Yesterday, Samsung was mocking Apple for not offering folding screen smartphones. This is a common thing when Apple rivals mock it for various reasons. Today, The Elec reported that Samsung had held a meeting with suppliers. At the meeting, the South Korean company said that “folding screens will grow at an annual rate of 80%.” Moreover, Samsung executives said Apple should enter the foldable handsets field in 2024. The Cupertino-based company will be the first to test the folding screen on the iPad.
Folding Screen iPhone or Folding Screen iPad?
Earlier, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that Apple’s folding screen phone development was initially focused on medium-sized and larger-screen devices. Later, it expanded to small-screen devices such as the iPhone.
However, analyst is sure that Apple will not launch a folding screen iPhone at this stage. The reason is obvious – the folding screen iPhone is extremely risky.
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In August this year, Reuters reported that Samsung held a 62% market share in foldable smartphones in the first half of 2022. Huawei ranked second with a 16% market share, while Oppo was third with a 3% market share. According to Counterpoint forecast, Samsung’s share in the second half will reach 80%.
“Foldables have helped Samsung differentiate itself… Apple will be Samsung’s key competitor in the future, and we expect a foldable to be released from Apple in either 2024 or 2025,” said Counterpoint senior analyst Jene Park.
If IDC’s forecast is accurate, in 2022, over 13.5 million folding screen smartphones will be sold. This accounts for 1.1% of global smartphone sales. While the numbers are not impressive, the same market research company predicts that the market share of the foldable handset will reach 2.8% by 2026. At the same time, the growth rate will be equal to 38.7%. If so, Apple shouldn’t miss its chance, and it has to bring the much-talked folding screen iPhone as soon as possible.