This year (in 2021), another smartphone manufacturing company, Xiaomi, entered the foldable phone industry. However, foldable phones aren’t that common in public as they are new and have a very high price (more than a flagship model of any brand). But it seems that the competition in this industry is now increasing, which might decrease the prices of these smartphones.
This afternoon, it was reported that Vivo (a famous Chinese smartphone brand) has applied for the following trademarks in China:
- NEX Slide
- NEX Fold
- NEX Roll
From this, we can confirm that the company is planning to bring its new smartphone range which would consist of foldable and rollable devices. Furthermore, the devices would be launched in the NEX Series, which is famous for having unique smartphones.
As further mentioned in the application, the applicant for this certification is “Vivo Mobile Communications Company Limited,” and they applied for it on May 24.
Many times in the past, we have seen that Vivo has applied for foldable phone patents, but all of those designs are limited to patents only. In contrast, the slideable and rollable phones would be a new development from the company.
Previously, Vivo filed for a foldable phone patent in which the body’s shape was similar to Galaxy Z Fold and Huawei Mate X. Only the camera module was different, which was placed at the middle-top of the phone’s backside. Furthermore, it was also equipped with a stylus pen.
Another patent was also revealed in which the design was like the Galaxy Z Flip, but the display was more extendable (up to the third part). Moreover, many Chinese bloggers further revealed that famous Chinese smartphone brands (like OPPO & Vivo) are expected to launch their foldable phones this year.