For at least half a decade now, Samsung has been synonymous with folding smartphones. That is about to change.
According to the latest numbers from consumer electronics market intelligence firm Counterpoint Research, it is Chinese device maker Huawei who shipped the most foldable 5G smartphones in the first quarter of the year.
Buoyed by the release of its first 5G clamshell smartphone, the Huawei Pocket 2, Huawei saw its 5G foldable smartphone market share rise from 14% in Q3 2023 to a whopping 35% in Q1 2024.
Over the same period, Samsung, erstwhile the market leader, saw its share of the market dip from a high of 53% to just 23%. The Korean device maker is expected to make a comeback in coming months since the launch of a new generation of its Fold and Flip foldable smartphones is imminent.
As the United State’s biting ban on Huawei devices continues, the company has found solace in its home market which has responded positively to both its candy bar and foldable devices with the Mate 60 Pro it launched in late August last year earning rave reviews and flying off the shelves in China. Similary, the Mate X5, Huawei’s first 5G book-type foldable, has been received well in Huawei’s home market, adding to the company’s stellar shipment numbers in Q1 2024.
Huawei foldable smartphones have been on sale in Kenya for a while now.
