By 
The talking point of MWC 2019 this year was undoubtedly the introduction of the foldable phone concept to the world. Having been talked about for months if a foldable phone was possible, what it would look like, and how it would work, Samsung and Huawei set the ball rolling with foldable devices. However, Xiaomi, who is typically a company that embraces the new trends, were nowhere to be seen.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold released at Unpacked and the Huawei Mate X were the talking point leading up to, during, and after MWC 2019, without a question. The world finally saw a working foldable smartphone, and were impressed, despite the eye-watering price tag upwards of $2500.
So what happened to Xiaomi’s foldable device that we’ve seen teased by the company? VentureBeat sat down with Donovan Sung, Xiaomi’s global spokesperson and director of product management, for an insight into the company’s movement into 5G and what happened to the foldable device everyone expected to see at MWC.
“In terms of the specific launch time for this, I think we’d want to wait for it to be more mature before we announce that. But rest assured, we are trying a variety of different foldable concepts,” Sung said.
It would appear that Sung is thinking about what everyone else is thinking. While the devices Huawei and Samsung showed off are an engineering marvel, they look beta and unfinished. It appears Xiaomi is waiting for not only the technology to mature but also the market.
Is the market ready for a foldable smartphone?
With the launch of the Huawei Mate X and Samsung Galaxy Fold only a few months away, the popularity and uptake of these devices will speak volumes to how well foldable devices do in the market. At that point, Xiaomi can then make the conscious decision to release its foldable smartphone.
Source: VentureBeat
Comments