With the latest exposure of Huawei’s three-fold screen mobile phone, the attention of the folding screen mobile phone market continues to increase, and investors have inquired about the layout of listed companies in the field of folding screen mobile phones on the interactive platform. In this regard, as of the evening of August 14, a number of industry chain companies have responded to the correlation, and many of them have revealed that their products have been commercialized.
Many companies’ products are commercially used in folding screen mobile phones
Ruihuatai said on the interactive platform on August 14 that optical-grade CPI films have advantages in flexible screens with large-screen folds, tri-folds, and curls. The company has jointly applied for an invention patent with Huawei. Since the project products are the ceiling of PI materials, the commercialization process is affected by various factors, and there is great uncertainty in the progress of the advancement time. The company has other products for Huawei and Honor’s already sold folding screen products, but the proportion of the company’s products is small, and the company cannot know about the unsold products.
The previous day, () said on the interactive platform that the company’s consumer electronics functional devices and optical parts have been applied to folding screen mobile phones, and no products have been applied to XR mixed reality OLED panels. In the future, the company will continue to pay attention to the latest trends and development trends in the industry, actively seize market opportunities, and continuously increase R & D investment to enhance the company’s technical strength and market competitiveness.
() On August 13, it also said on the interactive platform that the company’s radio frequency BTB products have been used in batches for core customers. At present, such products have many applications in folding screen mobile phones, and the company’s other consumer electronics mobile phones except BTB products have applications in folding screen mobile phones.
There are many similar companies. Yue’an New Materials said on the interactive platform on August 12 that the company has long laid out the application requirements of folding screen hinges. The company continues to strengthen R & D investment, aiming to provide high-quality and high-performance folding screen hinge solutions for major mobile phone manufacturers. Through continuous technological iteration and optimization, the company’s hinge products have successfully achieved lightweight, high strength and durability, ensuring the relevant use experience of folding screen mobile phones. At present, the company’s various folding screen hinge materials have been applied in batches to some end point customers’ products, but they have not yet entered the H customer supply chain system.
() also told investors that at present, the company has supplied a variety of folding screen mobile phones of multiple end point brands, and the products involved are mainly high-strength, high-hardness, light and thin aluminum alloy middle frames and other metal structural parts. In view of the company’s non-disclosure agreement with customers, it is inconvenient to disclose the relevant projects. () also revealed that it provides a full range of PCB products and services for industry-leading customers, including folding screen mobile phones and other related products.
These companies are expected to mass-produce and supply
Some companies are also actively deploying folding-screen mobile phone-related technologies, or the products are in the testing stage and are expected to be available in batches in the future.
() August 14 on the interactive platform, the company’s folding flexible OCA optical film has been systematically verified in BOE and OPPO, and the current test feedback is good, the performance is in a leading position among domestic products, and it is expected to achieve mass production supply.
() Recently, the latest said that the company’s flexible graphite and other products can be applied to folding screen mobile phones, and the company’s heat dissipation material products can be applied to folding screen mobile phones of different sizes. The product technology itself is not differentiated.
() also said on the interactive platform that the company has a reserve of flexible folding screen-related technologies, and () told investors that the company is currently developing folding screen-related technologies.
It is understood that the screen, hinge, shaft, etc. are the most critical components in the folding machine industry chain and the highest cost components, accounting for about 70% of the cost of folding screen mobile phones.
According to the information previously disclosed by listed companies, BOE and Shentianma are folding screen mobile phone industry screen suppliers, (UTG) (ultra-thin flexible glass) has been introduced into downstream panel companies, end point manufacturers and other customer resource pools to achieve mass production Delivery, in addition ，（）、（）、（） for folding screen mobile phone shaft (hinge) with MIM parts, mobile phone hinges, hinge structural parts and other suppliers.
As a new form of smart phones, folding screen mobile phones have increased their product lines since the second half of last year, including Honor, Vivo, OPPO, Huawei, and Xiaomi, which has reduced the thickness of folding screen mobile phones to the order of 10 millimeters, weighs about 200 grams, and the price is in the order of 5,000 yuan. The problems of "thick", "heavy" and "expensive" existing in the early stage of folding screen mobile phones have been largely solved.
Counterpoint data shows that in Quarter 1 of 2024, the global folding screen mobile phone growth rate reached 49%, the highest in the past six quarters. Among them, three of the top four brands are from China (Motorola, Huawei, Honor), and Huawei has surpassed Samsung to become the global folding screen mobile phone sales crown. According to IDC data, in the second quarter of 2024, China’s folding screen mobile phone market maintained a triple-digit year-on-year growth rate, reaching 104.6%, with shipments exceeding 2.50 million units.
So far, the market folding screen mobile phone only has a two-fold form, which is divided into horizontal and vertical folds. At present, horizontal folding screen mobile phones account for the vast majority of the folding screen mobile phone market.
On August 9, Huawei’s three-fold screen mobile phone was accidentally exposed, which made the market see the future and new form of the development of folding screen mobile phones. Stimulated by relevant news, the folding screen sector rose the most that day, Triumph Technology, Yi’an Technology, (), () folding screen mobile phone concept stocks rose by the limit, Jingyan Technology, (), Dongmu shares rose, etc. In recent days, the attention of the folding screen mobile phone market has not decreased.
IDC analysts believe that with the release of a new generation of folding screen products from more manufacturers, the Chinese folding screen mobile phone market is expected to continue to grow rapidly in the second half of the year, outpacing the global folding screen mobile phone market.