Huawei on Monday launched its first foldable phone in the Nova series, the Huawei Nova Flip, one of the few foldable phones on the market targeting young consumers.

To showcase its new flip phone, Huawei partnered with Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili for a launch titled Super Science Night: New Scene. The event featured performances from popular celebrities, including Jackson Yee of TFBOYS, pop singer Lexie Liu, and Fei Qinyuan, a member of idol group SNH48, presenting a fusion of technology and pop culture geared towards the younger consumer.

Why it matters: The collaboration between Huawei Nova Flip and Bilibili merged the product launch with the youth-oriented appeal of a popular video platform that has built its success on ACG (anime, comic, game) culture, increasing the Nova Flip’s visibility and appeal to younger audiences.

Details: The Nova Flip is 6.88mm thin when unfolded, comes with HarmonyOS AI, and a 50MP rear camera with hover-selfie capability, the launch event showed. Geekbench screenshots suggest it might be equipped with the HiSilicon Kirin 8000 chip.

• The 195g device features a 6.94-inch 120Hz LTPO internal screen and a 2.14-inch 60Hz OLED cover screen, along with a 4400mAh battery that supports 66W fast charging. The cover screen supports HarmonyOS AI features such as a digital clock, animated pet lock-screen themes, navigation, music control, and message previews.
• The light-green Nova Flip, presented by Huawei’s global celebrity spokesperson Jackson Yee in both the event and promotional posters, displays a bold and distinctive style that may appeal particularly to young people.
• Besides the primary green color, the Huawei Nova Flip comes in a variety of other shades, including pink, white, and black. 
• Huawei also released a mini bag with a metal chain to hold the phone, allowing users to carry the phone like a small handbag. The mini bag is priced at RMB 499 ($70), while the flip phone starts at RMB 5,288 ($740).

Context: On April 25, the latest quarterly tracking report from market research firm IDC revealed that the Chinese foldable phone market continued growing rapidly with shipments reaching 1.86 million units in the first quarter of 2024. The period saw an 83% year-on-year increase, with Huawei leading the domestic foldable market with a 44.1% share.

• The Huawei Nova series is known for its trendy designs and value-for-money features, whereas other lines such as the Huawei Mate series focus on high-end flagship phones with cutting-edge technology and superior camera systems.