Source: Lei Technology, Author: Zhong Lilei
Huawei Mate Xs 2, which has breakthroughs in form and ecology, wants to subvert the experience of folding screens?
When mobile phone manufacturers found that they might no longer scroll in the number of cameras, they once more turned their attention to the size of the mobile phone screen.
However, unlike the time before 2018, manufacturers have been unable to increase the size of the mobile phone screen by expanding the screen ratio. Instead, it is a breakthrough in the way the mobile phone is opened. In the past few months, mainstream manufacturers including Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Honor, vivo, etc. have successively launched their own folding screen mobile phones.
The trend of the digital circle is always coming quickly. In the blink of an eye, almost all mobile phone manufacturers have begun to move towards folding screen mobile phones, and the mobile phone market is quietly being rewritten. “Folding screen” seems to have become a touchstone to verify the comprehensive strength of various mobile phone manufacturers.
Folding screen, a forced mobile phone roll
“Why is this happening?” Most consumers don’t seem to understand this wave of folding screens.
Personally, there are two main reasons for the formation of this wave of folding screens. The first is the maturity of technology. The folding screen mobile phone itself is not a new concept. As early as 2018, domestic manufacturer Royole launched the world’s first folding screen mobile phone FlexPai, and then Samsung, Huawei and other manufacturers followed suit and launched Galaxy Fold, Mate X, etc. A series of folding screen mobile phones did not form a trend of folding screens only because the technology was not perfect at that time, and the price of the products remained high.
However, technology will always improve over time. In recent years, the domestic folding screen supply chain has developed rapidly, and significant breakthroughs have been made in screens, hinges, and driver chips. Among them, BOE, Visionox, Huaxing Optoelectronics and other manufacturers have already provided domestic foldable panels for the production of folding screen mobile phones, and domestic UTG glass, hinge integrated products, driver chips, etc. are also entering the development/trial production stage. The gradual maturity of the domestic supply chain provides excellent underlying support for the integration and development of folding screens, and also allows the cost of folding screen products to be controlled.
The second is the market demand. In recent years, the domestic smartphone market has been seriously involuted. According to the report of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the domestic mobile phone penetration rate has increased to 116.3 units per 100 people, far higher than the global average of 104.3 units. In the face of such a huge mobile phone stock market, low growth rate or even negative growth will become a problem in the future. The main theme and normalization characteristics of the mobile phone market.
In this context, it is clear that there is no future for continuing to hold on to the old. According to the statistics of China National Financial Securities Research Report, the penetration rate of folding screen mobile phones in the high-end market of more than 1,000 US dollars will reach 10% in 2021. Folding screens have become mobile phone manufacturers to attack the flagship market, attracting existing users to change their phones and changing the current smartphone market. The only option for a “dead” competitive landscape.
Inward or outward fold, this may not be a problem
Interestingly, even following years of development, “what is the best folding form” is still a difficult problem for every manufacturer.
In 2019, Huawei launched its first folding screen mobile phone, the Huawei Mate X, which did not adopt the popular inner folding scheme at the time, but adopted the outer folding scheme ingeniously. Compared with the inner-folding scheme, the outer-folding scheme has advantages in screen creases and body size. However, the design of the folding screen exposed to the outside naturally has no way to better protect this “fragile” screen, and the safety factor is relatively lower.
As for the popular inner folding solution, although the problem of screen creases has been effectively alleviated following many hinge iterations, it is still difficult to control the size of the body due to the existence of external screens, front cameras and other components. With a body weight of nearly 300 grams, even compared with flagship mobile phones that generally weigh around 220 grams, it is still a lot bulky.
In order to clarify this problem, Huawei has successively launched horizontal outer folding screens represented by Mate X and Mate Xs, horizontal inner folding screens represented by Mate X2, and vertical inner folding screen products represented by P50 Pocket. The actual product verifies the feasibility of the product form, and Huawei has thus become the only mobile phone manufacturer in the industry that has mastered three folding forms.
After exploring three folding forms, Huawei finally came up with the answer – whether inward or outward, only the one with the leading technology is the correct solution. To this end, through years of accumulation and iteration in hinge technology, Huawei has combined the Mate X eagle-wing folding hinge technology to the Mate X2 patented double-rotating water drop hinge technology, and has launched an original new generation of double-rotating eagle-wing hinge design.
Through self-developed hinge technology, Huawei has integrated many precision devices in a small space to achieve a perfect seamless folding form. The unique hinge design, coupled with the hinge parts of the hollow bird-bone structure, brings a thinner body thickness and lighter body weight. The whole machine weighs only 255g, and the thickness following folding is 11.1mm. The thinnest part following unfolding The thickness is only 5.4mm, making it more comfortable to hold.
In response to the screen reliability issues that users are worried regarding, Huawei Mate Xs 2 uses a composite laminated screen with a similar body armor structure. Through the protective film, support layer, shaft laminated design, and high-performance material blessing, it can effectively absorb and block stress. It is more reliable in terms of drop resistance, bending wear resistance and impact resistance. With the aluminum alloy protective frame around the screen, it can create a gap on the desktop, thus avoiding the problem that the folded screen is easily scratched.
Use the all-round experience to open a new way of folding
In fact, from the perspective of sales, the current folding screen mobile phone is still a niche market. The reason is that in order to accommodate such a large screen, the current folding screen models often compromise some aspects of the product. While paying the price of the top flagship, users cannot get the full-scale experience of the flagship.
As a pioneer in the domestic folding screen market, Huawei Mate Xs 2 must not only be one step ahead in folding technology, but also use all-round design to bring users an ideal folding screen experience.
In terms of innovative technology, the Huawei Mate Xs 2 screen adopts the industry’s first dual-core driver. Its dual DDIC parallel architecture can drive a large screen at the same time through two driver chips. The display in the middle of the screen has no boundary, and the folded large screen has higher definition and display. The text and picture are more delicate, and the overall display level is improved. With this 120Hz 2K high-quality screen, it brings users the ultimate ultra-clear visual experience.
In terms of fashion design, Huawei Mate Xs 2 adopts three-dimensional microfiber technology to bring users a more refined texture effect. The new three colors of elegant black, brocade white and frost purple are bold yet harmonious in design, low-key yet luxurious in texture, which can fully satisfy the exquisite and high-quality life of those who pursue fashion and luxury.
In terms of interactive experience, Huawei Mate Xs 2 not only achieves technical breakthroughs in hardware, but also achieves greater innovation breakthroughs in software ecology and user experience. The new folding vision and dynamic effects allow the screen content to flow flexibly between opening and closing; the unique smart multi-window, parallel horizon, and small floating window functions make Huawei Mate Xs 2 a strong multi-task interaction wisdom , the original mobile experience on Pad, PC, and candy bar can be satisfied, and it can even double the productivity of consumers, turning technology into productivity.
Yu Chengdong also said: “Because we have made more detailed supply preparations, consumers can buy hot-selling mobile phones including the P50 series and nova series in various channels of Huawei. From the first sale date on May 6, consumers You can also buy the newly released foldable flagship Mate Xs2 mobile phone. Everyone is welcome to experience it.” It seems that Huawei’s supply has really picked up, and the phenomenon of hard-to-find or even higher-priced purchases will no longer exist. Users are full of hope for Huawei’s terminals. A new vision of the Vientiane update will be ushered in.
Overall, Huawei Mate Xs 2 does have a full-fledged experience, whether it is a lightweight body, a high-quality screen driven by dual-core drivers, a fresh and elegant body design, and an outstanding interactive experience, all of which are lightweight for folding screen devices. Quantitative development points the way. After several years of development, as the technology of folding screen mobile phones has become more mature and the price has become more affordable, it is time for folding screen mobile phones to become a product that truly brings users a flagship experience. With its unremitting spirit of innovation and an all-round experience without shortcomings, Huawei is undoubtedly a powerful promoter of this vision.
