The small foldable market is set to witness a new round of technological competition.

On February 22 this year, Huawei held a highly anticipated "Huawei Pocket 2 Fashion Gala" in Sanya, Hainan, for its Pocket 2.

Huawei, Samsung, Honor, Motorola, Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO... More and more foldable phone manufacturers are launching their own small foldable products. Huawei's Pocket series, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip series, and OPPO's Find N Flip series have proven the value of small foldables with their sales performance.

As the newly crowned global leader in foldable phones, Huawei naturally won't miss the opportunity to further consolidate its position in the small foldable market.

Recently, information about Huawei's nova series small foldable phone has been exposed again. Judging from the leaks, the design of this new device bears a strong resemblance to the Pocket 2, with numerous highlights in terms of performance, camera, and system. While further enriching Huawei's product line, this new device is poised to become Huawei's cheapest foldable phone to date.

Prior to this, Huawei has already launched three small foldable products: the P50 Pocket in 2021, the Pocket S in 2022, and the Pocket 2 earlier this year. We can clearly see the progress curve of each product, and this nova series small foldable phone (hereinafter referred to as: nova Flip) may help Huawei gradually transform its small foldable phones from niche fashion items into flagship products that enter the mainstream.

Penetrating deeper into the market, Huawei aims to lower the price of small foldables

In early July, digital blogger @Dingjiao Digital exposed information about the nova Flip, revealing that Huawei's first foldable phone in the nova series adopts a vertical folding solution and will be released in early August. Positioned as a relatively low-priced, high-volume model, it is expected to be priced higher than the nova series' straight-screen models but lower than the Pocket series, with a price range of around 5000 to 6000 yuan.

Source: Weibo

Despite its positioning as a high-volume, low-cost model, the nova Flip does not skimp on materials, with some components using the same hardware specifications as flagship products. Based on Huawei's recent flagship lineup, the nova Flip is likely to be equipped with the same processor as the Pura 70 Beidou Satellite Messaging Edition: the Kirin 9010E.

It's worth mentioning that a mysterious new Huawei device recently passed the national quality 3C certification, with the model number PSD-AL00 and support for 66W fast charging. Industry insiders speculate that this could very well be the nova Flip. Although its charging efficiency may not match that of many straight-screen devices, it is already quite impressive among foldable products, on par with the Honor Magic V Flip and Xiaomi MIX Flip in terms of charging specifications.

In addition to performance and charging, the nova Flip's cover screen design represents a significant upgrade over the Pocket series, mainly in terms of screen size. It is reported that the nova Flip's cover screen size will be increased to between 3 and 4 inches, which will greatly enhance the playability and practicality of the small foldable phone.

The cover screen size has always been a controversial point for Huawei's small foldable phones. The Pocket 2 has a 1.15-inch cover screen, while competitors' products have already reached the 4-inch+ range. While the small round screen can be considered a hallmark design of the Pocket series, the importance of the cover screen for small foldable phones is increasing, and users need a larger cover screen to handle daily tasks such as responding to WeChat messages.

In other aspects, Huawei has always placed great importance on the imaging capabilities of its products. For example, the Pocket 2 is equipped with a rear quad-camera setup, including a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, an 8MP telephoto lens, and a 2MP hyperspectral lens. The 3x zoom telephoto lens enables users to capture satisfying distant shots in low-light environments.

Source: Huawei

Although there is no specific camera configuration information for the nova Flip yet, considering Huawei's past upgrade strategies for the nova series, Xiao Lei boldly speculates that the nova Flip is likely to feature a full-focal-length XMAGE triple-camera setup, capable of meeting users' all-around shooting needs from daily recording to professional creation.

Currently, the nova Flip's specifications have basically reached the level of current mainstream small foldable phones. Coupled with its cost-effective pricing and Huawei's foldable brand effect, it is believed to attract many new users to the foldable camp, solidifying Huawei's already leading foldable market share.

To move beyond niche status, what else does the nova Flip need to do?

Based on the currently exposed information, the nova Flip clearly jumps out of the Pocket 2's product positioning and moves towards a route that better meets the needs of the mass market. In Xiao Lei's view, price and cover screen design are two key factors influencing users' choice of small foldable phones. The nova Flip's tone is on the right track, and the remaining suspense may lie in how much the price will be compressed and how to truly leverage the enlarged cover screen through software adaptation.

Compared to Huawei's own products, the nova Flip naturally has unique product advantages, but to go further in the foldable market, it may also need to refer to the highlights of other competitors.

The cover screen size of small foldable phones is not necessarily bigger is better; the key is the interactive experience. For example, the Honor Magic V Flip and vivo X Flip have delved deeper into cover screen functionality, demonstrating sufficient practicality within limited dimensions and truly leveraging the cover screen of small foldable phones.

Source: Lei Technology

While Huawei's circular mini cover screen on the back of the Pocket 2 can also be used to display wallpapers, avatars, and other information, making it an interesting feature, it is clearly insufficient today. Whether the nova Flip can match practical and entertaining uses while increasing the cover screen size will largely determine its popularity.

With the popularization of AI technology, it has gradually become a trend to incorporate AI into foldable products. The latest Xiaomi MIX Flip and the moto razr 50 series, which was released some time ago, both highlighted AI in their promotions, from screens to cameras to functions, all empowered by AI. Although AI's popularity on mobile phones is already quite high, and people's freshness towards it has diminished, many AI features can indeed enhance users' experience.

In terms of performance and battery life, small foldable phones typically lag behind flagship straight-screen devices due to their limited body space. However, some manufacturers have been able to break through these limitations, with the Xiaomi MIX Flip being the most representative example. Packed into its compact body is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and a large 4780mAh battery, making it theoretically one of the most powerful small foldable phones. Even ignoring its foldable form factor, its top-tier performance would still place it among the ranks of Android flagships.

Source: Xiaomi

As for the nova Flip's emphasis on cost-effectiveness, there are players who have taken this to an even greater extreme. Compared to large foldables, small foldables are easier to manufacture, with smaller screen sizes and lower costs. Nubia Flip, which forgoes flagship configurations, has even priced its small foldable at around 2000 yuan, significantly lowering the entry barrier for foldable phones.

Of course, price is by no means the only factor influencing consumers' purchasing decisions for small foldables; otherwise, Nubia Flip would already be the global sales leader. However, Xiao Lei wants to say that price is undoubtedly the primary factor in consumers' purchasing decisions. Huawei currently leads the global foldable market share by a wide margin, and if the volume-oriented nova Flip can slightly sacrifice profit margins, the results may be even more impressive.

Cover screen interaction, price, performance, user experience... Foldable phone manufacturers are betting big on showcasing their skills, and each product has its unique highlights. It is unrealistic to expect the nova Flip to fully benchmark all aspects, so Huawei's task may be to create a comprehensive small foldable phone within cost constraints and establish its own point of differentiation in a certain direction, such as being the cheapest Huawei foldable phone with flagship-level experience.

Closing Thoughts

Small foldable phones have always been controversial products. Many believe they go against the original intention of foldable phones, neither achieving a display area comparable to tablets nor overcoming the durability and hardware configuration weaknesses of regular flagship products of the same period, making them more of a "beautiful but impractical gimmick" than a valuable product.

Even so, small foldable phones have gradually gained a foothold in the market through their price advantage and compact form factor, but it will likely be no easy feat for them to continue growing steadily this year.

According to Counterpoint Research, sales of horizontal foldable phones in the Chinese market increased by 91% year-on-year in Q1 2024, while sales of vertical foldable phones declined by 1%. Market data indicates that larger horizontal foldable devices are more popular among consumers.

In Xiao Lei's opinion, one reason for the decline in small foldable sales is aesthetic fatigue. Since Samsung pioneered small foldable phones, the typical product approach has been to emphasize aesthetics and fashion. Huawei, OV, and other brands' small foldable products have followed similar routes to varying degrees. Meanwhile, newcomers like Honor and Xiaomi are trying to differentiate their small foldable products with larger cover screens and enhanced performance.

Judging from the product specifications, Xiao Lei believes that the nova Flip should also follow a similar route to Honor and Xiaomi, attempting to create a mass-market product that differs from the fashionable decorative attributes of the Pocket 2, thereby meeting the needs of a wider range of consumers. This will undoubtedly be a significant boost to Huawei's foldable product shipments.

While foldable phones may not be the mainstay of market shipments, they have always represented high-end products. It is foreseeable that Huawei's nova Flip will bear a significant portion of the annual shipment targets in the small foldable market in 2024, posing a considerable challenge to Samsung and Honor, which are closely behind. The foldable phone market will also witness more intense competition in the second half of this year. Now that Huawei has made its move, it remains to be seen how other leading brands will respond.

Source: Lei Technology