Apple may release its first foldable device in 2024, Samsung believes
Samsung’s Mobile Experience business unit believes this will happen. Samsung is in a great position to make such an assumption, as it is Apple’s main display provider for iPhones. 82% of displays used on the iPhone 14 series come from Samsung, and 100% of displays on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It seems like Samsung believes Apple will release a foldable tablet or notebook in 2024. So, we’re not exactly talking about a foldable iPhone here. So, this probably relates to the 9-inch device Kuo was talking about. Why is this device coming earlier than expected? Well, it seems like the foldable smartphone market is growing faster than expected. Samsung said that the foldable market is so strong that the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) will be 80% up to 2025. The company also noted that iPhone users in their 20s and 30s are switching to one of Samsung’s foldable phones at a rate three to four times higher than before… in South Korea, at least.
90% of foldable smartphone owners plan to stick with foldables
It also seems like 90% of foldable smartphone owners plan to stick to foldables for their next smartphone purchase. Do note that foldables make up only 1% of the global smartphone market now. So, there’s plenty to cover still, a huge potential for growth. Companies will want to get on board as soon as possible. What about a foldable iPhone? Well, chances are we won’t see that as soon. We may have to wait until 2025, maybe even 2026, we’ll see. But it’s not coming by 2024, it would seem. It is worth noting that Samsung would love to see more companies release foldables… globally. That would mean more business for the company, of course, and thus more profit.
