Microsoft product innovations with foldable but not flexible displays

October 10, 2019 | Case Study

Market demand for devices with both larger screens and portability is behind Samsung's release and then re-release of its inward-folding Galaxy Fold phone. While it is an appealing idea, the quality-price combination is unfavorable for mass adoption. Many brands have demonstrated their interest in this market gap, with prototypes Royole Flexpai, Huawei Mate X, and Xiaomi MI MIX Alpha featuring all-around displays that do not fold. Due to the materials challenges of truly flexible displays and customers' expectations, there is a very lucrative market opportunity that Microsoft tried to capture with last week's Surface product line upgrades. While driven by technology innovation, Microsoft's move is a good strategy and product innovation.