TechPhonesThe foldable phone maker that beat Samsung to market has gone bustPioneering brand folds just as the market is hotting upWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesThe foldable phone maker that beat Samsung to market has gone bustPioneering brand folds just as the market is hotting upWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Pioneering brand folds just as the market is hotting up
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Quick SummaryRoyole, the first company to launch a folding phone, has gone bust.The folding phone market remains a challenging place for smartphone manufacturers.
Royole, the first company to launch a folding phone, has gone bust.The folding phone market remains a challenging place for smartphone manufacturers.
Royole, the first company to launch a folding phone, has gone bust.The folding phone market remains a challenging place for smartphone manufacturers.
Royole, the first company to launch a folding phone, has gone bust.
The folding phone market remains a challenging place for smartphone manufacturers.
The tech world is a fickle place. Royole – the first company to launch a folding phone – has been declared bankrupt. It was first to market with theRoyole FlexPai in 2018, beating the likes ofSamsungandHuawei.
The Royole FlexPai had a 7.8-inch flexible display that ran around the exterior of the device, very much like the Huawei Mate X that followed the year after. While Samsung (and most brands since) opted for a display on the interior, the FlexPai attracted no shortage of attention.
But, someone had to be first, and Royale attempted a lot of firsts during its brief stint in the world of tech, some of which are now commonplace and mainstream. Sadly, for all its ideas, Royale was not the company to make those things stick.
The folding phone space is a tricky place
The folding phone category of phones is proving difficult. Samsung enjoys the 50% of the market,according to data from Statista, while Huawei has about 30% thanks to sales in China.
There are plenty of other players –Google,OnePlus, Motorola,Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor – but Samsung’s dominance reflects the popularity of the brand in regular phones too.
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Folding phone sales arepredicted to increase, but they remain expensive and there’s still uncertainty surrounding the longevity of the display through the hinges. There are also difficulties in providing the sort of environmental protection that’s now pretty much taken for granted on a candybar phones.
Earlier in the year, it was suggest the foldable future for Oppo and Vivowas uncertain–something that Oppo later denied– but talk around particular brands exiting the market certainly isn’t healthy. While sales are expected to increase, these early days of folding phones remains a challenge.
Farewell Royole, you were entertaining, for a bit.
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