Not even a day has passed since we wrote about a potentially new clamshell from Huawei, which should be named Huawei Mate V. On the one hand, this is logical and now foldable phones are true have a design similar to the letter “V”, but the previous smartphone was called Huawei Mate X. As a result, it was X (number 10), and now it became V (number 5). It looks very strange, and I assumed that the company could create a new type of phone with this name. In less than a day, the story continued, and interesting leaks appeared, indicating that Huawei are ready to copy a solution from Samsung, which sold very well at the beginning of the year.
Huawei wants a phone like that too.
New fold phone Huawei
A patent has been published today that shows what the new foldable smartphone from Huawei might look like. Interestingly, according to the pictures, the new device has a very similar design to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr 2019.
Screenshots of the patent were provided by TigerMobiles. They show a smartphone that folds in half, and in the unfolded state it becomes elongated and looks like an ordinary modern smartphone with the usual aspect ratio.
Unlike Huawei Mate Xs, the smartphone, apparently, folds with the screen inward, which is more logical from the point of view of maintaining the durability of the screen – so it will be less scratched. And it's just that such an arrangement is more convenient for such a design, in contrast to a large smartphone like Huawei Mate Xs, where the screen outward makes sense, because you can use it like a regular device and open it only if necessary.
The photo module looks impressive, and even if it does not resemble what was recently patented by the company, judging by this design, the camera should be good.
Do we need this Huawei?
Comparison Huawei and Samsung
As you can see, the potential novelty is very similar to what Samsung and Motorola showed at the beginning of the year, releasing the Galaxy Z Flip and the re-release of the Razr, respectively. The question is, what does this mean for the company and why does it do it. Considering that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Fold, it could be relatively inexpensive. This will be especially relevant against the background of the cost Huawei Mate Xs, which still costs 200,000 rubles.
As I wrote earlier, a couple of days ago, information appeared that confirmed plans Huawei to release a new foldable phone. As if to signify this, the company applied for a new brand registration in Europe with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) – Huawei Mate V.
Overall not bad, but why?
Perhaps there is some sense in the fact that there was a “10”, but now there is a “5” and the company plans to release a cheaper device, but so far this cannot be unambiguously confirmed. It is impossible to refute this.
Do I need another foldable Huawei
Personally, it seems to me that even if the company rolls out a new smartphone with a new design, which really will be cheaper than last year's Huawei Mate X and the updated Huawei Mate Xs, it will not be very cheap. Given the proportional difference in cost between the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, it can be assumed that the new foldable Huawei could cost about 150,000 rubles. A lot of? Yes!.
This cost looks especially impressive against the background of the fact that Samsung Galaxy Z Flip can be bought for $ 1,380, while in Russia its price is 119,000 rubles. However, in some stores it can be found for 99,000 rubles. Motorola also offers a very good price tag. In the United States, you can sometimes buy it for 990 dollars (about 70,000 rubles) and arrange delivery, which is unlikely to cost more than 5,000 rubles.
Almost the same, but different.
And in August, Samsung can show a cheap Galaxy Fold for just $ 900 (about 64,000 rubles). I am against such a device, but for those who want something innovative and are ready to sacrifice performance, the option will be very good.
So far, we cannot say for sure whether such a smartphone will come out or not, but if so, then we will have three identical smartphones at once. This is already significant and can be called full-fledged competition. I would even say that the time (or era) of foldable smartphones has imperceptibly approached.
How many foldable phones do we need
It remains only to understand whether each particular user needs them. Personally, I think this is very cool, but only when it comes to smartphones that turn into a tablet. It really will be very convenient. If we talk about designs like the one that she patented Huawei, it seems a little strange to me. Perhaps it is interesting, but it still does not give the effect to which those who used the “clamshell” fifteen years ago are accustomed. It opens too differently. If you used one, tell us about it in the comments or in our Telegram chat.
Moreover, such a design does not provide anything other than the opportunity to demonstrate technology. I mean, it’s not going to save space in your pocket. The phone may be a little more compact, but it will be thicker. And is such a small space saving worth the need to use a foldable smartphone? It seems to me that no.