Samsung leads foldable smartphone segment; shipments rise 264% in 2021

Foldable smartphones are a relatively new category of devices. While there are multiple shapes and sizes of foldable smartphones in the market, they either fold horizontally (Galaxy Z Fold 3) or vertically (Motorola Razr). The market for foldable devices has grown exponentially over the past few years as companies have sold more than seven million units of foldable devices in 2021. 

According to a report by International Data Corporation, the foldable smartphone category saw an increase of 264.3% in 2021 as compared to 2020. Additionally, the firm forecasts that the number of shipments will increase from 1.9 million units sold in 2020 to 27.6 million units in 2025. The credit behind this growth goes largely to Samsung's readily available series of foldable smartphones, called the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Samsung is the most popular foldable smartphone brand: Report

In December 2021, Samsung was reported to sell around 10 million units of its foldable smartphone. Although the numbers do not seem to fall in line, they do indicate that Samsung has dominated the foldable smartphone segment in 2021. The factors contributing to Samsung's success could include the absence of competitors in the market, a stable built and design and affordable pricing of smartphones like Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, which is currently available for Rs 84,999.

The International Data Corporation shares figures for the total number of smartphones sold in 2021, which is 1.348 billion units. The number of foldable sold in 2021, i.e. 7.1 million units occupies 0.5% of the total number of smartphones. Additionally, the data research firm also predicts that the foldable smartphone market will occupy about 1.8% of the total number of smartphones sold, with more than 27 million units being sold. 

Anthony Scarsella, research manager with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker says that the "recent success of the foldable devices from Samsung has given a new life to the category as competitors rush to enter the market." Adding to it, Scarsella says that "Samsung has proven that there is consumer demand for foldable phones once they hit the right price and feature a more stable build."