What Display Daily thinks: The growth and sales figures may be sequentially better but they are still of concern because of two things: first, you have an exciting new form factor and it should be hitting most upgrade cycles for user, and second, it is expensive, but the premium sector is the most dynamic in the smartphone market right now.
Beyond the usual trade show buzz, I don’t think smartphone manufacturers have done enough to educate users on foldable displays or assuage any concerns. There is also a lack of any clear cut applications for foldables, something that would make them indispensable or a better alternative to existing rigid designs.
It is not for a lack of ideas, but I just don’t think that a build it and they will come mentality is working right now. Is that the cost, the technology, or just the market downturn, or all of the above? Sure, the numbers here indicate growth, but The Elec is stretching it a little to make it sound better than it really is, kind of like looking for a silver lining in the market. Foldable need to get to 20% market share of smartphones within the next 5 years or they are destined to be very niche, maybe faddish. At this rate, they are not going to get there in 10 years.
Samsung Sees Higher Foldable Phone Sales
The Elec is reporting that Samsung’s new foldable phone shipments for the year, namely the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 models, are projected to be 10% higher than their predecessors. If the new releases exceed 7 million units and legacy models reach 3 million units, Samsung could surpass 10 million foldable phone shipments in 2023 for the first time. The new models’ shipments are reportedly 8-10% higher than last year’s Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 sales. Despite the global economic downturn potentially affecting sales, current shipments are neither significantly above nor below initial expectations.
In 2022, shipments of the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 totaled about 6 million units, with overall foldable phone shipments nearing 9 million. In 2021, the Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 models reached approximately 6 million units shipped, with the total for foldables that year being over 7 million units.
