Samsung was the first brand to launch foldable smartphones globally. Its first foldable phones came out in 2020, and it ruled the market for a few years, but it is no longer considered the king of that segment.
Chinese brands are launching better-equipped foldable phones, and their sales are increasing. However, at least one Chinese brand may be considering leaving the costly smartphone market.
OPPO or Vivo rumored to be exiting the large-screen foldable smartphone segment
According to a report from China, a Chinese smartphone brand is considering leaving the large-screen foldable smartphone segment. The company is reportedly replanning its strategy internally and has suspended plans to launch new large-screen foldable phones next year.
Huawei and Samsung are reportedly among the few brands that sell their foldable phones at a profit. Other brands have been reportedly testing the waters.
This year, Xiaomi launched its MIX Flip and the MIX Fold 4 were launched. The MIX Flip reportedly had a production goal of 500,000 units, and its production reached 460,000 units. The sales of MIX Fold 4 have reportedly reached 100,000 units.
OPPO and Vivo reportedly postponed the development of clamshell-style foldable phones. While they discussed launching such phones after Xiaomi launched its MIX Flip, they haven't started the project.
Watch our review of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 in the video below.
The report also claims that Transsion (which owns Infinix, Itel, and Tecno brands) has suspended the development of new foldable smartphones.
Apparently, only 2.23 million foldable smartphones were sold in China in Q3 2024, which is only a 13.6% growth compared to last year. So, not all is well in the Chinese foldable smartphone segment.
In comparison, Samsung has plans to launch even more foldable smartphones. While its sales have stagnated, it is still selling millions of foldable smartphones a year alone.
The South Korean firm reportedly plans to launch the Galaxy Z Flip FE, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and Galaxy Z Fold 7 next year.
