Leading the Pack in ‘Folder Phone’ Territory Just Before the Olympics in July
Strengthening the Position as ‘Home of Foldable Phones’
China’s Huawei Unveils First Two Folding Phones
Vivo Releases Thinnest Foldable Phone on the Market
Nubia Challenges with a Phone in the 500,000 won Price Range
Samsung Also Significantly Enhances Durability
Observations Point to the Release of the First Model in the 3 Million won Range
Samsung Electronics, the original pioneer of foldable phones, is gearing up to solidify its lead over fierce Chinese competition and establish a significant leadership gap. The key strategy is to greatly enhance performance by addressing weaknesses such as screen creases and durability in its own foldable phones, as well as incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and expanding the lineup.
According to industry sources on the 5th, Samsung Electronics will unveil its new products, Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6, at the Galaxy ‘Unpacked’ event in Paris, France on July 10th (local time). By introducing new products in Paris, the host city of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening two weeks before (July 26th), Samsung aims to capture the attention of the global audience.
Samsung Electronics is expected to focus on solidifying its position as the ‘home of foldable phones’ in Paris following last year’s Unpacked event in Seoul. This is to quell the sharp Chinese wind blowing in the foldable phone market in recent times.
According to market research firm TrendForce, the global foldable phone market, which was dominated by Samsung Electronics, has recently shown cracks. Huawei’s market share is expected to expand from 11.9% last year to 19.8% this year, while Samsung’s share decreased from 80% in 2022 to 66.4% last year and is projected to hover around 60% this year.
Chinese companies are rapidly releasing new products to chase after Samsung. Huawei is preparing to release the world’s first ‘Triple Foldable Phone’ in the second quarter of this year. Vivo has launched the thinnest foldable phone among current models by reducing thickness by over 20% compared to the Galaxy Z Fold5, Xiaomi is releasing the ‘Mix Flip-Fold 4’ with minimized screen creases and the latest chipset in the industry, and Nubia recently unveiled an affordable foldable phone in the 500,000 won price range.
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In the industry, it is predicted that while Samsung emphasized Korea as the home of foldable phones with the first domestic Unpacked event last year, in the second half of this year, it will solidify this with technological innovation.
Samsung Display Vice Chairman Heo Cheol hinted at a performance presentation event on the 30th of last month, saying, “This year’s foldable products will reflect our latest technologies, with tangible effects.” New hinge technology minimizes screen creases, and the durability is expected to significantly increase with the application of technology that received military standard certification from the US Department of Defense in February for the first time among foldable panels.
The first foldable phone to feature AI functionality is also being implemented. It is expected that AI features such as real-time translation, Circle to Search, and chat assistance from Samsung’s latest and successful AI phone, Galaxy S24 series, will be applied to the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip 6.
For consumers who prefer foldable phones over traditional bar-type smartphones, the ‘AI foldable phone’ is welcome news. According to market research firm WorldPanel ComTech, 1 in 4 S24 series buyers chose the S24 series to use AI features. The inclusion of AI features directly led to purchases.
It is speculated that the upcoming Unpacked event may introduce an ‘Ultra’ model in the Galaxy Z series with a price tag exceeding 3 million won. The idea is to overturn the conventional wisdom that foldable phones lag behind traditional bar-shaped smartphones in performance due to form factor limitations.
Recently, foreign information and communication (IT) media consecutively reported that the leaked new model number from Samsung, ‘SM-F958N,’ signifies the Galaxy Z Fold6 Ultra. ‘SM-F95X’ is the model number of the Galaxy Z Fold series, and the ending number ‘8’ denotes the Ultra model, while ‘N’ indicates the domestic release model.