Xiaomi and Huawei, two major Chinese smartphone manufacturers, will use foldable smartphone panels from Samsung Display this year, reports say. Earlier, Huawei Mate X used foldable panels from China's BOE while Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha used a flexible display from another Chinese display maker, Visionox, news portal GizmoChina reported on Friday.
Xiaomi had recently patented a pull-out phone with a side bar. The patent was approved and published on December 6, 2019 and it may use foldable smartphone panels from Samsung Display.
There are some product images included where a device is shown that can be pulled into a tablet format.
Meanwhile, the cameras are placed at the rear, which a user will notice when the smartphone is pulled out. The front cameras are placed on a sidebar, similar to the Mi Mix Alpha.
Xiaomi was expected to release a foldable phone by the end of 2019.
Additionally, Huawei is also reportedly planning to launch its another foldable smartphone Mate X2 in the third quarter of this year.
Based on the date, the foldable device should be powered by the upcoming Kirin 1000 processor and will most likely be unveiled at IFA 2020.
The Mate X2 will adopt a design similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, means it will not fold outwards but inwards.