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The European foldable smartphone market is heating up, and Samsung’s as soon as untouchable place is not what it was. Based on Counterpoint Analysis, foldable shipments in Europe jumped 37% in 2024 in comparison with 2023. That sounds big, nevertheless it’s price noting that foldables nonetheless make up solely about 2% of the general smartphone market.Most of this development is coming from book-style foldables relatively than flip-style fashions. In actual fact, book-style gadgets noticed a large 60% improve year-on-year, although they nonetheless account for simply 1% of whole telephone gross sales in Europe. It’s a distinct segment, nevertheless it’s a fast-growing one.Samsung’s dominance slips away
Samsung used to dominate this house fully. Again in 2022, it managed an unbelievable 98% of the European foldable market. However issues have modified shortly.By the top of 2023, its share had dropped to 73% as manufacturers like Honor, Google, OnePlus, and Tecno joined the combat. And in 2024, that share fell even additional to simply 50%.What’s stunning is that Samsung’s gross sales nonetheless grew by 10% final 12 months — it’s simply that the competitors grew quicker.Honor was the largest disruptor, leaping to second place with 34% of the market after an eye-popping 377% year-on-year development. Google claimed third with 9% and a 72% enhance, Oppo took 4% with 10% development, and Tecno grabbed 2% after an 88% rise.Honor’s problem intensifiesHonor’s momentum doesn’t appear like it’s slowing down both. The Honor Magic V5 is launching in Europe this month, establishing one other head-to-head battle with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7, which is alleged to be extra aggressive this 12 months.In the meantime, Google’s Pixel 10 Professional Fold is due in October, and Apple’s first folding iPhone is now rumored for late 2026.A premium market shift on the horizonCounterpoint expects foldables to take a a lot greater slice of the premium telephone section from subsequent 12 months. Within the first half of 2025, gross sales dipped as a result of there weren’t many new fashions launched, however the second half ought to see contemporary launches pushing numbers again up.Based on market forecasts, the gross sales of foldable telephones in Europe might hit 4 million models per 12 months by 2028. This might be greater than 2% of the whole smartphone gross sales.Foldable telephones would possibly entice consumers from the high-end market. Telephones that value greater than $800 might lose some consumers to foldables. It might even seize as much as 10% of gross sales. In markets just like the UK or Germany, it may very well be larger.If Honor retains up its tempo, Samsung would possibly discover itself in a really totally different place in just some years.
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