Google Abandoned Foldables, China's Offensive Intensifies... Oppo to Unveil Next Week

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Although Google has given up, China's offensive is intensifying. This is about foldable smartphones, which Samsung Electronics is leading in the global market.

According to IT media PhoneArena on the 9th (local time), Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO will hold a new product event called 'OPPO Inno Day' on the 15th and unveil the new foldable phone 'OPPO Find N'.

OPPO introduced a foldable phone teaser video through its Twitter and other channels, saying, "This is the meticulously crafted OPPO Find N. Grab it. Fold it. Enjoy it. Repeat." The video features a man holding and unfolding a foldable phone with a design strikingly similar to Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold3. PhoneArena said, "It will be a direct competitor to the Fold3" and "It could be the last foldable phone released in 2021."

The OPPO Find N is equipped with a 6.5-inch external display, an 8-inch main display, and a Snapdragon 888, and is expected to be sold at a lower price than the Z Fold3. It also supports a 4500mAh battery capacity, 12GB RAM, and 256GB storage.

Currently, Samsung Electronics is virtually leading the global foldable phone market. It was expected that Google would enter the market by launching the next-generation foldable phone, the 'Pixel Fold' (tentative name), but this has also been canceled. Google is known to have judged that the foldable phone market size is still minimal and that the competitiveness of the Pixel Fold against Samsung Electronics is not significant.

However, unlike Google, which has practically given up on the foldable phone market, Chinese manufacturers including OPPO continue their foldable phone offensive. Previously, Chinese Huawei, which released a foldable phone resembling the Z Fold series, is now preparing to launch a clamshell-type foldable phone similar to the Galaxy Z Flip3. Xiaomi is also testing new foldable phone products.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.