Why Poco doesn’t want to make foldable phones…yet

Almost every major Android phone maker is investing in foldables these days, but there are exceptions if you look closely.

A notable example is Poco, the former Xiaomi sub-brand that is now a standalone company in its own right. Since the split in 2020, Poco has maintained strong ties with its former parent company, including running an identical version of the MIUI Android skin.

But despite two generations of Xiaomi’s Mi Mix Fold, this is an area Poco has yet to experiment with. You might think this is something the company is planning soon, but Angus Ng, Head of Product Marketing and Global Spokesperson, told a very different story in an interview with Tech Advisor.

“Right now, we certainly don’t see ourselves launching a Flip or a Fold,” says Ng. “For us, it’s not mature yet…I feel like it’s still struggling to find its place in the market.”

Data from IDC suggests foldables accounted for around 13.5 million shipments in 2022. But that’s a tiny fraction of the more than 1.35 billion smartphones sold globally – just 1.1% of the total.

The same report predicts it will only grow to around 2.8% by 2026, but Poco might be ready to release a foldable by then.

“Five years from now, I think the types of foldable screens will be much more affordable and the way the hinges are designed will be more common. Then we can actually see a design and maybe tweak it ourselves.

Price is something Ng discusses throughout the interview. Poco has released a total of nine phones in 2022, but none are more expensive than the £699/€699 F4 GT. Most of the company’s handsets cost under £500/€500, so a foldable would almost certainly break its current price structure.

“From the learnings we have made in 2022, we really want to focus on the mid-price segment. This will be the price segment where most of our strongest products will be installed, and those in which we have the most confidence.

But Ng did not rule out the release of flagships in the future: “We have explored it and we definitely support it internally. We have the potential to adapt to this market, but it’s a very crowded space.

That may include a foldable at some point, but Poco wants to wait until it can be sure the device will replace your phone, tablet, or both. “People buy tablets, get a phone, and then buy a fold. It’s like, what was it for, then? »

“You can’t pull both off, so that’s kind of why I feel like he hasn’t found his precise positioning. But that’s… the future.

It remains to be seen when that future will be for Poco. But if you can afford a foldable right now and don’t mind paying flagship prices, there are plenty of options. They include the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, Oppo Find N Flip, and the Motorola Razr 5G (2022).

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