Vivo’s First Foldable Smartphone to Be Released Next Month

The first folding screen flagship smartphone from Chinese brand Vivo, named the “X Fold,” will be released next month with an internal code name of “Butterfly,” local media outlet Jiemian News reported on Monday.

According to sources from Vivo, the foldable smartphone will exhibit a major technological breakthrough in the core hinge component, and its product performance will be equal to that of rivals Huawei and Samsung.

At the same time, the configurations of the new model were leaked. According to a post by Weibo user “DigitalChatStation” on the same day, Vivo’s first foldable smartphone is expected to adopt a notch in the top center on the curved outer screen with four rear cameras in full focus lengths. It will not have side-mounted fingerprint sensors, and the hardware configuration will be very high. In addition, the blogger said last week that except for the 7-inch flagship smartphone model, the Vivo X series will launch the first foldable smartphone with ultrasonic under display fingerprint sensor technology.

Ross Young, an analyst in the display industry, tweeted on February 9 that the screen panel provided by Samsung for Vivo’s first foldable smartphone started production in January, and the model will have an 8.03-inch LTPO 120Hz screen covered with UTG ultra-thin glass. In addition, according to previous reports by Korean media, Vivo will launch a foldable smartphone with an 8-inch inner screen and a 6.5-inch outer screen. The new model will adopt a UTG cover plate, the inner screen is produced by Samsung Display, and the outer screen is produced by Chinese display maker BOE.

It is worth mentioning that the new smartphone was originally released by NEX, a sub-brand of Vivo. However, in an internal structural adjustment in February this year, Vivo cancelled the NEX division and its subordinate organizations. The new foldable smartphone will be included in Vivo’s X series.

SEE ALSO: Vivo Terminates High-End Smartphone Brand NEX

Since the second half of last year, major Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Honor and OPPO have released new foldable products, pushing the market to new heights.

According to data from IDC, an international research institution, about 1.5 million units of folding screen products were launched in China in 2021. With the maturity of supply chains such as flexible screens, hinges and ultra-thin glasses, the organization predicts that global shipments of folding screen mobile phones will exceed 15 million units in 2022, doubling year-on-year.

According to IDC, in 2021, about 329 million smartphones were shipped in the Chinese market. Vivo accounted for a 21.5% domestic market share, with a year-on-year increase of 23.3%, ranking first.

Among them, Vivo’s X series and sub-brand iQOO have achieved clear growth patterns in 2021, helping the firm gain greater advantages in the middle and high-end market, as well as in online sales channels.