Samsung knocked off foldable perch by Huawei, Motorola: looking to respond with rollable phone

Samsung was the first company to take foldables seriously. As a result, they took a commanding lead with a 68% market share in 2023. Huawei came in second with just 14%.

However, Samsung got a little comfortable with that domination and it appears that lead is no longer as secure.

Leading into 2024, analysts predicted that the Chinese would bring the heat but also that Samsung would continue to dominate.

In February 2024, TrendForce predicted that Samsung’s share would drop to 60% in 2024. However, by June Trendforce reported that Samsung’s share had fallen to 50% with Huawei’s rising to 30.8%.

When we drill down to data by the quarter, we find that Samsung is fast losing ground. According to Counterpoint Research, in Q1 2023, Samsung had a commanding 58% market share compared to second-place Huawei’s 14%.

However, in Q1 2024, Samsung’s share had fallen to 23% and Huawei’s had ballooned to 35%. What a turnaround this is.

Huawei was able to hold on to top spot in Q2 2024.

You can see how Samsung’s market share fell drastically despite a modest 5% year-on-year increase in shipments. Of course, 5% is not good enough, but it’s much worse when you see how the competition fared.

Transsion (Itel, Tecno, Infinix) grew by a massive 3150% but still has a much smaller share of the market than Samsung. Honor grew its shipments by 423%, but the bigger story was Huawei, which grew by 229%—enough to see it eclipse Samsung’s market share.

When we zero in on market share by foldable type, we find that Samsung lost ground in both the book-style (Fold) and clamshell type (Flip).

Samsung had been too complacent, only giving its foldables minor upgrades while the competition was taking more risks. Now, a once-commanding lead has been erased.

Of course, we expect Q3 to be much better for Samsung because that’s when the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 were released. You would expect Q2 to be the worst month for Samsung foldables, as customers hold off on buying last year’s models, which would be approaching a year old, while new phones are just around the corner.

The only problem for Samsung is that early reports show that the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 are not selling well. I guess people just got enough of the same phone over and over again.

Huawei turning the knife

Huwaei only went and turned the knife it pierced Samsung’s armour with. The tri-fold Huawei was recently released and it has garnered a lot of praise and has sold well to boot.

Samsung sold only 300,000 Z Fold 6s in the first two weeks of release. Over in China, the Huawei Mate XT got over 3 million pre-orders. All while the Huawei is more expensive than the Fold.

The market is speaking; they are not impressed by Smasung’s offerings. Huawei is ruling the Asian markets but even in the all-important-for-Samsung North America, Samsung is no longer top dog. Motorola now wears that crown.

Samsung rollable

Samsung may be trying to steal back the eyeballs that have been gushing over Huawei’s tri-fold phone.

The Korean giant has been working on its own tri-folding phones for years. However, reports say those phones are going to remain in the prototype phase.

Instead, Samsung will look to release the first commercially available rollable phone next year. Sammy won’t be bowing out of the foldable race and will release the foldable phone along the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7.

The rollable phone is rumoured to have a 12.4 inch display when rolled out. That would be massive.

This rollable phone has been in the works for years too. However, before these latest rumours that Samsung is looking to release it next year, most thought it was still at least a couple of years away from being ready for prime time.

This is how the foldable concept looked last year:

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[SID 2023] Rollable Flex™ (Samsung Display, 롤러블 플렉스 OLED)

Whatever the case, it is heating up and I hope the competition spurs Sammy to bring its A-game going forward. Not this business of rehashing design and shipping minor hardware upgrades.

Also read:

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• Huawei Releases World’s First Triple-Foldable Phone, The Mate XT