Engadget Logo Engadget Japanese version Who is the 500,000 yen folding smartphone for? Genuine leather upholstery based on FlexPai 2 (Dr. Yamane)

Overseas, Huawei has just released the new folding smartphone "Mate X2" for about 300,000 yen (17999 yuan), but even more expensive folding smartphones have appeared. VERTU's "Ayxta Fold", which mainly develops high-end smartphones in China. Previously, VERTU had released terminals that used precious metals and diamonds, such as 10 million yen and 100 million yen, but went bankrupt once in 2017 and is now releasing VERTU brand products with Chinese capital.

Ayxta Fold is a folding style that can be used on both sides of 7.8 inches when the display is opened and 5.5 inches + 5.4 inches when closed, and is designed to fold outward. Huawei's first folding smartphone "Mate X" has the same shape.

If you take a closer look at the body design of this Axyta Fold, you can see that it looks exactly like another product already on sale in China. In fact, Axyta Fold is based on the second-generation foldable smartphone "FlexPai 2" of Royale, a foldable display developer. The Axyta Fold was released as VERTU's first 5G compatible, foldable design smartphone with the back of FlexPai 2 covered with genuine leather and the logo replaced.

Royole released the folding smartphone "FlexPai" (first generation) ahead of Samsung in 2018, but the gap when folded with a resin body was quite large, and it was finished like a prototype. However, FlexPai 2 has a metal body and is equipped with an improved display that does not have gaps when folded. The texture of the main body is high, and it can be used as a high-class model as it is. VERTU is planning to introduce a new genre of products based on FlexPai 2 to appeal to the wealthy people in China.

Royole is not a smartphone maker but mainly develops displays, and is not very good at selling smartphones. Although it mainly sells online, it is unknown as a smartphone maker, and it seems that sales in China are not going well. The price of FlexPai 2 is 9988 yuan, about 165,000 yen, which is cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold2 (about 200,000 yen), but it is courageous to start working on a product of this price from an unknown manufacturer.

Royole may be thinking of actively developing sales under another brand as the latest technology and luxury products in collaboration with manufacturers that handle luxury brand terminals. In fact, earlier than VERTU, in November 2020, we also formed a partnership with Creta, which develops high-end smartphones in China. "V11V" based on FlexPai 2 is on sale from Kreta.

Like the Axyta Fold, the V11V has a genuine leather finish on the back of the main body, and the 18-karat gold logo mark is affixed to the part where the logo is displayed. In addition to black, there is also a red leather-covered model, offering variations that are quite different from those of Royale's original products and VERTU's. The price is set at 19999 yuan, about 330,000 yen, which is twice the price of the base model FlexPai 2.

It is unknown how much a foldable smartphone that is so expensive will sell. However, Samsung released the "Thom Browne Edition" for 5,000 units worldwide, for $ 3,299 (about 350,000 yen), saying that the Galaxy Z Fold2 (list price $ 1999, about 210,000 yen) can be found anywhere, but in a blink of an eye. It was sold out. In Japan, the price was 414,700 yen including tax, which is higher than the global price, but it was sold out soon.

Actually, I was hoping that a Porsche Design model would appear on Huawei's "Mate X2" at the same time. Huawei has released a variation model in collaboration with Porsche Design for each model of the Mate series, and announced "PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 40 RS" in the fall of 2020. Since the Thom Browne Edition of the Galaxy Z Fold2 sold at a high price, we can expect a certain number of sales of folding smartphones even if they are sold at a high price as a brand product. If Porsche Design's Mate X2 was released, I'm wondering how much the price would have been.

Samsung plans to release "Galaxy Z Fold 3" this year. Thom Browne Edition will be available this time as well. It is unknown how much each price will be. Nowadays, Chinese manufacturers release smartphones equipped with Snapdragon 888 one after another for less than 100,000 yen, and folding smartphones are valuable as high-end and high-end model models that can be sold at a high price of 100,000 yen or more for Samsung. I wouldn't dare to reduce the price. There are "rumors" that low-priced foldable smartphones will come out, but it will be difficult to reduce the price unless a durable foldable display that anyone can use without hesitation is commercialized.

Now, since the beginning of 2021, there are rumors that Apple may also release a foldable iPhone. But with the quality of today's foldable displays, it wouldn't be possible to put it on an "everyone" iPhone. The iPhone is now one of the best-selling smartphones in developed countries, and its user base is expanding significantly. Not all users attach a case to their iPhone and use it carefully. The display strength of today's foldable smartphones is not yet sufficient when dropped, so it is unlikely that Apple will adopt it.

Considering the evolution of mobile phones, it is natural for Samsung and Huawei to release folding smartphones, and it is thought that they are anticipating user needs. If the display size of the iPhone is to be made larger than this, it is not surprising that a model that folds vertically will come out. Or because of the video-first 5G era, there is a good chance that a side-opening model that will become an iPad mini style when the iPhone is opened left and right will come out.

Because folding smartphones are a niche product, the existence value of high-end models is sufficient. Folding smartphones are also more expensive because they are sold by manufacturers as products that target specific users rather than numbering them.

A few years later, if a foldable iPhone comes out, by that time all Chinese manufacturers will have products of the same shape, and the foldable display will be strong enough to be used "without care". It will be the quality you have. Perhaps the iPhone and iPad will be cheaper than they are now in a few years, so the foldable iPhone may be relatively expensive, but it's likely to be significantly cheaper than the current Samsung and Huawei products. increase. I don't know when it will be, but considering the future evolution of smartphones, the foldable iPhone will come out soon.