Half a year before Apple Inc. is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, a Chinese rival has solved the biggest compromise with such devices to date: the crease.
Oppo's new hinge technology effectively makes the fold in the display imperceptible to the eye, flattening out the dip in the surface that would usually be apparent. This marks a long-in-development breakthrough, something that companies have promised to do several times over the seven years foldable phones have been around. Oppo's flagship foldable model with this technology, the Find N6, launches on Tuesday.
Foldables may emerge as a rare bright spot in a smartphone market expected to decline by 13% this year due to component shortages. While they remain niche due to pricing, durability and camera concerns, Apple's reported foldable is expected to stimulate global growth and market awareness in 2026. Phone makers are likely to focus their energies on encouraging consumers toward premium handsets — like foldables — to make up the revenue shortfall from selling fewer units, according to analysts at IDC.
Samsung Electronics Co. and Huawei Technologies Co. pioneered the segment in 2019, and both have moved on to creating larger and pricier trifold devices. Oppo's advance signals a further refinement that brings foldables closer in line with mature smartphone designs — and shows the feasibility of engineering a flexible screen that is truly flat when open. The new device, whose full specifications and dimensions will be detailed at this week's event, is no thicker than a regular bar handset.
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Considering Oppo's track record of moving closely in sync with local rivals like Vivo and Xiaomi Corp., Apple can expect fierce competition for its foldable iPhone upon its debut in China. Shenzhen-based Honor Device Co. added to the ranks of ultra thin foldable devices with its Honor Magic V6 debut at MWC Barcelona at the start of this month.
The Oppo Find N6, right, next to the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold. The Trifold's crease lines are tangible and visible as distortions in the screen; the Find N6 is the first device in this class to not suffer from the issue.
Photo Credit: Bloomberg
Oppo's solution to smoothing out the screen involved taking 3D scans of each individual hinge, applying droplets of polymer upon the uneven segments and solidifying them in place with UV light. The company says that resulted in a 75% reduction in height variance underneath the display, lending it the appearance — and feeling, while in use — of having no crease at all.
The Android-powered Find N6 will highlight Oppo's partnership with Alphabet Inc.'s Google Cloud, the Chinese company said ahead of its launch. It'll debut alongside an Oppo AI Pen accessory that will leverage Gemini Pro to allow users to convert their handwritten notes into organized tables. Beyond that AI Chart feature, an AI Image tool built on Nano Banana will convert doodles into more refined work or apply particular art styles.
The Oppo Find N6 foldable smartphone launches on March 17.
Photo Credit: Bloomberg
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