You may not get that idea if you look only at the latest quarterly sales report, but the foldable market is definitely booming, with Samsung categorically dominating all of its rivals around the world.
Not only is that unlikely to change anytime soon, but the top global smartphone manufacturer looks destined for a huge boost in foldable device shipments during the second half of this year, which might strengthen its towering position and possibly even extend its lead over the likes of Huawei, Oppo, and Motorola.
So much growth ahead
As we all know, the uber-powerful Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are coming in August, and the two's combined sales numbers could easily reach 15 million units by early 2023. According to certain estimates, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 have racked up just a little over 7 million unit shipments together in 2022, which means Samsung expects its next-gen foldables to generate more than double the demand of a duo of precursors that everyone considered a huge box-office hit last year.
Of course, it's not entirely clear if 15 million is the actual shipment goal or simply a production target for Samsung by the end of 2022, but either way, the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are likely to reach that sales figure sooner or later, with 18 million on the table as well.
While it's pretty much impossible to correctly anticipate the exact box-office results of these devices in their still-fledgling market segment, the numerous upgrades revealed of late and a more competitive price point are expected to improve the appeal of the new Z Fold model in particular.
That's right, speculations of a launch discount compared to the $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 3 are ramping up again, although we're still not ready to predict an actual starting price. The Z Flip 4 could outsell the Z Fold 4 by around two to one, which sounds bad but it's in fact much better for the latter than the current Z Flip 3 to Z Fold 4 ratio.
Between January and March 2022, for instance, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 single-handedly accounted for 51 percent of global foldable sales, compared to the under 25 percent share of the Z Fold 3. The gap was even larger back in Q3 2021, but smaller in Q4, when the Galaxy Z Fold 3 was massively discounted for the holidays.
What will the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 have going for them?
While Samsung plans to make and sell a whole lot more foldables this year than the last, with the same trend likely to continue in the years ahead, the company's sales targets for "conventional" Galaxy S and A-series handsets are reportedly dropping despite the coronavirus pandemic no longer causing the tech industry as much harm as in the past couple of years.
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Basically, foldable devices could gain more and more responsibility as key growth drivers for Samsung (and plenty of other companies), especially with prices likely to drop over the next few years and mid-range Galaxy A Fold models possible in the relatively near future.
Leaked Galaxy Z Fold 4 render
In addition to discussing Samsung's production plans and sales goals, the latest ET News report also tackles a bunch of Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 specs, although it's unclear how many of these details are independently verified and how many are just reiterated from other sources.
Either way, the Z Fold 4 is widely expected to sport a primary 7.56-inch display and 6.2-inch or so cover screen while rocking a vastly upgraded camera system headlined by a 50MP sensor, offering up to a whopping 1TB of internal storage space, and improving the "wrinkle depth" of its predecessor by "about" 20 percent.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4, meanwhile, is unlikely to bring many notable upgrades to the table compared to its forerunner, sharing a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor with its 2022 "cousin" and pretty much the same design and cameras as the Z Flip 3.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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