China's Foldable Smartphone Market Heats Up with Samsung-ByteDance AI Pact, Xiaomi Launch
Samsung collaborates with ByteDance to increase the AI capabilities of its foldable phones. Xiaomi plans to launch Mix Flip and Mix Fold 4, increasing rivalry in the foldable smartphone industry. Foldable devices with AI features are expected to improve smartphone sales in China.
Additionally, Xiaomi is preparing to debut two new models on Friday, adding to the competition.
Samsung recently debuted its new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 models in Paris, and the company has now announced a collaboration with ByteDance to build new AI-powered avatar and voice-assistance features into these smartphones. The cooperation will make use of ByteDance's large language model (LLM), Duobao, which enables generative AI (GenAI) applications such as ChatGPT.
Meanwhile, Beijing-based Xiaomi, the world's third-largest smartphone vendor in the June quarter, is set to release its first clamshell-style model, the Mix Flip, as well as the Mix Fold 4, which features a slender booklet design that expands horizontally into a tablet form. Consumers are excited about the teasers offered by the corporation.
These strategic efforts by key Android cellphone manufacturers underscore their emphasis on foldable, AI-powered models to compete with Apple's iPhone in the high-end portion of the Chinese smartphone market. The debut of foldable devices with AI features is projected to boost smartphone sales in China, with IDC forecasting a 3.1% year-on-year growth in total shipments to 279 million by 2024.
According to IDC data, foldable smartphone shipments in China increased by an astonishing 114.5% year on year to 7 million units by 2023. This upward trend reflects the growing desire for creative smartphone designs in the Chinese market.
Honor, a Huawei Technologies spin-off, has introduced the Magic V3, claiming to be the world's slimmest foldable smartphone with AI capabilities. With a folded thickness of just 9.2 millimetres and a weight of only 226 grammes, the 5G-capable Magic V3 has sparked interest for its sleek form and innovative functionality.
While Huawei emerged as the top-selling foldable smartphone brand in the first quarter, surpassing Samsung with a 35% market share, Samsung maintained its position as the world's leading smartphone vendor overall in the second quarter, shipping 53.9 million units, according to IDC.
Samsung's collaboration with ByteDance to launch AI-enabled foldable handsets in China is likely to increase demand for its products on the mainland. The agreement intends to use ByteDance's Douyin group's high-quality content, offering users with the most up-to-date and dependable online information. Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, has more than 600 million daily active users.
ByteDance's Doubao AI model has been integrated into Samsung's latest handsets, allowing users to produce avatars in four different styles with a single photo. The LLM also supports Bixby, Samsung's speech assistant, which allows users to create films of a location while looking for travel information.
Samsung, which collaborates with Google's Gemini on AI projects around the world, has adapted its GenAI efforts in China to comply with the country's tight censorship policies. In addition, the business has teamed with Baidu and photo-editing site Meitu to boost its Galaxy devices in China.
According to a recent Counterpoint analysis, industry experts believe that the combination of generative AI and foldable smartphones' multi-window display strength can considerably improve productivity and fuel the rapid expansion of this smartphone segment.
In the midst of this tough competition, Xiaomi's Mix Flip stands out with Qualcomm's next-generation Snapdragon 8 engine and German business Leica Camera's Summilux optical lens, offering a powerful and creative user experience.
Samsung partners with ByteDance to enhance AI capabilities of its foldable handsets
Xiaomi set to launch Mix Flip and Mix Fold 4, adding to the competition in the foldable smartphone market
Foldable handsets with AI features projected to boost smartphone sales in China
Source: SCMP