DSCC report shows that Samsung’s foldable smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2022 are within expectations, reaching 85% share of the foldable smartphone market and 5.2 million units sold in the third quarter of 2022.
The report notes that Samsung reversed course in the fourth quarter of 2022, with its foldable smartphone shipments expected to fall 50 percent sequentially and 36 percent year-over-year to 2.6 million units, with additional sequential declines expected in the first and second quarters of 2023.
The DSCC said Samsung’s share is expected to fall to just 82 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022, but this is the first time it has seen a year-over-year decline. Samsung’s share is expected to decline further in Q1 and Q2 2023, falling below 50% in Q2 2023 due to traditional seasonal weakness while its competitors launch new devices.
By region, the North American market region is the main problem for Samsung experiencing declines in the fourth quarter of 2022, which happened just after the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro series. The U.S. accounted for 29 percent of Samsung’s foldable smartphone production in 2021, but that plummeted to just 7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022.
In addition, DSCC says that while the foldable market is stagnant in Q4 2022, it is still a bright spot in the smartphone and display market. In addition, new entrants, such as Google, as well as existing handset brands bringing more diverse products to the market, such as the OPPO Find N2 and Find N2 Flip, will increase competition in the market, provide consumers with more choices, and bring prices down.DSCC sees 33% growth in folding phone shipments in 2023, reaching a size of 17 million units.
