Once touted as the next big innovation in smartphones, the foldable phone market is said to be facing some unexpected challenges. According to Digital Chat Station (DCS), at least three major brands have suspended or significantly delayed their feature phone projects.

DCS reported that one of the world’s five leading smartphone manufacturers has completely suspended the development of complex devices. Additionally, two more companies suspended their foldable clamshell phone projects.

The reasons for the suspension of these projects are not yet clear and the specific brands have not been announced. Currently, the complex smartphone market is dominated by Android manufacturers. Samsung, for example, has the largest market share and is reportedly working on the next version of its Z-series foldable phones, including a tri-folding model.

Huawei is also said to be developing a phone that can be folded into three. Oppo and Vivo are other big players that have released at least several versions of their advanced devices.

However, a recent report suggests that both Oppo and Vivo have decided to exit the foldable device market. The decision was taken due to the significant decline in market share in this segment last year.

However, there has been no official statement from either brand, so it would be better to wait for new reports to better understand the situation. If these rumors are true, this could also affect OnePlus’ foldable efforts as the company relies heavily on Oppo and has only launched one foldable device under its own brand.

On the other hand, it is reported that Apple’s foldable iPhone project is also facing problems due to sensitive screen problems. While foldable phones offer unique form factors and capabilities, they remain expensive and, some say, quite fragile.