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Huawei Unveils $2,600 Foldable 'Mate X' Smartphone to Rival Samsung's Galaxy Fold

Abazigal said:
There’s another possibility, of course, that foldable phones simply don’t represent the future of smartphone technology. While companies like Samsung and Huawei are busy trying to look for the next big thing, Apple is already slowly but surely pivoting towards wearables.

But no, as always, the popular opinion is that Apple must be doomed simply because they aren’t entering a niche product category with dubious potential.
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Apple does currently have a patent for foldable phone, but that doesn’t mean they will release one in the future either. To me, a foldbale iPhone isn’t the future for smart phones, it’s an interesting concept and a different route that offers an experience of enlarging and truncating a device, but to what degree do consumers want something like this for the current price point that is being offered by Samsung and Huawei?

But with the Apple Watch, you can see were Apple is really investing their resources with more health oriented features, and over the course of time, it’s going to become more widespread in terms of what smart watches are able to execute, to the point where it will replace our iPhones at some point.
 
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Relentless Power said:
Macrumors consensus:

“Gee, Samsung and Huwaei both have foldable displays, why doesn’t Apple? Apple must not be innovating anymore, they just care about price points and not what the consumers wants.”

Realistic view:

Apple doesn’t have to release a foldable display at this very point in time to compete against the likes of Samsung and Huawei. They _never_ release their products alongside the competition on their schedules, they do it on their time when they think the technology is likely mature enough and when they can implement it in their own fashion. That’s how Apple works, and a lot of members here seem to believe Apple should have this technology ready ‘right now’, then they truly don’t understand Apple or their methodology at all. If and when Apple releases a foldable iPhone, it will likely be very much different from the competition, and _that_ is what makes Apple unique with their product line.
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Yes I agree that when Apple release a foldable phone it will be more polished than Huwawei or Samsung’s first attempts however that’s because Apple will be sitting back and waiting until the technology matures. By the time Apple release their foldable phone Samsung and Huwawei will have already released 2 or 3 more versions, each more refined. By the time Apple release theirs the competitors will be just as polished.
 
JPack said:
Let me know when you can pocket your laptop or desktop.
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At $2600 and $1900 you should have a screen that doesn't wrinkle. Also let ME know when your foldable can do the exact same things my desktop can. Just because it makes it portable doesn't mean it's worth it.
 
Shanghaichica said:
Yes I agree that when Apple release a foldable phone it will be more polished than Huwawei or Samsung’s first attempts however that’s because Apple will be sitting back and waiting until the technology matures. By the time Apple release their foldable phone Samsung and Huwawei will have already released 2 or 3 more versions, each more refined. By the time Apple release theirs the competitors will be just as polished.
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Apple is not going to release anything. Let's start from that and taking time to release a useful and ready to use device that's something huawei and samsung could copy from Apple for once.
 
Relentless Power said:
Apple does currently have a patent for foldable phone, but that doesn’t mean they will release one in the future either. To me, a foldbale iPhone isn’t the future for smart phones, it’s an interesting concept and a different route that offers an experience of enlarging and truncating a device, but to what degree do consumers want something like this for the current price point that is being offered by Samsung and Huawei?

But with the Apple Watch, you can see were Apple is really investing their resources with more health oriented features, and over the course of time, it’s going to become more widespread in terms of what smart watches are able to execute, to the point where it will replace our iPhones at some point.
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I don't see the Apple Watch replacing the iPhone, any more than the iPad replaces the Mac. Rather, its value add will be in letting me perform certain tasks better than my phone. Same with AR glasses (which kinda answers the desire for a larger screen).

Just like how my smartphone doesn't replace my Mac, but I am able to do numerous tasks on my iPhone that was previously done on my Mac, both in part due to improved functionality of apps, and thanks to automation apps such as shortcuts.

It will be interesting to see just who buys this first generation of foldable phones.
 
jm001 said:
At $2600 and $1900 you should have a screen that doesn't wrinkle. Also let ME know when your foldable can do the exact same things my desktop can. Just because it makes it portable doesn't mean it's worth it.
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Early computers were crude and expensive. Early products are expensive and have flaws. That’s how it works.
 
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pl1984 said:
It's new technology so it's expected to be pricey. Just as the original iPhone was. As for not understanding the fascination I'm sure you said the same thing about large screen phone yet that's all Apple produces these days. Just because you don't see the fascination (if you want to call it that) doesn't mean there isn't benefit to it.
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The thing is I don't use a tablet so I guess that's why I "just don't get it". My phone does more than a tablet and the screen size was fine on my 4. Sure I now have a X, but that's because that's what's available. I prefer to do my work and entertainment on my desktop or Chromebook.
 
Heineken said:
Apple is not going to release anything. Let's start from that and taking time to release a useful and ready to use device that's something huawei and samsung could copy from Apple for once.
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That’s not how they work. Being android devices they have to continually be seen to be pushing out new features and technology. That’s how they are able to compete in their market. Apple is the only manufacturer of products that run iOS. They don’t have the same level of pressure. They can do things at their pace because if you want iOS there is nowhere else to go.

They all get to the same point in the end. They just have different approaches due to the market they compete in.
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Heineken said:
Not exactly Apples and Apples comparison.
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My point is that in the early stages technology is expensive and flawed.
 
Shanghaichica said:
That’s not how they work. Being android devices they have to continually be seen to be pushing out new features and technology. That’s how they are able to compete in their market. Apple is the only manufacturer of products that run iOS. They don’t have the same level of pressure. They can do things at their pace because if you want iOS there is nowhere else to go.

They all get to the same point in the end. They just have different approaches due to the market they compete in.
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And exactly why it's a problem.
 
Abazigal said:
I don't see the Apple Watch replacing the iPhone, any more than the iPad replaces the Mac..
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The difference being in your example, the iPhone and Apple Watch directly correlate with each other, the iPad and Mac do not, those are separate computers they don’t rely on each other for their existence. The Apple Watch is essentially an extension of the iPhone, but not a necessity at this point to have. But if the health features lead to the point where it _is_a necessity, and if you already can see were LTE is leading independently for the Apple Watch, we will reach a point to the day where an Apple Watch can replace an iPhone, not yet, but that day is coming.
 
Shanghaichica said:
My point is that in the early stages technology is expensive and flawed.
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My point is that this technology might be broken and compromised forever. There is a problem with materials when they are folded. Even if there is a material that can solve these issues there is a good chance it will be extremely expensive. If you can't provide a decent price, make a device that is sturdy, a device that can be manufactured in any meaningful capacity then what are we talking here about. This is not 1984.
 
Shanghaichica said:
Being android devices they have to continually be seen to be pushing out new features and technology.
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Heineken said:
And exactly why it's a problem.
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Quite the contrary, the sales competition between all makers is what pushes the technology forward (and in the case of Android, lower prices).
 
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Am i the only one that thinks the samsung approach is much better?
It looks much more elegant, refined and robust. It looks like a better product, a finished product.

Huawei's looks unfinished and i hate that screen folding outside in.

 
kdarling said:
Quite the contrary, the sales competition between all makers is what pushes the technology forward (and in the case of Android, lower prices).
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Putting 12 gigs of ram in a phone with inefficient os and screaming innovation? :D:D:D
 
hank moody said:
Am i the only one that thinks the samsung approach is much better?
It looks much more elegant, refined and robust. It looks like a better product, a finished product.

Huawei's looks unfinished and i hate that screen folding outside in.

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I'll believe it when I see the mate X. Huawei said it is going to be released in summer. So no fix date. It may be cancelled for all were know.

After least s Fold has fixed date.
 
I don’t know why this is getting so personal. People must understand that we all have different wants, needs and budgets.

For work, my 2, 27” iMacs in different locations are my go to devices. But I don’t want and can’t be tied to an office.

The next best thing is one of my iPads, but I am not going to be carrying one on a walk,so the next best thing is my iPhone XS Max. But that’s no good at the beach, so I would like the Apple Watch to have more functionality. At the least the ability have something similar to iFiles, where I could locally store text (standard answers to emailed questions ), and some useful images. The ability to easily edit text, drop the text into an email, annotate images and attach those to an email.

All the devices after the Mac I use are a compromise, but afford me more freedom ( a bit of a life). The ability to change my phone to a tablet (the handset being only marginally larger than my current phone) is amazing. Maybe the next stage is a watch that folds out to a phone size!

People have accepted compromises on the iPhone and other smart phones since their inception. For example whilst the cameras now are exceptionally good on the top flight phones, for years they were substantially behind a dedicated camera, but people still loved them.

For those that think Apple can do no wrong and will only produce a perfect device, look back in its history. Plenty of lemons and substandard parts, and today with the laptop keyboards.

Whatever product comes out there will be a subset of the population that will see a use in it. For Apple and other companies, whether they produce will be how big that market is and how much the customers are willing to pay.

No company or product is perfect. Life would probably be dull if they were.

To those who swear blind they wouldn’t buy a folding phone, don’t worry, you are unlikely to be forced to do so.
 
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These are very early stages for publicly available foldable devices. They look more of prototypes or concept designs. I assume that there is a long way ahead of us and things will improve rapidly during next months and years.

Right now, too expensive, too many drawbacks.
 
I for one like our $2600 foldable phone bleeding edge adopter device overlords, with fake LTE5 interconnects (USB), as a means to see if there really is a market for a Droid phone the commodity manufacturers can actually to capital recovery on and maybe even make a profit on. I for one am breaking out the popcorn.
 
Much better design than the Fold. It's fairly thin, provide bigger screens with small bezels and doesn't have a notch.

It's definitely not a refined product yet but a pretty good effort.
 
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