Foldable Shipments Slow In China Amidst Global Growth Pains

Matthew Broersma,
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A person holding a Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone. Image credit: Unsplash

Shipments of foldable smartphones show dramatic slowdown in world’s biggest smartphone market amidst broader growth pains for segment

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China’s foldable smartphone shipments are expected to show a dramatic slowdown this year, amidst slower growth worldwide, in part due to lower demand for Samsung’s latest models, according to Counterpoint Research.

In China, the world’s largest smartphone market, the analyst said it expects shipments of 9.1 million foldable units this year, up 2 percent from 2023.

The figure is a sharp contrast to the triple-digit growth of previous years, with 103 percent last year, 191 percent in 2022 and 442 percent in 2020.

The slowdown coincides with lower worldwide foldable sales, which saw a 1 percent year-on-year decline in the quarter ended September after six consecutive quarters of growth, according to an earlier Counterpoint report.

Huawei's Mate XT trifold smartphone. Image credit: Huawei
Huawei’s Mate XT trifold smartphone. Image credit: Huawei

‘Underwhelming’

The market’s first-ever third-quarter decline was mainly due to the “relatively underwhelming performance” of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6 models, the report said.

The worldwide foldables market is facing challenges as it “progresses from a niche segment to the mainstream”, Counterpoint analysts said in a separate report.

“If manufacturers give serious consideration to improving price accessibility, along with achieving further technological reliability and enhancing consumer perceptions, this phase can be overcome.”

“Innovative and more compelling use cases will be essential” for manufacturers to broaden adoption.

But Counterpoint found that foldables remained a “bright spot” in China’s saturated smartphone market.

Trifold phone

US-sanctioned Huawei Technologies remains the country’s top foldable seller, with half of domestic shipments.

The company launched its trifold Mate XT in September, followed by the Mate X6 in November.

In the third quarter Huawei shipped 1.12 million foldables in China, up 97 percent year-on-year, domestic research firm CINNO said.

The company accounted for 85 percent of high-end foldables in the quarter, CINNO’s data showed.