Folding smartphones are becoming more and more part of our daily lives, but the prices charged by manufacturers still position them quite far from the hands of the general public. Samsung, the pioneer of the sector, would seek to reduce the bill to broaden the potential customer base.
Folding smartphones are not (yet) for everyone. Prices in fact still remain high. “Book format” models like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 cost around €1,500 on sale. And even flip devices, like the Galaxy Z Flip 5, can be found around €800. This is still too expensive for the majority of consumers.
Democratizing folders
The adaptation of the supply chain as well as the increasingly large orders from manufacturers make it possible to gradually reduce production costs. However, these devices continue to make their mark in the high-end segment, which explains the relatively low sales volumes: in 2023, 18.3 million units are expected to be sold, a figure up by 43% compared to 2022 according to the TrendForce firm.
The growth is significant, but ultimately this volume only represents 1.6% of the total smartphone market… There is no secret, if folding phones want to gain more market share they will have to lower prices ! Samsung would have understood this well: the manufacturer would like to launch a more accessible modela mid-range, sometime next year.
It remains to be seen at what price this smartphone will be offered. In 2022, a rumor also announced the launch of such a device for 2024, which would cost less than $800. We would probably have to reduce another $100 or $200 to really democratize the segment.
Source :
TrendForce