The outdated continent’s foldable smartphone market as a complete, in the meantime, continues to be described by Counterpoint Analysis analysts as a “area of interest section”, displaying worryingly low year-on-year progress for an “rising” product class “supposedly in its early development stage.”
Will Samsung lose its crown quickly?
Most likely not. In any case, its 26 proportion level benefit over silver medalist Motorola in Q1 2025 market share continues to look mighty snug… regardless of clearly being considerably smaller than the 38 p.c lead over Honor from the primary three months of 2024.
Then once more, you “most likely” did not anticipate Samsung‘s world supremacy within the foldable section to finish as rapidly and as abruptly because it did both, so let’s simply give attention to how the numbers look proper now and chorus from making any brief or long-term predictions.
The Razr 60 Extremely might quickly change into a European and world foldable best-seller. | Picture Credit score — PhoneArena
That appears particularly smart when you think about what number of thrilling new foldable fashions are unveiled by prime business manufacturers virtually each month. Motorola, as an illustration, took the wraps off the Razr 60, aka Razr (2025), household in April, whereas Samsung is extensively anticipated to “unpack” wherever between two and 5 Z Fold and Z Flip units someday in July.
The Razr 50, aka Razr (2024), collection, thoughts you, was the driving pressure behind Motorola’s spectacular 58 p.c European foldable gross sales development between Q1 2024 and the identical interval of this yr, so the corporate might nicely be an extra enchancment of its 15 p.c share in Q2 2025 because the aforementioned upgraded fashions come into the equation.
Just like the European foldable champion, the previous quantity two vendor reported a decline of over 20 p.c in its Q1 gross sales between 2024 and 2025 regardless of releasing some “incredible” fashions just like the Magic V3 during the last yr or so. Surpassed by Motorola, Honor did handle to maintain Google, Tecno, and Xiaomi at bay, no less than in the interim.
How did the Pixel 9 Professional Fold change into such an enormous hit?
That, my mates, is the million-dollar query I haven’t got a solution for, particularly with excessive costs being blamed for each Samsung’s struggles and the market’s woes in its entirety.
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold, bear in mind, begins at a whopping $1,799 within the US and €1,899 in European markets like France or Germany, nonetheless managing (presumably virtually by itself) to spice up Google from 2 to eight p.c market share in solely 12 months. That is a 265 p.c (!!!) year-on-year development in gross sales, thoughts you.
Google and Tecno’s progress is solely staggering.
Can the Pixel 10 Professional Fold assist Massive G threaten Samsung’s supremacy or no less than Motorola or Honor’s locations on the European podium? That appears extremely unlikely, however weirder issues have already occurred, like Tecno’s rise to the highest 5 distributors group. Should you’ve by no means heard of Tecno, don’t fret, you are most likely not alone, however that is what occurs when foldables solely account for 1.5 p.c of a whole continent’s smartphone gross sales.
Tecno is one way or the other ranked forward of each Xiaomi and Oppo in Europe’s foldable section thanks largely to a tool referred to as Phantom V Fold 2, which is nearly unbelievably inexpensive for a book-style powerhouse with a 7.85-inch main show and a 6.4-inch cowl display in tow.
Clearly, the best way ahead for lots of huge and small names of the cell business within the foldable class will probably be a bigger give attention to budget-friendly fashions with trendy but additionally sturdy designs, in addition to respectable specs. In different phrases, it feels like Samsung ought to begin fearing Motorola and Google ought to take into account releasing a couple of (overpriced) foldable a yr.
Adrian, a cell know-how fanatic because the Nokia 3310 period, has been a dynamic presence within the tech journalism subject, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Developments, and Pocketnow earlier than becoming a member of PhoneArena in 2018. His experience spans throughout numerous platforms, with a specific fondness for the range of the Android ecosystem. Regardless of the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood together with his work, Adrian’s ardour for tech tendencies, working, and films retains him energized. His dedication to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic assortment of units, saved from private chapter by his choice for ‘ample’ over ‘overpriced’.
