The foldable phone scene is a strange beast right now. Almost everywhere in the world, Samsung is the only game in town when you need a foldable phone. He has a monopoly on the market. But in the giant country of China, the foldable scene is hotly contested, and there are about a dozen alternatives to Samsung's foldable devices.
And these alternative sophisticated devices are not equally functional products. No, they often have excellent Samsung hardware. However, for unknown reasons, most Chinese brands are hesitant to release their foldable phones outside the domestic market, but that will change soon.
Last month, two Chinese brands announced new foldable devices. As with almost all Chinese foldable phones since 2021, it's slimmer and has a non-folding display that beats Samsung's best foldable phones.
The big news is that both brands have officially confirmed that this foldable phone will be available outside of China. Although the exact market is not defined, when a Chinese brand is launched "outside China" it usually means wealthy Middle Eastern countries such as Asia, Europe and the United Arab Emirates. It's almost certain that this foldable phone won't be sold in North America. This means that Samsung still has a huge advantage, as the US is the biggest smartphone spending market.
But the sale of these foldable phones in places like Singapore and Dubai, London and Berlin is a big step forward for the foldable phone industry, as consumers will finally have more options. Even if this foldable phone doesn't sell well, its presence on store shelves means, by definition, an end to Samsung's monopoly on the global foldable phone industry. And that's a good thing, because when brands compete, consumers win.
The new foldable phone comes from Honor and Oppo, two brands that have been making amazing flagship phones for half a decade. Dubbed the Magic Vs, the Honor device looks like a flipbook that manages to pack a 5,000mAh battery into a slimmer body than the Samsung Fold 4 (the Fold 4 has a 4,400mAh battery, in case you're wondering).
It has a gorgeous 7.9-inch 120Hz display that folds vertically. When folded, the external screen measures 6.5 inches in a classic smartphone format. Because it folds flat and doesn't leave gaps like the Samsung fold, it feels more like a "normal phone" when closed.
Meanwhile, Oppo launched two foldables this week: a large foldable called the Find N2 (like the Magic Vs) and a clamshell foldable called the Find N2 Flip. The latter is confirmed for an international release, while the former is limited to China for now, but if there's enough demand, Oppo has left the door open for an international launch.
The Find N Flip wasn't ready for testing, so I only got the Find N2, which looks like a book. In fact, it provides much of the power of Magic Vs, but in a slightly smaller form factor. Claim to fame. Find N2 is the lightest foldable phone on the market, weighing just 233 grams (slightly heavier than a large iPhone).
Surprisingly, Oppo has managed to shed 42g of weight from the original Find N, while keeping the size of the device almost the same as last year. Oppo says it did this by redesigning the heel.
The heel of Find N2 is excellent and better than Honor. Like the Samsung, it stays in place when folded and is very convenient to open and fold. I'm not saying the Honor heel is weak, but it won't stay put.
The Oppo Find N2 has a large 7.1-inch foldable display that uses a wider landscape orientation. When folded, it turns into a small phone with a 5.5-inch external display. Both displays are stunning with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
As mentioned, the folding of the Honor Magic Vs and Oppo Find N2's screens doesn't show much of a twist, as both use a drop-like folding mechanism that sees a built-in hole where the hinge bends to make the screen softer. make up
The Samsung Fold 4 still has some advantages, like the official water resistance rating and maximum screen brightness, but otherwise, there's no denying that Oppo and Honor's foldable screens look better because of the deep creases on the outside. . a corner
As for the internals, the two foldable phones have a lot in common, both powered by a 1st-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus chip, a triple camera system that includes ultra-wide, wide-angle and telephoto lenses. Honor devices have bigger batteries, but Oppo devices are lighter.
Oppo's other foldable phone, the Flip, packs much of its big brother's punch. It has a flawless display with a bigger battery than Samsung's Flip. It also has an extended view of the outer cover.
Perhaps more importantly, both phones have an official retail price of around $1,100 in China, which is significantly lower than the $1,800 Samsung Fold. When they go on sale in European and Asian countries like Japan or Singapore, they will almost certainly be more expensive, but they will still be cheaper than Samsung's foldable phones.
I'm not saying that this foldable phone will ever outsell Samsung's foldable phones anytime soon, but selling this device in countries outside of China will get Samsung's attention. It is not only about Chinese brands. Although Google has yet to officially confirm anything, there are credible rumors that the search giant will launch its own foldable device in 2023. In any case, consumers interested in complex products in 2023 will have to choose between several brands.
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