Foldable smartphones currently make up between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of global smartphone shipment volumes, yet they play an outsized role in boosting ASPs, brand premiumization, differentiation, and long-term profitability for OEMs. This race, however, is currently being led by China's Huawei, with Samsung lagging behind at a distant second place.
Huawei's Foldable Smartphone Offerings Vs. Samsung's
Before going further, let's go over the catalog of foldable smartphone offerings from Huawei and Samsung. Huawei currently offers four kinds of foldable smartphones:
- The ultra-premium, triple-folding Mate XT Ultimate, priced at over $4,000 (1TB+16GB RAM version).
- The horizontally folding Mate X6 starts from around $1,800.
- The vertically folding Pura X, priced at around $1,000.
- The budget-friendly Nova Flip, priced at around $750.
In comparison, Samsung's catalog of foldable smartphones is relatively modest, featuring:
- The book-style Galaxy Z Fold 7 that starts at around $2,000.
- The clamshell-style Galaxy Z Flip 7, priced at around $1,200.
- The budget-friendly Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE that starts retailing from around $900.
Huawei Controls 48 Percent Of The Global Foldable Smartphone Shipments, Followed By Samsung At 20 Percent
As per an analysis by Canalys, Huawei was responsible for 48 percent of the total foldable smartphone sales around the globe in H1 2025, with Samsung at a distant second place, with just 20 percent of the segment's sales.
This is in marked contrast to the trend that prevailed over the past few years, where Samsung led and Huawei trailed. For instance, in 2024, Samsung controlled 45 percent of the foldable smartphone sales, while Huawei made up just 24 percent.
What's more, at 3.2 percent, the greater China region now has the deepest penetration of foldable smartphones relative to any other region across the globe, with North America trailing at a distant second place with just 1.2 percent market penetration.
Of course, Huawei's cheaper foldable offering, the Nova Flip, seems to have played a critical role in crowning Huawei the global leader in this nascent segment.
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