Huawei reportedly plans to launch three new foldable smartphones in the second half of 2021, having launched its foldable Mate X2 in February, according to industry sources.

The Chinese smartphone vendor is likely to adopt more friendly pricing, targeting the entry-level segment to spur demand for foldable smartphones, said the sources.

Other smartphone vendors, including Samsung Electronics and Asustek Computer, are likely to follow suit by releasing their new foldable models in the second half, added the sources.

Thanks to the availability of the new models, global shipments of foldable smartphones are likely to reach seven million units in 2021, up from an estimate of 2.8 million units shipped a year earlier, Digitimes Research estimates.

The proliferation of new foldable smartphones will also ramp up global shipments of foldable smartphone-use AMOLED panels to 12 million units in 2021, up from 4.4 million shipped a year earlier, according to Digitimes Research.