While Samsung wasn’t the first to launch a foldable phone, it certainly became the first to bring foldables to the masses. While the Samsung Galaxy Z series has become synonymous with foldable phones worldwide, it continues to face tough competition, primarily from Chinese brands.
But Samsung has made a strong comeback, more than tripling its foldable market share compared to the second quarter (Q2) of 2024. While its position is still slightly lower than in the second quarter of 2023, it has outperformed in the last two quarters. For what it’s worth, despite a sluggish performance recently, Samsung hasn’t let any other brand eat its share of pie, globally in foldable market since 2021, per IDC.
Samsung stands tallest against Chinese competitors globally
According to the IDC, Samsung now holds a 51.2% foldable market share among the top foldable phone brands globally. It’s followed by Motorola, Huawei, Xiaomi, and others. Clearly, Samsung is the only non-Chinese brand on the list, and it stands out with a solid margin.
Much of Samsung’s recent success can be attributed to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. What we’re really waiting for now is how Apple will enter the foldable market. While the company has been tight-lipped about it, rumors suggest that Apple won’t release a foldable device until 2026 or 2027, at least.
There are more Samsung foldables in the pipeline
Samsung has been quite ambitious about the future of foldable phones. One recent patent reveals the company’s plans to launch a tri-fold smartphone, much like the Huawei Mate X. Even more, Samsung is also reportedly planning to release an affordable Galaxy Z Flip FE next year, though it’s expected to run on an Exynos 2400 chip.
On top of that, Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition in Korea. While the company hasn’t announced any plans to bring it to the US, we did something a little crazy and had the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition shipped to our US office. And oh boy, it’s impressive. Our very own Jeff Springer has already posted the unboxing video, so you can enjoy the experience for yourself.
