Samsung Claims Foldable Phones Are Going Mainstream

While Apple has yet to release a foldable iPhone, Samsung is about to unveil a new series of foldables for the third consecutive year at its Unpacked event on August 10. Meanwhile, Samsung's mobile president TM Roh believes that we are already seeing the mainstream acceptance of foldable smartphones play out as consumers switch to the devices in increasing numbers.

Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Blue
In a blog post titled "The Mainstream Moment for Foldable Smartphones is Here," Roh says that nearly 10 million foldable smartphones were shipped worldwide in 2021, a figure that is 300 percent higher than the previous year. "I predict this fast-paced growth will continue," says Roh. "We are reaching the moment where these foldable devices are becoming widespread and staking a bigger claim in the overall smartphone market."

As The Verge notes, Samsung's figures could be slightly inflated: Display analyst Ross Young believes 7.9 million foldables were shipped last year, while IDC believes the actual number to be around the 7.1 million mark. Either way, when you compare it to the 272 million smartphones that Samsung alone shipped in 2021, Roh's figure doesn't sound quite so impressive.

Nevertheless, foldable adoption by consumers is steadily increasing, and Samsung has a clear foothold on the market. According to Young, brand Samsung was on 87.8 percent of all foldable phones shipped in 2021, while Huawei only accounted for 9.3 percent of shipments, with Xiaomi, Royole, and Oppo taking even tinier shares.

According to IDC, overall shipments are expected to reach an estimated 27.6 million in 2025, which makes it seem more likely that Apple's entrance into the foldable market is just a question of when. Indeed, Apple is known to have been working on foldable display technology for some years now, filing multiple patents regarding the technology. Analyst ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ said in April that Apple is actively testing a foldable display, although he believes Apple's first foldable device may be a hybrid ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, or simply a foldable ‌iPad‌.

Young said earlier this year that Apple's long-rumored foldable ‌iPhone‌ has been delayed until 2025. The news of the delay reportedly came after discussions with supply chain sources, suggesting that Apple is in no hurry to enter the foldable market. Until then, Samsung will continue to do its best to capture even more of a growing market, beginning with two new Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip models which are expected to be released next month.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
john ternus on stage

Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO

Monday October 6, 2025 6:21 am PDT by
Apple is entering its most significant leadership transition in more than a decade as multiple senior executives prepare to depart and CEO Tim Cook begins to shape the company's next generation of leaders, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Jeff Williams, who was viewed as Cook's potential successor for several...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Adds These 200 New Features and Changes to Your iPhone

Saturday October 4, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
Apple's website offers a list of nearly 200 new features and changes (PDF file) included in the software update, released last month. Apple also shared equivalent lists for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. To install the update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on General, and tap on Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight ...
macbook air prime day 2025

M5 MacBook Air: Release Date, Features, and Performance Predictions

Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

Apple Highlights Five Perks for iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage

Monday October 6, 2025 6:29 am PDT by
After launching new iPhones last month, Apple is promoting iCloud+ with a prominent banner on its home page, in a bid to boost its services revenue. In addition to more storage, all iCloud+ plans include five perks for iPhone users. As a refresher, iCloud includes 5GB of storage for free. If you want extra storage, you need to subscribe to an iCloud+ plan. In the United States, prices range...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

Apple Fixes Alarms in iOS 26.1

Monday October 6, 2025 11:56 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26.1, Apple updated the design of alarms set on the iPhone, making them harder to dismiss than before. Stopping an alarm in iOS 26.1 beta 2 requires a new Slide to Stop gesture rather than a simple tap. You can continue to tap to snooze an alarm, but if you want to turn it off entirely, you need to use a swipe. Transitioning from a tap to a slide gesture to...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

iPad Mini 8 on the Way: Expected Features and Release Timeline

Monday October 6, 2025 5:05 am PDT by
A new iPad mini is "absolutely" on the way, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released a year ago? Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code that Apple mistakenly shared in...

Top Rated Comments

contacos Avatar
42 months ago
I have only ever seen the Galaxy Z Flip out in the wild and I could not believe something like that is being sold and that customers don't seem to mind it either? All I saw was this big ass line across the screen when a friend showed me some photos on the phone.
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wanha Avatar
42 months ago
Foldable phones will only go mainstream when Apple finally makes one and legitimatises the form factor.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
42 months ago
I'm personally looking for a smaller phone. Not a larger one.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lazyrighteye Avatar
42 months ago
Apple… Take. Your. Time.

If they do debut a foldable, you can count on two things:
1. That will mark the moment foldables go mainstream.
2. There willl be no crease.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
42 months ago
It’s amazing the number of my coworkers and friends who were duped into buying them, and all the screens look terrible at the fold. No thank you. o_O
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tubular Avatar
42 months ago
All I see is one big long point of mechanical failure.

Maybe they should put in a butterfly keyboard while they're at it.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)