I experienced it firsthand at the Shenzhen launch event.The new foldable phone Find N6Afterwards, it must be said that OPPO has indeed made considerable breakthroughs in the technological path of "seamless crease". Through the combination of "titanium alloy dome hinge" and "dome memory glass", the flatness of the inner screen has indeed reached an almost impeccable level. However, if we broaden our perspective to the entire foldable phone industry, there are still several hurdles to overcome.
Current technological and market bottlenecks facing foldable phones
First, there's the "impossible triangle" of hinge technology. Achieving a slim, durable, and crease-free design has long been a physical challenge, difficult to reconcile. While OPPO has achieved a hinge structure composed of 136 precision components, along with the "Sky Partners" alliance—comprised of industry-academia-research partners such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Lead Intelligent Equipment, Amphenol, BLT, and Samsung Display—to push manufacturing precision to ±0.02mm, and claims that the crease depth increase after 20 folds will not exceed 0.03mm, even with on-site demonstrations involving numerous content creators and celebrities participating in nearly 10 actual folding tests, whether these figures can withstand the test of real-world, heavy daily use by consumers remains to be seen.
Secondly, there's the physical compromise between battery life and heat dissipation. The folding mechanism inevitably reduces the internal space of the phone, limiting battery capacity and heat dissipation design. Although the Honor Magic V6 has increased its battery capacity to 7150mAh, overall, foldable phones, with the same chip configuration, often still lag behind contemporary candybar flagship phones in terms of battery life and performance.
Another issue is the fragmentation of the application ecosystem. The core value of foldable phones lies in their "dual functionality"—when closed, they are phones; when unfolded, they are tablets. However, the adaptation of third-party applications to the large screen remains uneven. Many apps simply stretch the image after the inner screen is unfolded, failing to truly leverage the multitasking advantages of the large screen.
Even though companies like Samsung, OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi continue to optimize the user experience of foldable phones, the key issues remain: whether apps can switch smoothly between the inner and outer screens, and whether they can provide the best operating experience for different screen sizes.
Apple's entry: A game-changing move through hardware and software synergy
At the same time that OPPO launched the Find N6, the hottest topic in the market was none other than: Apple.First foldable iPhoneWhen will it arrive? According to multiple sources in the supply chain, this highly anticipated product is expected to be unveiled in September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 series, and may be named iPhone Fold.
It's worth noting that the iPhone Fold will adopt the same book-style folding design as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, with a thickness of approximately 9-9.5mm when folded and approximately 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded. The frame and hinge will be made of titanium alloy and stainless steel. More importantly, Apple has increased its supply chain inventory by 20% from the original target, reaching approximately 2000 million units, which is rare for Apple's new phones in recent years, demonstrating its ambition in the foldable phone market.
The most nuanced player in this Apple folding show is undoubtedly Samsung. On one hand, Samsung Display will be the exclusive supplier of the iPhone Fold's folding screen, and the initial shipment target has been increased from the original 1300-1500 million units to approximately 2000 million units; on the other hand, Samsung's own Galaxy Z Fold series will face its strongest competitor ever.
This situation of "supply on the left and competition on the right" is bound to have a significant impact on Samsung's foldable phone business. According to IDC data, Samsung's market share in China's foldable phone market will only be 4.3% in 2025, ranking fourth alongside OPPO. Although it will still lead the global market, with Apple joining the fray, this battle for supremacy will no longer be about grabbing territory, but about overturning the entire table.
Software experience: Apple's real killer feature
If the hardware specifications arms race is Android's forte, then the deep integration of its software ecosystem is Apple's biggest bombshell yet. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is creating a dedicated iOS 27 system experience for the iPhone Fold. This is not just a simple system upgrade, but a fundamental rethinking of the operating logic of foldable devices.
iOS 27's optimizations for the foldable form factor are mainly reflected in three aspects. First, it introduces split-screen multitasking to the iPhone for the first time, allowing users to run two applications simultaneously while the device is unfolded, such as browsing the web while replying to messages, or viewing emails and documents at the same time. The operation logic of this feature is similar to the split-screen experience of the new iPad mini, emphasizing practicality and intuitiveness, but it does not provide desktop-level multi-window features such as "On-Screen" in iPadOS, in order to avoid overly complicated operations that would increase the learning curve for users.
Secondly, there's the iPad-like interface layout. When the iPhone Fold is unfolded, the system automatically adjusts the app layout, adding an iPad-like side navigation bar to the left of some core apps, making function access clearer and more intuitive. Apple also provides developers with new optimization tools to allow existing iOS apps to fully utilize the widescreen advantage, avoiding black bars or screen stretching issues when the inner screen is unfolded. It's worth noting that although the unfolded screen size is close to 7.8 inches, comparable to the iPad mini, the iPhone Fold doesn't directly run iPad versions of apps. Instead, these optimization tools allow iPhone apps to offer a more tablet-like operating experience in its folded form.
Thirdly, there's the seamless switching experience between the inner and outer screens. Apple has specifically optimized for a common pain point in current foldable phones—the limitations caused by the imbalance between the outer and inner screen ratios. Through a new screen ratio design, visual continuity is maintained when switching between the inner and outer screens, whether playing videos or playing games. This is a testament to Apple's expertise in "consistent experience."
The deeper strategic significance lies in the synergistic effect of the Apple ecosystem. When iPhone Fold users also own an iPad or Mac, Apple can be expected to create a seamless workflow across devices through features such as iCloud, Handoff, and Universal Clipboard. This stickiness of the "hardware product matrix" is a competitive advantage that no single Android phone brand can replicate.
The Response of Chinese Brands: A Technological Breakthrough from Follower to Leader
Facing the impending market upheaval brought about by Apple, Chinese mobile phone brands are not unprepared. Take OPPO as an example: it has invested more than 3 billion yuan in the research and development of foldable screens. The "chip-level polymer 30D printing technology" used in the Find N6 is the first time it has been applied to the mass production process of mobile phones, showing that Chinese manufacturers have gradually transformed from early followers to leaders in technological innovation.
However, the challenges remain significant. According to IDC statistics, while the Chinese foldable phone market grew by 9.2% year-on-year in 2025, reaching approximately 1001 million units, it remains a niche market compared to the overall smartphone market. Chinese market research firm Sigmaintell predicts that global foldable phone shipments will reach 2400 to 2500 million units in 2026, with the Chinese market accounting for approximately 1200 to 1300 million units. Under pressure from Apple's projected sales of 1400 million units in its first year, Chinese brands, including Huawei, Honor, OPPO, and vivo, will inevitably have to redouble their efforts in product differentiation and brand loyalty.
On the other hand, the cooling of the small foldable phone market is also noteworthy. Data from multiple institutions shows that the market share of helical foldable phones has declined from 42.3% in 2022 to 31.9% in 2024. There are even rumors within Apple that the development project for a small foldable iPhone has been terminated. This means that the future foldable phone market will focus on large foldable models, which is precisely the main battleground where OPPO Find N6, Huawei Mate X series, Honor Magic V series, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series will directly compete.
Analysis of viewpoints
Overall, the launch of the OPPO Find N6 signifies that Chinese foldable phones have reached a globally leading level in the crucial experience of "seamless creases." However, with Apple set to officially enter the foldable phone market this fall, the competition is only just beginning to enter its true "technological depths."
Apple's approach of deeply optimizing at the system level, rather than simply stacking hardware specifications, demonstrates a strategic mindset of hardware-software synergy. If this can create a stable ecosystem for applications and multitasking experiences, it could propel foldable devices to a more mature stage of development. For consumers, this is undoubtedly good news—more choices, fiercer competition, and faster technological iterations will ultimately benefit users.
