According to research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung Electronics has been dominating the market for AI-supported smartphones with its ‘Galaxy S24’ series released earlier this year. On the other hand, in the foldable smartphone market, it appears that Chinese companies including Huawei are making advances.
In the global smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, the share of AI-supported smartphones increased significantly to 6% from 1.3% in the previous quarter. It was found that 70% of premium smartphones (priced above $600) sold during the same period supported AI. Samsung Electronics secured the top 3 positions in the market for AI-supported smartphones in the first quarter with its Galaxy S24 series.
Counterpoint Research forecasts that AI-supported smartphones will account for 11% of the overall smartphone market this year, with features such as media, personalized virtual assistants driving growth. Apple is also expected to incorporate AI technology into its new ‘iPhone’ models to be released in the second half of the year.
In contrast, Huawei took the lead in the global foldable smartphone market in the first quarter, surpassing Samsung Electronics. The foldable smartphone market saw a 49% growth compared to the same period last year, with Huawei’s 5G foldable phone ‘Mate X5’ contributing significantly to the market.
The trend in the foldable smartphone market seems to be shifting towards clamshell-type devices following the success of Samsung’s ‘Galaxy Z Flip 3’. Samsung Electronics aims to regain market leadership with new products such as the ‘Galaxy Z Flip 6’ set to be unveiled in July.
However, some analysts have expressed concerns that AI smartphones may not have a significant impact on actual sales as the smartphone industry matures. According to intelligence from Bloomberg Intelligence, global smartphone revenue is expected to see only a 4% increase compared to last year, reaching $539.8 billion. Furthermore, forecasts suggest that revenue growth will slow down in 2025 and 2026.