The Foldable Phone Market Cools in Q3 2024: Samsung and Huawei Face Challenges, Can Apple's Entry Turn the Tide?

The Foldable Phone Market Cools in Q3 2024: Samsung and Huawei Face Challenges, Can Apple's Entry Turn the Tide?According to the latest data from Counterpoint Research, a renowned market research firm, the foldable phone market faced significant headwinds in the third quarter of 2024, experiencing its first year-over-year decline in display shipments. This downward trend is projected to continue into 2025

The Foldable Phone Market Cools in Q3 2024: Samsung and Huawei Face Challenges, Can Apple's Entry Turn the Tide?

According to the latest data from Counterpoint Research, a renowned market research firm, the foldable phone market faced significant headwinds in the third quarter of 2024, experiencing its first year-over-year decline in display shipments. This downward trend is projected to continue into 2025. This market slump is closely linked to the performance of the two foldable phone leaders, Samsung and Huawei.

Samsungs Galaxy Z Flip6 series, along with older foldable models, fell short of sales expectations. Z Flip6 panel shipments are expected to be more than 10% lower than the Z Flip5. Overall, Samsung's foldable panel procurement is projected to decline by more than 20%. While Samsung has consistently held a dominant position in the foldable market, this sales dip serves as a wake-up call. Increasing market competition, evolving consumer demand, and rapid technological advancements all threaten Samsung's market share. To solidify its leading position, Samsung needs to reassess its product strategy, increase R&D investment, and launch more competitive products. This necessitates a deeper understanding of consumer needs, improved product design, and enhanced user experience to stand out in the fiercely competitive market.

On the Huawei front, factors such as the delayed launch of the Mate X6 resulted in a decline in its market share to 13% in the third quarter of 2024. Despite this, Huawei's foldable panel procurement is still expected to grow by over 90% in 2024, with its market share rising from 18% to 33%. This demonstrates Huawei's continued optimism towards the foldable market, as well as its strong R&D capabilities and brand influence. However, the delayed launch highlights challenges in Huawei's supply chain management and product development cycle control, areas requiring improvement. Huawei needs to continue increasing R&D investment, enhance product competitiveness, and optimize supply chain management to maintain its competitive edge. Rapidly responding to market changes, adapting to consumer needs, and strengthening channel development are all crucial for Huawei's continued success.

Currently, the foldable phone market is still dominated by Samsung and Huawei. However, this landscape may change in the future. Apple's recent announcement of a new hinge design patent, featuring a unique finger-like structure and crescent-shaped groove, promises significantly improved flexibility and durability for foldable devices. This patent is applicable not only to iPhones but also to iPads, Macs, and even Apple Watches. Insiders reveal that Apple plans to launch its first foldable product in 2026, potentially utilizing this new hinge design.

Apple's entry is expected to potentially reverse the foldable market's downturn. Apple CEO Tim Cook has stated, "Apple doesn't aim to be first, but to be best." This aligns with Apple's long-standing product philosophy. For example, while Android systems had early desktop widget functionality, Apple only re-optimized and integrated this feature in iOS14 years later, resulting in a more refined and harmonious widget design that quickly gained user favor and inspired many Android manufacturers to redevelop and adapt widgets for their own systems.

Apple's influence in the software ecosystem cannot be overlooked. A major pain point for current foldable phones is the lack of app compatibility, often resulting in misaligned interface elements and bugs. The launch of an Apple foldable phone will incentivize numerous app developers to adapt their applications immediately, improving the user experience. This will drive the improvement of the entire foldable phone app ecosystem. To remain competitive, Android foldable phone manufacturers will also be compelled to increase their app adaptation efficiency, creating a positive feedback loop. This means Apple's entry will accelerate the maturation and development of the entire foldable phone industry.

In conclusion, although the foldable phone market currently faces challenges, future technological advancements and the entry of new players, particularly Apple's potential market entry in 2026, suggest significant growth potential. This is a market full of opportunities and challenges, requiring continuous innovation and enhanced product competitiveness for manufacturers to succeed. Technological innovation, improved user experience, and a robust ecosystem will be key factors in future competition. The next few years will undoubtedly see an increasingly exciting and competitive foldable phone market.

CES 2025, starting January 7th, 2025, will showcase the latest technologies and products in the foldable phone sector, providing valuable insights into future market trends. The industry eagerly anticipates the surprises and breakthroughs from various manufacturers. New technologies, designs, and application scenarios will drive the foldable phone market towards a more prosperous future. Samsung and Huawei need to strengthen their advantages while proactively addressing challenges to maintain their leading positions. Apple's entry will inject new vitality into the market, while also demanding higher standards from existing manufacturers. Only continuous innovation will ensure survival in this dynamic and high-potential market. Competition will intensify, benefiting consumers with more and better product choices. The foldable phone market has a broad outlook, and the future is promising. Technological breakthroughs and market shifts will continue to influence the development of the entire mobile device industry. We will continue to monitor market dynamics and provide readers with more in-depth analyses and reports.