Shipments of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 fall short of expectations

While everyone is busy talking about the new iPhone 14, it is quite easy to forget who was riding the hype train just a couple of weeks ago.

In August, Samsung unveiled its fourth generation of Z-series foldables - the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Both devices were well-received and demonstrated the Korean tech giant’s long-term ambition to pave the way for a foldable smartphone future.

Samsung’s confidence in foldable smartphones is hardly news. The company has insisted that the latter will overtake its share of flagship shipments by 2025. Additionally, Samsung has set some very ambitious goals for them in the more immediate future as well.

According to a recent article by Korea IT News, the Korean tech giant had a preliminary target of some 15 million shipments of foldables by the end of 2022 - more than twice the number when compared to the previous year. It now seems that Samsung might fall short of this number.

However, a new report by Sammobile states that the target has since been adjusted to just 8 million units. This is still better than the 7.1 million shipments sustained over the same period of last year, but represents a measly 13% increase - far below the 100% that Samsung had initially hoped for.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 are exceptional devices, but they still represent more or less a refinement above all else. Given the current state of the foldables market, Samsung seems rather complacent with its top position, because most of the competition is limited to the Chinese market.

If Samsung is to ever achieve its vision, it needs to do more than introduce incremental updates over the span of many generations. Things like the crease, the odd aspect ratios and the lackluster durability need to be addressed if foldables are ever to become truly mainstream.