Samsung’s original Galaxy Flip is the phone that taught me to love foldables. Before the clamshell model launched, devices were big and bulky like the Galaxy Fold. Rather than embracing portability, the goal was to cram as much screen real estate as possible into a pocketable design. The result, in the Fold’s case, was huge, even when closed.
The Flip’s success seemed to catch Samsung off guard. Despite the advertising support it gave the Fold, the clamshell Flip captured 70% of the company’s foldable sales in 2021, a year after its initial launch. Portability, combined with a significantly lower price, won the day, helping catapult Samsung’s foldable shipments to 10 million that year.
Samsung remains the 500-pound gorilla of the foldable sector, but the company’s successes have made the category a lot less lonely in recent years. Increased competition has improved the market, not only bringing diversity to devices but also forcing the giant to rethink some of its own orthodoxies along the way.
The decision to slightly widen the Fold’s narrow front display is a recent one. It’s not a huge difference (neither the Z Fold 6 nor the Z Flip 6 offered much of a difference), but it’s perhaps a response to feedback about what has always been an awkward aspect ratio.
With a device like the Fold, the sheer novelty of it is enough to keep consumers interested for a few years. But attention spans are short in consumer electronics. The appeal of early adopters fades after a few generations of improvements. That’s especially true when competitors like Google’s Pixel Fold and the OnePlus Open bring new ideas to the table.
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Image credits: Brian Heating
One of the most compelling contenders, however, comes from a more unexpected corner of the mobile world. I admit I overlooked Motorola’s foldable Razr when it was announced a few months after Samsung’s first Fold went on sale. It was a novelty in its own right: an exclusive to put a beloved but defunct brand on a new device. It felt like a cynical product of the Hollywood reboot era.
The Razr 2020’s reception wasn’t helped by the fact that, much like the first Fold, it arrived half-baked. The specs didn’t justify the $1,200 price tag in any way, and the folding mechanism itself left a lot to be desired. For a while, it felt like the entire foldable category would be a blip on the radar.
So far, foldable smartphones haven’t made much of a difference in terms of slowing smartphone sales, but the form factor has staying power. According to Counterpoint Research, the global foldable smartphone market grew 49% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2024. Huawei, an early entrant in the category whose growth has been significantly hampered by issues with the U.S. and other foreign governments, had a record quarter, surpassing Samsung for the first time in its history.
While Huawei is still not allowed to sell in the US, the manufacturer saw a whopping 257% year-over-year growth in the quarter. Shipments were driven primarily by Huawei’s home country of China, thanks to its long-awaited move from LTE to 5G with the form factor. Chinese peer Motorola saw huge growth globally, jumping a staggering 1,473%. Samsung fell 42% in the quarter, but held on to second place globally, with 23% of the total market.
The Fold/Flip 6 and Motorola Razr+ are both too new to have had a significant impact on quarterly shipments, but I expect both to see notable growth thanks to well-reviewed devices.
Image credits: Brian Heating
Samsung’s biggest challenge right now is finding ways to keep the category interesting. Gaining market share is no longer just about education. The company needs to convince non-foldable owners that it’s time to make the switch and entice existing customers to renew — a tall order when the Fold and Flip now start at $1,900 and $1,100, respectively.
The Flip 6 still outperforms the Razr+ in imaging, an area where Samsung has long excelled. But
Motorola has learned from its early mistakes and managed to deliver a great folding experience. The design is excellent, the 3.6-inch near-edge front display is stunning. Motorola’s real secret weapon, however, is the price.
While the $1,000 price tag may not seem like a great deal at first glance, the phone is perpetually on sale. It launched earlier this week with a $100 discount. Its 2023 predecessor, meanwhile, can be purchased on Amazon for $600 right now.
Samsung, meanwhile, is reportedly working on a more affordable version of the Fold that will be available later this year, though the company may have been hesitant to say so. That’s a shame, because Samsung is no longer the only player in the market, and the next real innovation in foldable devices will be affordability.
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