Second half of '21 to be season of foldables: Google, Vivo, Xiaomi get ready

For all practical purposes, Samsung Electronics, is the biggest and the most dominant player in foldable smartphones segment. And, as it happens, its subsidiary, Samsung Display, is emerging to be the major supplier for all the competitors planning a foray into the foldables market.

Samsung Display will specifically start supplying foldable OLED panels to, among others, Google, Vivo and Xiaomi, which are expected to unveil their respective foldable phones towards the end of the year.

Samsung Electronics itself is planning to launch two new foldable smartphones --- Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 --- this year. And the foldable panels for them will be supplied by its subsidiary company.

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The expected foldables in the market

Google is reportedly working on a phone that will sport a 7.6-inch in-folding display panel. It is, as of now, christened “Pixel Fold”.

Google's Pixel Fold phone may use Samsung’s ultra-thin glass (UTG) displays.

On the other hand, Vivo’s reported foldable will have an 8-inch main screen and a 6.5-inch outer screen.

According to a report in The Elec, "The 3.4 to 3 ratio 8-inch main screen will be manufactured by Samsung Display at its A3 factory lines at its Asan plant in South Korea." The 6.5-inch outer screen will be made by BOE at its B7 factory line at Chengdu.

"Samsung Display will also be making the main screen for Xiaomi’s foldable phone. CSOT will be making the accessory screen." 

Xiaomi, it may be recalled, unveiled its first foldable smartphone Mi Mix Fold in March. The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold has a big 8.01-inch 1860 x 2480 interior foldable main screen.

Oppo’s foldable phone, which is now put off to 2022, also has Samsung Display supplying the the in-folding, clamshell display panel. The panel has a 7.1-inch screen when unfolded.

And there is also a foldable device from Apple that folds over one crease, with the screen inside when shut - in this regard it looks rather similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which had the same design.

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