Samsung is preparing the hype for the launch of its next folds once again, and ahead of the next Unpacked event on August 10, Mobile President TM Roh has posted another post on the blog stating that now is the time of the folding ones, and that more people are picking up folding phones.
“Three years ago, Galaxy folders could be summed up in one word: radical,” Roh wrote. “Very quickly, however, it became clear that this innovative and flexible design was perfectly suited to modern lifestyles. As a result, what was a novelty three years ago is now the preferred choice for millions of people.”
Samsung says nearly 10 million folding smartphones will be shipped worldwide in 2021
In the post, Roh says the industry shipped nearly 10 million foldable smartphones worldwide in 2021, a figure that rose 300 percent from 2020. Samsung could be exaggerating the market a bit: Ross Young, CEO of DSCC and widely cited. The display technology analyst shared data with The Verge which says 7.9 million folds were sent, while IDC says 7.1 million folds were sent. Whatever the number, it would account for only a fraction of the smartphone market; according to IDC, Samsung alone shipped 272 million smartphones in 2021 alone.
But Ross also shared data suggesting that Samsung has the overwhelming leadership in the folding market. Samsung led a mile in 2021 with 87.8 percent of phones shipped, according to DSCC, while Huawei fell by a distant second with 9.3 percent. The last three on the DSCC list had only a small share of shipments: Xiaomi had 2.4 percent, Royole 0.3 percent, while Oppo had 0.2 percent. And with foldable shipments estimated to reach 27.6 million in 2025, by IDC, Samsung will want to capture as much of this potential market as it can.
All of this means that it makes sense for Samsung to start rolling out the red carpet for its upcoming Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip models, though they aren’t expected to look very different from last year – the company is practically the folding market right now, and wants to take that leadership even further. It has been reported that Apple is exploring folding concepts, but with any kind of release, apparently in at least a year, or maybe more, Samsung’s next Unpacked event is another opportunity for the company to keep its footing. .