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Samsung shares foldable sales information, Flip vs Fold numbers are surprising
- Samsung provided estimates of the foldable smartphone industry’s 2021 sales numbers.
- The industry is estimated to have shipped 10 million foldables last year, and Samsung was the biggest provider.
- This represents a 300% increase in foldable sales compared to 2020.
Today, no one can compete with Samsung when it comes to foldable smartphones. Sure, there are competitors — most notably Motorola and OPPO — but they are both selling but a fraction of Samsung’s numbers.
But what, exactly, are those numbers? Thanks to a public announcement of Samsung foldable sales in 2021, we now know for certain. Samsung president TM Roh announced today that it estimated that the smartphone industry shipped a whopping 10 million foldable phones in 2021.
Samsung doesn’t break down that number as far as specific devices go. It is likely the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 make up a large amount of that 10 million figure, but it probably includes at least some older foldables too.
Interestingly, Samsung did elaborate on how many of those 10 million phones were “flip” style and how many were “fold” style. Samsung says 70% of the foldables shipped in 2021 were in the style of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, leaving just 30% in the style of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. In other words, the vast majority of people buying foldable phones want a flip-style device.
It’s very likely this comes down to pricing. At a list price of $999, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was the first phone users could grab without feeling they were buying an incredibly expensive beta product. If Samsung can get the pricing down even more, it could significantly increase its sales in 2022.
The official Samsung foldable sales 2021 numbers also state that 2021 saw a 300% increase in shipments compared to 2020. That means the industry sold less than 4 million foldables in 2020.
Up next, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 on August 10. If you want to reserve yours, click the button below.