According to a new report published by Counterpoint Research, Huawei became the manufacturer that sold the most foldable phones in the first quarter of this year. This news has a lot of value considering that Huawei's sales have been falling in many parts of the world over the past few years since the US government decided to cut off its access to Google services.
It can be thought that the first brand that comes to many people's minds when it comes to foldable phones is Samsung. However, the South Korean company remained in second place behind Huawei in the first quarter of 2024. Samsung's sales fell by 42 percent compared to the same period the previous year.
Huawei's 257 percent growth is largely due to sales in China, which surged for the company after the launch of the Mate X5 last year. The availability of 5G connectivity appears to have played a key role in increasing Chinese consumers' interest in Huawei's foldable devices.
The sales of Honor, which ranks third, increased by 460 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. However, the most remarkable growth was recorded by Motorola, which increased its sales by 1473 percent. Overall, foldable device sales increased 49 percent year over year. yearly. Honor and Motorola's growth has come primarily from outside China, unlike Huawei.
Honor's market share in the foldable space has increased from 3 percent a year ago to 2 percent currently. Honor Magic V2 became the best-selling foldable phone in Western Europe in the first quarter of 2024. Motorola's global market share in foldable phones increased to 11 percent thanks to the strong performance of the Razr series in North America.
Huawei will continue to expand its foldable phone portfolio
In the first quarter of 2024, “book-type” foldable products accounted for 55 percent of global shipments, surpassing clamshell-type foldable products for the first time since 2021. However, things may turn around later this year when Samsung launches the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Huawei is also planning to release a new clamshell-style foldable phone this year. Xiaomi and Honor are also expected to introduce their first products in this form in 2024.