Samsung has been dominating the foldable smartphone market ever since the release of the Galaxy Fold in 2019 and the Galaxy Z Flip in 2020. However, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Huawei is expected to take over the top spot from Samsung in the current quarter.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, 4.2 million foldable phones were shipped, marking it as the fourth-highest quarterly total to date. Despite Samsung leading the foldable market during this period, Huawei and its former sub-unit Honor managed to gain market share.

In Q4 2023, Samsung had four of the top ten best-selling foldable models, while Oppo and Honor each had two models on the list. Huawei and Xiaomi also made it to the top ten with one model each. The ranking was led by the Galaxy Z Flip 5 followed by Huawei Mate X4, Honor Magic Vs2, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Oppo Find N3 Flip.

Huawei is expected to surpass Samsung as the top foldable phone manufacturer in both Q1 and Q2 of 2024 with sales of Mate X5 and Pocket 2. On the other hand, Samsung’s next-generation foldable phones are anticipated to be released in Q3 with Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

DSCC predicts that Huawei and Honor will increase their shares of the foldable market this year while Oppo and vivo might experience a decline due to pricing and demand issues in China. Despite this, clamshell foldables are projected to gain more market share this year. Huawei is set to launch two new clamshell foldables while refreshed models are expected from Honor, Motorola, and Samsung.

In Q1 of 2024, DSCC anticipates a significant year-over-year increase of 105% in the global foldable phone market. Stay tuned for more updates on these exciting developments in the world of telecommunications!