It's no longer a big secret that 2021 has been a less-than-stellar year for Samsung from an overall smartphone production and sales standpoint, but as far as profit is concerned, the seemingly never-ending coronavirus pandemic and global chip shortages have somehow not affected the world's largest handset manufacturer that badly.
Another department where the tech giant managed to defy industry trends and clear all obstacles to exceed even its most optimistic expectations last year was the foldable segment, according to a new market report published by well-known insider Ross Young on the official blog of his Display Supply Chain Consultants firm.
Somewhat disappointingly, Young has no inside information to share on any upcoming devices this time around, focusing instead on the nearly 1.5 million foldable units Samsung produced in December 2021 alone. That was up 3435 percent (!!!) from December 2020's figure, marking the second biggest such result registered by the company since the commercial debut of the first-gen Galaxy Fold.
Perhaps more importantly, that number boosted Samsung's foldable production total for 2021 to 8.1 million units, up almost 300 percent compared to the same score tallied in 2020.
While production and sales numbers are obviously not the same thing, Samsung already touted an incredible achievement on the latter front a few weeks back, estimating 2021 foldable shipments had grown fourfold (no pun intended) from the previous year.
Mind you, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 5G have barely seen daylight in August, and judging from the December number revealed by Young, global demand is still healthy and could stay that way a while longer. In fact, Samsung's Q1 2022 output is expected to hit a solid 1.5 million units after rising more than 500 percent compared to the same timeframe in 2021, with demand then likely to take a "seasonal" hit during Q2.
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Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 remains Samsung's (and the world's) most popular foldable handset, accounting for 67 percent of the 1.5 million such devices produced in December before potentially jumping to 70 percent of the pie between January and March.
In terms of regional demand, you might be surprised to hear that Korea (the country) is ahead of both Europe (the continent) and the US, although the stateside popularity of Galaxy Folds and Flips has significantly grown since 2020 and may continue to do so this year.
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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