Small devices that can be folded up to the size of a small tablet or a full-fledged smartphone – that is the principle of folding smartphones. So far, their sales have been manageable. Will that change in the future?
According to market researchers, foldable smartphones will remain a niche business for years to come. The analysis company IDC predicts that a good 48 million such devices will be sold in 2027.
Market share of folding smartphones still manageable
That would be a significant jump compared to the 14 million last year. However, the folding devices would then only have a 3.5 percent share of the entire smartphone market.
At the same time, the segment is currently growing despite the relatively high prices in an overall shrinking smartphone market. This year sales will increase by more than 50 percent to 21.4 million devices. In 2022, it even rose by 75 percent, while a total of eleven percent fewer smartphones were sold.
By 2027, however, IDC expects a slight increase in smartphone sales again. However, folding smartphones have a significantly higher growth rate. Compared to 2022, sales are expected to increase to 48.1 million units – an increase of almost 239 percent. In contrast, conventional smartphones will only achieve an 11 percent increase in sales. The combined increase to 1.37 million units in 2027 – a 13.7 percent increase – is therefore due in large part to folding smartphones.
Also interesting: The new folding smartphone Oppo Find N does a lot better than the Galaxy Fold
Chinese companies drive development
In Western Europe and North America, the market leader Samsung is particularly strong in the business with its two models, which can either be folded out to the size of a small tablet (fold form factor) or a full-fledged smartphone (flip form factor). Several Chinese manufacturers also offer folding smartphones, including Oppo, Vivo, Huawei and Xiaomi. However, they mainly offer their devices on the home market. According to insiders, Apple and Google are also experimenting with foldable devices, but it may still take some time before they are ready for the market.