. Its performance is comprehensive, both in terms of software and hardware, reaching the ceiling of foldable screen technology.

The price is also very attractive. It is said that the Honor Magic V2 will be equipped with two different mobile platforms, namely the Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 and Snapdragon 8 Gen2. The pricing may be very low, as they aim to seize the market rather than make profits. It is highly anticipated.

Recently, Samsung announced that the Galaxy Unpacked event will be held at the COEX Convention Center in Gangnam, South Korea, at 8:00 pm on July 26th. It is expected to unveil new foldable screen phones such as the Z Fold5, Z Flip5, as well as the Watch6 series smartwatches and the Tab S9 series tablets.

Rumors suggest that the upgrades for the Samsung Z Flip5 and Z Fold5 will include a completely new waterdrop-shaped hinge, reduced screen creases, and a faster processor, among other improvements.

The biggest change in these two mobile phones is that the screen can fit tightly together when folded, without any gaps. Previously, all foldable phones from Samsung had a V-shaped wedge gap to prevent liquid damage or solid particles from depositing inside, so achieving a completely flush fit may be a huge improvement.

However, despite the new hinge, it seems that Samsung has not improved the durability of its upcoming foldable phone. It is rumored that the basic durability of this phone is 200,000 folds, with a maximum limit of 300,000 folds and unfolds. In addition, apart from being equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, the Z Fold5 does not have any major upgrades. It uses the same triple camera setup and 4,400mAh battery as the Z Fold4.

The appearance of the Z Flip5 has undergone a lot of redesigns, with a larger secondary screen measuring 3.4 inches. It can display more applications and widgets, making it more practical. The new device will be equipped with a new flagship processor from Qualcomm, and there are also rumors about camera upgrades and a larger battery.

Recently, when Lei Jun, the Xiaomi Group’s partner, president, international department president, and Redmi brand general manager, introduced the “Xiaomi Intelligent Manufacturing Digital System” 2.0 of the Xiaomi Intelligent Factory on Weibo, he revealed that the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 will be released in August.

Screenshot of Lei Jun’s Weibo post

According to Lei Jun’s introduction, the upgrade of the “Xiaomi Intelligent Manufacturing Digital System” 2.0 is significant, making it smarter, more precise, with a precision of up to micrometers. The first mass-produced model is the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. With the help of the new system, the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is thinner and more robust, and it is equipped with a Leica optical full focal length quad camera for the first time.

Recently, leaker Mahesh Ahir shared renderings of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 on Twitter. The renderings reveal the possible design of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 rendering

According to the image, the bezels of the external screen of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 are very narrow, and the front camera adopts a centered hole-punch design. It is reported that unlike previous models, the internal screen of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is expected to adopt an under-display camera design. In addition, it is said that the new device is equipped with a waterdrop hinge.

In terms of specifications, the blogger revealed that the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is expected to have an internal screen with a resolution of 2160×1912 pixels, and an FHD external screen with a resolution of 1080 pixels. It will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leading version, and will offer 16GB of RAM and storage options of 512GB and 1TB. The rear camera setup will include a 50-megapixel IMX800 main camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera with 0.6x optical zoom, a telephoto camera with 3.2x optical zoom, and a periscope telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom.

The Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is expected to be equipped with a 4800mAh battery and support 67W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging. There may be two color versions – one is a black leather version and the other is a white glass version, with the white glass version using a material that appears for the first time in the MIX series.

At the OnePlus 11 event in February, OnePlus officially confirmed that it is developing a foldable phone. Rumors suggest that OnePlus is working on two models, possibly named OnePlus V Fold and OnePlus V Flip.

However, recently, leaker Max Jambor, who is very familiar with OnePlus news, stated that OnePlus’ first foldable phone will be named “OnePlus Open,” possibly to differentiate it from other foldable models. Early leaks indicated that this phone will be released in the third quarter of this year, and it may be officially unveiled on August 19th.

As early as May, OnePlus applied for patents for the name “OnePlus Open”. In addition to “Open”, the brand also applied for multiple trademark patents for its foldable product series, including “Prime”, “Wing”, “Peak”, and “Edge”. Among multiple options, it is said that “OnePlus Open” is the final name.

In terms of specifications, it is rumored that OnePlus Open will be equipped with a 7.8-inch foldable AMOLED display with a resolution of 2K and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The external screen will adopt a 6.3-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz. This foldable device is expected to be equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen2 mobile platform, paired with Adreno GPU, and equipped with up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. It will also come with a 4800mAh battery and support 100W fast charging.

OnePlus Open rendering

OnePlus Open will have a total of five cameras, with a 48-megapixel main lens, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 64-megapixel telephoto lens on the back. It will have a 32-megapixel front camera on the external screen and a 20-megapixel selfie camera internally.

In addition to the above foldable screen phones, there may be other foldable screen phones coming out in the second half of the year. For example, the OPPO Find N3 series, Samsung W25 series, and so on. As a reference, the OPPO Find N2 series was released on December 15, 2022, and the Samsung W23 dual flagship was released on October 21, 2022. In addition, it is rumored that Honor may also release two foldable screen phones in the second half of the year. It can be said that the second half of the year will be a “big battle” for foldable screen phones.

With the development of technology and the internal competition among smartphone manufacturers, the price of foldable screen phones is getting lower and gradually gaining recognition from more consumers. It is believed that the release of Honor Magic V2 may further lower the price of foldable screen phones. It is believed that in the near future, it will no longer be a dream to have a budget of 5000 yuan to choose from multiple foldable screen phones.

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