Huawei to Display the Mate Xs in MWC 2020
Samsung Electronics and Huawei will compete in the foldable phone market once again this year with new models. Motorola, an affiliate of Lenovo in China, is also set to launch a Razr foldable phone.
Samsung Electronics will take the wraps off the Galaxy Z Flip, a clamshell type foldable phone, along with the Galaxy S20 series, in San Francisco of the United States on Feb. 11.
Unlike the previous Galaxy Fold that folds sideway, the Galaxy Z Flip is designed to fold up and down. The display measures 6.7 inches when unfolded. The phone is loaded with a small display that shows simple information such as the date and time when folded.
It is also expected to include a function that fixes the phone while being unfolded at an angle of 90 degrees and 180 degrees. This function can be used for various purposes such as taking a picture at 90 degrees.
In particular, the Galaxy Z Flip will use a display made of ultra-thin glass (UTG) instead of a plastic material. The Galaxy Fold used a display made of colorless polyimide film (CPI), which had a creasing issue. The use of UTG increases durability and addresses the creasing issue.
The Galaxy Z Flip is expected to retail for under 2 million won, much cheaper than the Galaxy Fold which sold for 2,398,000 won.
Huawei and Motorola are also preparing foldable phones. Huawei will unveil its new foldable phone, the Mate Xs, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 in Barcelona, Spain in February. Huawei released its first foldable phone MateX in China in November 2019. It became a smash hit in China, but its global launch was not realized because it could not use Google applications.
The new MateXs is expected to be more durable and cost-effective than its predecessor. Its previous model, Mate X, was sold at 16,999 yuan (about 2.85 million won).
Motorola plans to launch a clamshell-type foldable phone, the "Razr," which folds up and down like Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip, in the United States on Feb. 6. The Razr Foldable Phone is 6.2- inch wide when unfolded and has a small display that shows notifications when folded. It will be priced at US$1,500.