The foldable smartphone category is gaining momentum as more and more brands launch foldable phones to get a piece of this pie, but it’s still Samsung’s foldable that offers the most refined experience. And while others will eventually catch up, it is the Korean conglomerate that is the current market leader in the foldable segment, as it shipped more foldable smartphones in 2022 than all other OEMs combined.
According to one Financial Times report cites Canalys research, the foldable smartphone market recorded 14.2 million shipments worldwide in 2022, of which Samsung alone shipped more than 11 million units.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 with Galaxy Z Flip4
Chinese brand Huawei came in second by shipping just under two million foldables, followed by Oppo, vivo, Xiaomi, Honor and Motorola, which shipped just 40,000 foldable smartphones.
That said, Canalys estimates that by 2023 shipments of foldable materials will double to reach 30 million units. And we expect the foldable device market to become more interesting and competitive as more Chinese brands launch their foldable devices outside of China to challenge Samsung’s dominance in this segment.
