Samsung’s big bet on foldable smartphones is really beginning to pay off, according to new comments by Dr. TM Roh.
Roh, who serves as the president and head of Samsung’s MX Business, wrote an article this week in which he claims “the mainstream moment for foldable smartphones is here.” Included in the article are statistics that suggest the adoption of foldables among consumers is indeed increasing.
Last year, we saw almost 10 million foldable smartphones shipped worldwide. That’s an industry increase of more than 300% from 2020, and I predict this fast-paced growth will continue. We are reaching the moment where these foldable devices are becoming widespread and staking a bigger claim in the overall smartphone market.
But it’s unclear how accurate these figures really are. Ross Young, CEO of DSCC and a “widely cited display tech analyst,” told The Verge that the actual number is significantly lower, with 7.9 million foldables shipped in 2021, while IDC, the “premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events,” gave an even lower figure of 7.1 million.
Ross did share data that would suggest Samsung has the lead in the foldable market, however.
Samsung led by a mile in 2021 with 87.8 percent of phones shipped, according to DSCC, while Huawei came in a distant second at 9.3 percent. The bottom three on DSCC’s list had just a tiny share of shipments: Xiaomi had 2.4 percent, Royole had 0.3 percent, while Oppo had 0.2 percent. And with foldable shipments estimated to reach 27.6 million in 2025, per IDC, Samsung is going to want to capture as much of that potential market as it can.
Roh’s comments come ahead of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on August 10, 2022, where it is expected to unveil new foldable devices. These are rumored to include the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Samsung released its first folding phone, the Galaxy Fold, in 2019. It featured a 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display and started at $1,980.