Xiaomi Tipped to Launch Three Foldable Phones in 2021

Xiaomi may launch three foldable smartphones in 2021. Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), shared the alleged development via Twitter. Earlier, Xiaomi has already been linked with a foldable smartphone to be in the works. Apart from Xiaomi, other players like Oppo and Samsung are also expected to be working on foldable smartphones. Young also said in another tweet that Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 will have a smaller main display and cover display.

As per the tweet by Young, the next foldable smartphone “to hit the market” will likely be from Xiaomi. He said that Xiaomi is expected to have three foldable smartphones in the market in 2021 that could be launched in three design types – out-folding, in-folding, and clamshell. He, however, didn't mention which of these models will be launched first. Earlier this year, a report claimed that Xiaomi has placed an order with Samsung Display and LG Display for foldable OLED panels for a clamshell-type phone.

In another tweet, Young suggested that Samsung could launch the rumoured Galaxy Z Fold 3 (not final name) with smaller displays than its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Young also claimed that the foldable smartphone's main display will shrink from 7.59-inch to 7.55-inch. The cover display will be 6.21 inches long, compared to Galaxy Z Fold 2's 6.23-inch screen, because Samsung wants “more space for S Pen.”

Furthermore, Young said that the alleged Galaxy Z Flip 3/ Flip Lite will have a 6.7-inch display and the South Korean tech giant will incorporate 120Hz refresh rate and low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPO) technology on the phone. In fact, a recent report claimed that Samsung will launch the Galaxy Z Flip 2, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Fold Lite foldable smartphones in 2021.

Citing OLED research firm UBI Research, the report predicted that the Galaxy Z Flip 2 will have a 6.7-inch internal screen and a 3-inch external screen, Galaxy Z Fold 3 will have a 7-inch range internal screen and a 4-inch range external screen, and the Galaxy Z Fold Lite will also have a 7-inch range internal screen and a 4-inch range external screen. The report also claimed that all three foldable Samsung models would use ultra-thin glass as cover windows and use the in-folding method for the design.

Is this the end of the Samsung Galaxy Note series as we know it? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.