Samsung now controls 88% of the foldable phone market

While opinions remain divided for the rest of the industry, Samsung’s folding phone sales have skyrocketed, with South Koreans delivering more Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold units in 2021 than in 2020 as a whole.

According to estimates published by the research company Omdia, the sales of foldable phones increased last year by 309% for Samsung, compared to the previous period. Of course, the equation also includes the effects of the COVID pandemic, which were acutely felt especially in the first part of 2020. However, Samsung’s progress is all the more evident when it comes to competition, with the South Korean company delivering 88% of foldable phones sold globally.

According to official data, Galaxy Z Fold 3 was the second most popular foldable phone in the world in 2021, Samsung delivering no less than 2.5 million units, accounting for 27% of the company’s deliveries for 2021.

Showing how “poor” in the credible options is the foldable phone market, Huawei, the second largest manufacturer in the industry delivered 10% of the foldable phones sold globally, respectively 900,000 phones in the Mate X2 series. The last two percentages of the market are divided between Xiaomi and Oppo, with little chance of recovering the huge gap.

We can only assume how things will evolve with the release of the sequels Glaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, for which Samsung already promises major improvements in terms of reliability and functionality.

However, it could remain an issue that Samsung foldables do not lead to detachment. That of prices. For example, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 launched in August 2021 with a dizzying price of $ 1800, followed by the Galaxy Z Flip 3 with a price of “only” $ 999, comparable to its “trivial” rival, the iPhone 13 Pro. It’s probably only a matter of time before Huawei, Oppo or another Asian manufacturer manages to catch up with Samsung in terms of hardware, delivering an equally good but cheaper product. And if success can be extended to the software side, only then will we be able to talk about serious competition for Samsung.