We have been with a few years a lot of expectation regarding the market for folding phones, an interesting proposal that breaks with the default form factor and proposes smaller and more portable devices, or phones of a standard size that, when unfolded, put in our hands a screen that has little to envy, in size, to what we offers a small size tablet. And that without thinking about what may be to come.
for now not many manufacturers have jumped into the pool of flip phones. And it is understandable, of course, since the necessary investment in engineering for this, added to the production processes and the specific materials to design and market devices of this type, represent a huge investment. And, of course, with the aggravating circumstance of not knowing how the market is going to respond to them. And it is that they can be a huge success or a monumental puncture. A risk that not many are willing to take, at least until the market is more mature.
One of the few technology yes, it has been betting decisively on folding phones for some time, it is Samsungwhich in a few weeks will present the new and long-awaited Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4 in the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked this summer. We have already been able to see some renders of the designs of both, which indicate that in this generational leap the renewal will come from within, since no aesthetic differences are appreciated.
2021 was, Samsung claims, a big year for foldable phones. According to data from the Korean technology company, 10 million folding phones were sold in the world last year. And yes, it may seem like a low figure, incapable of sustaining a market, but it is represented an increase of more than 300% compared to 2020. And, according to their estimates, the rapid rate of growth will continue at least in the short and medium term. The company describes the situation in these words: “We are reaching the moment in which these folding devices are becoming popular and claiming a greater role in the global smartphone market.«.
And what growth can we expect for this year? According to Digital Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), lFoldable phone shipments rose a whopping 571% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022. Samsung gave up some share to the competition during that time, but continues to dominate the category by capturing 74% of all foldable shipments, followed by Huawei a distant second at 20%. And by models, the Galaxy Z Flip3 led the way for the third consecutive quarter, claiming a 51 percent share of the global foldable market.
It’s not all good news, yes. According to what we can read in Wccftech, the rumors suggest that the price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 could be increased by about 100 dollars, for its basic configuration, compared to the price of the Galaxy Z Flip3 when it arrived on the market last year. This, of course, could deter quite a few users from taking the leap. However, given the DSCC data, it seems that expectations are still more than good for the company.
