Last updated: March 03, 2023, 5:41 PM IST
Vivo says it is evaluating the decision to launch the Vivo Fold in the Indian market. (Image credit: Darab Mansoor Ali/ News18)
Foldables from various brands were on display at the event this week, which bodes well for the segment.
Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC 2023) in Barcelona has come to an end and we can say that a large part of this year’s offline event was about foldable devices. During the first offline MWC event in a few years, many brands were able to show what has been done behind the scenes with regard to their foldable products.
Samsung has a clear lead in this segment and the company has become somewhat familiar with minimal evolution with the new products. So if more brands enter the fray, the South Korean brand will not only be forced to sit up but also look at differentiating its products.
Oppo has shown its capabilities in this area with the Find N devices, and finally, the company has launched its Find N2 Flip in global markets, including India, where it will soon be launched.
Xiaomi and Vivo are some of the brands that have reserved their premium foldables for the Chinese market, but judging by the brands that will showcase their foldables at this year’s MWC 2023, it won’t be long before mainstream brands finally get this enter segment.
And it’s not just the well-known brands that are diversifying into the foldable market. Tecno is likely to be a surprise addition to this fold, where it will have a premium consumer foldable device very soon. OnePlus has also confirmed its ambitions in the foldable market and we expect Realme and iQOO, among others, to enter this space as well.
We’re in the first few months of 2023 and it’s about time foldables got a wider reach than people relying on Samsung for these products. The MWC 2023 has given us a glimpse into the near future where the existing brands will have to innovate or else lose out to the upcoming crowd. The Chinese brands generally seem to have a broader focus on these products.
Oppo recently showed off its Find N2 Flip, which has a wrinkle-resistant design, something Samsung hasn’t been able to offer. You also now have plans for a big screen on the outside on these devices, and pack them with a large capacity battery that supports fast charging.
From what we’ve seen at the week-long event in Barcelona, it’s clear that foldable devices (both mobile phones and laptops) are poised to take the main stage after living in the shadows of their traditional counterparts.
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