Foldable phone shipments rose by 571 percent in the first quarter of this year as per market research consultant DSCC. Major OEMs of foldable devices sold 2.22 million units in the January-March quarter. This was also the third-best quarter for foldable smartphones, however, the shipments were still 47 percent down quarter-on-quarter from a record high of 4.2 million units sold in Q4, 2021.
South Korean brand Samsung continued to dominate the foldable smartphone market. However, its market share fell to 74 percent from Q4,21. Meanwhile, Huawei’s market share rose to 20 percent and no other brand had more than a 2 percent share in Q2 2022.
In terms of the types of foldable smartphones, clamshell phones dominated the market with a 70 percent share. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 was the most popular choice and it alone accounted for 51 percent of all the foldable phones shipped. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 was the second popular foldable phone for the third consecutive quarter. Huawei’s rising market share is also attributed to the Huawei Pocket P50 which is again a clamshell phone. The above three models accounted for a 91 percent share.
The DSCC report states that the foldable smartphone market is expected to see strong growth in 2022. It expects to see a 107 percent increase in foldable smartphone shipments to over 16 million units. Much of the expectations will be on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.
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