Han media: Huawei surpasses Samsung with 48% market share, ranking first in the foldable smartphone market!
On October 27, South Korean media "Global Economy" published an article stating that Huawei accounted for 48% of global foldable smartphone shipments in the first half of 2025, far exceeding Samsung's 20%. This completely reversed the situation where Samsung had dominated the foldable phone sector in previous years.
In 2024, Samsung accounted for 45% of foldable phone sales, while Huawei was only 24%. This means that within just one year, the market share has been reversed.
Currently, foldable phones account for 1% to 1.5% of global smartphone shipments. Although the market share is small, foldable phones play a crucial role in enhancing manufacturers' average selling prices, brand premium, differentiation, and long-term profitability.
Huawei currently offers four foldable smartphones. The ultra-high-end triple-fold Mate XT Ultimate with 1TB storage and 16GB RAM is priced over $4,000. The horizontal foldable Mate X6 starts at around $1,800. The vertical foldable Pura X is priced at around $1,000. The affordable Nova Flip retails for about $750.
The affordable foldable smartphone Nova Flip from Huawei is considered to have played a key role in establishing Huawei's global leadership in the foldable smartphone market. Its relatively low price of $750 lowers the entry barrier and promotes market expansion.
Currently, the Greater China region has the highest adoption rate of foldable smartphones among all regions, accounting for 3.2% of total smartphone shipments. North America lags behind, with a market penetration rate of only 1.2%.
The rapid growth of Huawei's market share is attributed to strong sales in the Chinese domestic market and its diverse product lineup across different price ranges. In particular, the high acceptance of foldable smartphones by Chinese consumers has driven Huawei's growth.
On the other hand, Samsung is facing a crisis, with its market share dropping by more than half year-on-year. Some have criticized Samsung's strategy of focusing on the high-end market for not keeping up with the changing foldable smartphone market.
Although the foldable smartphone market still accounts for a small share of the overall smartphone market, it has become a key product category for showcasing manufacturers' technological strength and enhancing brand value. It is expected that competition will become even fiercer in the future.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847101681441792/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.