The world’s first triple-folding phone could launch this year – and wait until you see the price
Huawei is reportedly working on a triple-folding phone. The company’s CEO Richard Yu was spotted with the device, further supporting the belief that it will be released soon. However, it seems that the company is struggling to get the price down to a reasonable price.
The latest rumor from jasonwill101 on X suggests that Huawei’s triple-folding phone prototype will cost 35,000 RMB. That’s around $4,900, almost three times the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s $1,799 price tag.
Currently, Huawei’s tri-fold engineering prototype costs over 35,000 RMB, and the company is continuously working to reduce costs. The expected retail price for the mass-produced model is 29,000 RMB ($4,000) pic.twitter.com/2JBvtx9IIN13 August 2024
Fortunately, the final retail price is expected to drop a bit, coming in at 29,000 RMB, or about $4,000. That’s still more than double the price of split-folding phones like Samsung’s offering and the newly announced Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Since prototypes typically have older hardware that’s harder to source, it makes sense for the first version to cost more. However, many people can’t afford the cheaper foldable phones already on the market. With analysts saying demand for foldable phones is declining, it’s hard to say if there’s time for a $4,000 phone on the market, no matter how cool the gimmick.
Perhaps Huawei isn’t actually aiming to target the masses with this phone; instead, the company is aiming to appeal to the same type of buyer who buys expensive, limited-edition Supreme clothing (as a collector of Scotty Cameron golf clubs, I might be part of that demographic).
As Phone Arena notes, the high price could be due to requirements for a new hinge design, supply chain issues (there aren’t many companies ordering tri-fold screens), or slow production of the company’s Kirin chips.
Rumors suggest that Huawei plans to release this phone in 2024, so we may not have to wait too long to find out the final price and what this interesting new foldable device has to offer.
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