Is the rectangular smartphone as we know it since the release of the iPhone an endangered species? If Samsung has long gone it alone in the folding smartphone market, trying out both formats: both with a “book” or “Fold” opening and with a clamshell or “Flip”.
But in recent years, folding smartphones have become the new standard and all manufacturers have taken the plunge. All of them, right? An irreducible firm from Silicon Valley resists again and again. This brand is not just anyone: it’s Apple.
The apple giant doesn’t want to hear about folding smartphones. But behind this marketing discourse highlighting iPhones alone, the apple’s shell is crumbling. We can no longer count the number of invention patents that have been filed for an “iPhone Fold”.
At the same time, the competition is getting further and further ahead. If Apple hates launching into a market too early, it also knows that there is no point in arriving years late. It is currently having a bitter experience with Apple Intelligence, which is only one or two years behind Gemini or ChatGPT.
So to tackle brands like Samsung, Motorola or Huawei, which have been present in this folding smartphone market since 2019, it will be necessary to achieve a very big blow for Apple. Regardless, time is running out for Apple and every quarter without an iPhone Fold adds up to thousands of lost customers.
Folding smartphones: the new standard
During their genesis, folding smartphones remained a product for those in the know. Newbies didn’t understand the benefit of such a screen; it even seemed difficult to use. The software was not up to scratch, sustainability posed many questions, but above all; the price prevent the product from reaching the general public.
With a marketing price of around 2000 euros, the first Galaxy Fold could not logically appeal to everyone (who spend between 300 and 400 euros for a phone). But recently, the situation is changing.
A new study, published by business firm IDC, predicts that 25 million folding phones will be shipped in 2024. That’s an increase of 40% compared to last year, which was already an all-time high for this new walk.
And for good reason, the biggest problems with folding smartphones have disappeared. On the one hand, “classic” smartphones are becoming more and more expensive. The latest iPhone 16 is sold at €969. If you want to bet on a model premium with the iPhone 16 Pro, you will have to spend at least €1,229.
At the same time, folding smartphones are seeing their prices drop from year to year. To the point that they could cross paths in the coming years. The general public will then have to choose between a smartphone whose design they know by heart (and which they get tired of) or a completely new device, which brings two screens in one. All for the same price. Presented like this, the choice seems simple, and for good reason, it is relatively easy.
