A smartphone with a tri-fold form factor has yet to make it to the mass production phase by notable players who have been in this space for years, but Huawei likely intends to catch them off-guard with the launch of the world’s first handset that will sport a total of three displays. Unfortunately, customers who have kept a close eye on the imminent launch will need to have a hefty amount of cash ready, as a rumor claims that the retail price of one of these could fetch more than $4,000.
When released, Huawei’s tri-fold smartphone could be twice as expensive as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 but deliver less performance
The tri-fold smartphone was recently spotted in the hands of Richard Yu, Huawei’s CEO of the Consumer Business Group, indicating its existence, with the executive likely testing it out to see how it performs in real-world conditions. It is possible that the unit in his hands was a pre-production one because there are no updates about the tri-fold smartphone entering mass production. However, @jasonwill101 has commented on X that the company is still attempting to bring down the cost of the smartphone, with the engineering sample estimated to cost 35,000 RMB, or $4,887.
That is a mammoth sum for a smartphone, even if it offers a unique form factor. The rumor claims that the anticipated retail price could be reduced to 29,000 RMB, or $4,049, making it more than twice as expensive as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6. The ridiculously high price could be due to the smaller production run, though the rumor has not mentioned this detail. Given that Huawei cannot procure cutting-edge wafer technology from TSMC and has to rely on its local foundry partner SMIC, it is left with re-using older-generation lithography to mass produce its chipsets.
Currently, the cost of Huawei's tri-fold engineering prototype is over 35,000 RMB, and the company is continuously working on reducing costs. The anticipated retail price for the mass-produced model is set at 29,000 RMB($4000) pic.twitter.com/2JBvtx9IIN
— jasonwill (@jasonwill101) August 13, 2024
Right now, the Kirin 9010, which is found in the Pura 70 series, appears to be the only option, making it much slower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9300 found in competing devices. Rest assured, the target audience for Huawei’s tri-fold smartphone will probably be negligible, but it could give other companies a confidence boost in pursuing handset releases with such a design. Given Huawei’s current position, it is still limited by U.S. trade sanctions, so even getting this smartphone to enter mass production will be regarded as a miracle.
News Source: @jasonwill101
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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