《Hong IT Man is a candid IT and electronic device experience where reporter Jung Jae-hong’s generous praise and ruthless criticism coexist.》 “It takes at least a year for Samsung to imitate Huawei’s design.” A month later, in a press interview by Huawei CEO Richard Yu (Chinese name Yu Cheong-dong). In an interview at the time, he said, “I put about 100 parts in the hinge of the Huawei Mate X so that there is no pressure on the part that the display pulls when folded.” Said.
It boasted that the out-folding type Mate X is superior to the in-folding type Samsung Galaxy Fold. Even back then, it was pointed out that it was unfounded confidence. Mate X has the durability to fold and unfold more than 100,000 times. On the other hand, the Galaxy Fold has secured durability more than 200,000 times, which is twice that. In addition, contrary to his words, in-folding, which folds inward rather than out-folding, which folds outward, has a smaller radius of curvature, that is, it folds more, so it was analyzed that the technical level was higher. ● Samsung provokes, but the first thing that comes to mind is that the launch of both products, sanctioned by the US, was delayed for about six months, revealing the limitations as the first form factor. After the launch, the Galaxy Fold was evaluated as good for usability even though it is the first generation. On the other hand, Mate X embarrassed consumers with a notice saying that the product should not be unfolded or folded below -5 degrees Celsius.
Most of all, with Huawei ascended to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s trade restrictions, Mate X has virtually lost its opportunity to take the global stage. Huawei launched the Mate XS with an improved display and hinge in February of last year to the world, but it did not generate a big response. Currently, in the foldable phone market, Samsung Electronics, with its Z-flip and Z-fold series, occupies 70% of the total market share and is the dominant number one. ● He said it’s good to fold it out… Huawei, who thought he had given up “I want to fold it inside,” is planning to bring a new foldable phone to the market. The name is Mate X2. It is expected to be released at the Shanghai MWC 2021 site on the 22nd of this month. On the 2nd, CEO Richard Yu posted a promotional poster on his Weibo and announced the release date of the product.
The biggest difference is that it adopts the in-folding method like Samsung Electronics. In terms of user experience (UX), out-folding and in-folding have their own advantages and disadvantages. Like the existing Huawei Mate X, the out-folding method has the feature that you can continue to use it even if you open the folded screen. There is a little more continuity of work. The in-folding method requires two separate screens to be used. Instead, it is evaluated as better in terms of durability because the internal screen is not exposed to the outside. Looking at the estimated image of the Mate X2, the overall design is very similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 2. ▲ 6.45-inch front display (1160 x 2700) ▲ 8.01-inch internal display (2200 x 2480) ▲ Kirin 9000 AP ▲ 4,400mAh battery ▲ 66W high-speed charging. As it changed to the in-folding method, the method that used the rear camera as a front selfie camera was no longer available. Therefore, like the Z Fold 2, the front camera is mounted separately. The rear camera is expected to be equipped with a 40 megapixel main, 40 million ultra wide angle, 12 million telephoto (3x optical zoom) and a 32 megapixel front camera.
Mate X2 was originally expected to use Samsung Display’s flexible OLED panel. It was even approved for export from the US government. However, it was confirmed that the panel supplier was recently changed to BOE in China. It is an analysis that a stable supply chain was more important than quality in a situation where the United States can bet at any time. ● The more you sell, the more you lose… Increase the ransom before selling? After US sanctions, the situation Huawei faces is not smooth. As the benefits of Google’s services disappear, its dominance in the global market is gradually weakening. According to Counterpoint Research, Huawei’s global smartphone market share decreased by 2 percentage points from 16% in 2019 to 14% in 2020. In particular, in the fourth quarter of 2020, it recorded a market share of 8%, down 6%p compared to the same period last year.
What is the reason for releasing a foldable phone that makes it difficult to realize profits under these adverse conditions? Huawei Mate XS is a product that incurs damage the more you sell it, even though it reaches 3.3 million won in Korean money. CEO Richard Yu said in the Chinese media in April last year that the sales of MateXS resulted in a loss of $60 million to $70 million (66.5 to 77.5 billion won). In order to consider the sale of the high-priced premium series, the Mate P series, there is also an analysis on the strategy to increase the ransom price. It’s as if LG Electronics showed off the LG Rollable at a time when it was examining various possibilities. If US sanctions continue, Huawei will have no choice but to withdraw from the smartphone business. Huawei replied to the idea of selling the Mate P brand with “no work”. It doesn’t sound like unrealistic news because the reaction was the same even before the sale of the mid-to-low price lineup Honor. ● Apple is coming… Conquer the market like catching up with 5G? In fact, the foldable phone market is dominated by Samsung Electronics. In this environment, the Mate X2’s influence is not expected to be significant. Huawei’s semiconductor inventory is bottoming out due to additional US sanctions that began in September last year. In fact, according to Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Huawei has notified smartphone component suppliers that it will cut orders by more than 60% this year. Considering the semiconductors for the upcoming P50, etc., the supply of Mate X2 is not sufficient. Excluding the Chinese market, where Samsung Electronics has a market share of over 1%, it is highly likely that it will not be successful.
In the midst of this, news of Apple’s new foldable phone is being heard. In cooperation with LG Display, it is expected to release a clamshell smartphone such as Samsung’s Z Flip. Since Apple has already secured numerous patents related to foldable phones from several years ago, when it would be commercialized was the point to watch. Market research firm Omdia predicts that Apple will release a 7.3-7.6-inch foldable iPhone that supports Apple Pencil in 2023. Apple caught up with Samsung Electronics’ share in two months after launching a 5G smartphone. As 5G devices are gradually increasing with Apple’s participation, the foldable phone market is waiting only for Apple to participate. As expected, it would be difficult to avoid criticism for imitating Z flip. As competition intensifies, the advantage of preoccupying the market stands out.
