Who would have thought that Huawei, after having suffered numerous sanctions, would today be the market leader in foldable smartphones? Samsung, the pioneer in this sector, has however lost its footing.
Foldable smartphones are no longer anything new, Samsung will move to its sixth generation this year. The South Korean giant was the first to embark on this adventure and has long dominated the market. But that was before.
Huawei, the new leader in foldable smartphones
According to the latest statistics from Counterpoint Research, Huawei took first place in the foldable smartphone rankings in the first quarter of 2024, with more than a third of devices sold (35%). Samsung, meanwhile, fell to 23%, a very different situation from last year, when the South Korean manufacturer held 58% of the market share. For Huawei, this progression represents a spectacular growth of 257%.
But how can we explain this reversal of the situation? First of all, it is important to emphasize that Huawei has been able to do well in China, a particularly buoyant market for foldable smartphones. Indeed, Chinese consumers are fond of new technologies and are ready to invest in high-end devices.
Motorola and Honor, competitors not to be underestimated
Behind the scenes, we are also seeing an excellent recovery from Motorola, which was the first to market a foldable smartphone with a flexible screen, and from Honor, the brand spun off from Huawei.
These two manufacturers recorded impressive growth, respectively +1473% and +460%. In the top 4, Samsung is the only one to decline, with -42%.
A lot of choices
Huawei has released its latest foldable smartphone models, the Huawei Mate X3 and the Huawei P50 Pocket.
Motorola should soon announce a new Razr, the 50 Ultra, while Honor is working on an Honor Magic V Flip.
Samsung is preparing the next Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, which will be presented in July during Unpacked, which are highly anticipated and could well mark a new turning point in the history of foldable smartphones.