Samsung aims to catch up to Chinese rivals for thin foldable phones as Apple said to enter the fray

CNBC

5 hours ago

Samsung will unveil a thinner version of its flagship foldable smartphone at a launch likely set to take place next month, as it battles Chinese rivals to deliver the slimmest devices to the market.
Folding phones, which have a single screen that can fold in half, came in focus when Samsung first launched such a device in 2019. But Chinese players, in particular Honor and Oppo, have since aggressively released foldables that are thinner and lighter than Samsung's offerings.
Why are slim foldables important?
"With foldables, thinness has become more critical than ever because people aren't prepared to accept the compromise for a thicker and heavier phone to get the real estate that a folding phone can deliver," Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, told CNBC on Thursday.
Honor, Oppo and other Chinese players have used their slim designs to differentiate themselves from Samsung.
Let's look at a comparison: Samsung's last foldable from 2024, the Galaxy Z Fold6, is 12.1 millimeter ~(0.48 inches) thick when folded and weighs 239 grams (8.43 oz). Oppo's Find N5, which was released earlier this year, is 8.93 millimeters thick when closed and weighs 229 grams. The Honor Magic V3, which was launched last year, is 9.2 millimeters when folded and weighs 226 grams.
"Samsung needs to step up" in foldables, Wood said.
And that's what the South Korean tech giant is planning to do at its upcoming launch, which is likely to take place next month.
"The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet – meticulously crafted and built to last," Samsung said in a preview blog post about the phone earlier this month.
But the competition is not letting up. Honor is planning a launch on July 2 in China for its latest folding phone, the Magic V5.
"The interesting thing for Samsung, if they can approach the thinness that Honor has achieved it is will be a significant step up from predecessor, it will be a tangible step up in design," Wood said.
Despite these advances by way of foldables, the market for the devices has not been as exciting as many had hoped.
CCS Insight said that foldables will account for just 2% of the overall smartphone market this year. Thinner phones may be one way to address the sluggish market, but consumer preferences would also need to change.
"There is a chance that by delivering much thinner foldables that are more akin to the traditional monoblock phone, it will provide an opportunity to turn consumer heads and get them to revisit the idea of having a folding device," Wood said.
"However, I would caution foldables do remain problematic because in many cases consumers struggle to see why they need a folding device."
Although the market remains small for foldables compared to traditional smartphones, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities on Wednesday said Apple — which has been notably absent from this product line-up — plans to make a folding iPhone starting next year.