Foldable smartphones: Samsung has crushed the competition again in 2022

Even if it still represents only a tiny part of the mobile market, the foldable smartphone segment is growing from year to year. A pioneer on the latter, Samsung is still reaping the fruits of its strategy. This is indicated by a recent study by the firm Canalys presented by the FinancialTimes.

We learn that 14.2 million copies of foldable smartphones were sold worldwide in 2022. A figure on the rise, since around 10 million units had found takers the previous year. That year, the South Korean giant had sold… almost 10 million units.

The trend has certainly not reversed this year. Canalys specifies that Samsung shipped more than 12 million foldable smartphones in 2022. The firm thus retains more than 85% market share in this sector thanks to its Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4. The bet is therefore largely a winner .

Chinese brands lagging behind

Chinese manufacturers have attempted a foray into the market, but they remain in the shadow of Samsung. Canalys data shows that Huawei has sold just under 2 million smartphones. The absence of Google services certainly does not help, but the figure remains very low.

The other Chinese brands are barely visible in this ranking since Oppo, Xiaomi, Honor or Vivo have not even managed to sell a million devices. However, some of these brands are still in the expansion phase in certain markets (particularly in Europe) and are focusing on their domestic market.

Despite its strong interest in foldable smartphones, Motorola remains dead last in the ranking. Its Razr 2022 failed to create a craze since it sold barely 40,000 copies.

However, the year 2023 seems to hold its share of challenges for all market players. The products presented should be more successful and designed for greater sales. THE FinancialTimes augurs, moreover, that shipments will reach 30 million copies. Samsung should once again dominate, but the competition could well give it a hard time.