Chinese Brands Follow Samsung Into Flip Phone Space
While Samsung continues to lead the way in sales, Chinese brands such as Techno, Oppo and Motorola have joined the fray with their own interpretations of the foldable phone. OnePlus will join the team later this month with another premium foldable smartphone.
Chinese foldable phones still have some catching up to do, according to market tracker Counterpoint. Shilpi Jain, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, estimates that Samsung will ship 50,000 to 60,000 phones in the first two months after its launch in July 2023. In contrast, Motorola and Techno ship between 18,000 and 20,000 phones per month .
Motorola Samsung was the first to release two new foldable phone models before holding a big event in Seoul this year. One of the phones launched by Moto was initially priced at Rs 50,000, an industry first.
Tecno and Oppo followed up with their offerings in October, but the difference here is not just in price but also in design and specs. Tecno has launched its round flip display with mid-range specs priced at Rs 50,000, while Oppo is looking to revamp the segment with a vertical flip display that serves as a standard smartphone display, with better cameras and battery life.
"The form factor itself has become commonplace. Six or seven months ago we were still debating whether this form factor was right, but now more brands have joined us. "Everyone has their own idea of what a foldable phone should be," said Damint Singh Honoria, chief marketing officer, Oppo India. He added that form factor developers work closely with brands. To keep your apps running smoothly with the new design. Honoria said that Oppo has been working on the complex form factor for the past five years and has spent the last 8-9 months finalizing the software for its second smartphone to be launched in India. Chinese brands seem to have studied Samsung's offerings. Experts say they have carefully identified the shortcomings of Korean products, such as limited screen, short battery life and high cost, and solved them with their own products."The biggest obstacle that prevents people from purchasing products in this category is durability. Unfortunately, in the past, many competitors' products did not last long and there were no solutions, which caused a lot of doubt when purchasing products in this category." said Honoria, who said that Oppo acquired a third party They said that the problem has been overcome Warranty for its products Durability.
Market observers believe that this segment remains a niche with high growth potential, and brands still have an opportunity to attract their fans. “Brands know that premium phones priced above Rs 50,000 don't generate huge volumes in India. "Our goal now is to introduce users to the form factor and demonstrate the power of our technology," Jain said.
Honoria says that Oppo's latest foldable phone is expected to double the sales of foldable devices in India. In the year it unveiled its foldable device in July, Samsung said it wants to capture 50% market share in the super-premium (above $1,000) segment in India, which already has a 35% market share, with a foldable smartphone.
