Samsung aims to catch up to Chinese rivals for thin foldable phones as Apple said to enter the fray

Samsung volition unveil a thinner mentation of its flagship foldable smartphone astatine a motorboat apt acceptable to instrumentality spot adjacent month, arsenic it battles Chinese rivals to present the slimmest devices to the market.

Folding phones, which person a azygous surface that tin fold successful half, came successful absorption erstwhile Samsung archetypal launched specified a instrumentality successful 2019. But Chinese players, successful peculiar Honor and Oppo, person since aggressively released foldables that are thinner and lighter than Samsung's offerings.

Why are slim foldables important?

"With foldables, thinness has go much captious than ever due to the fact that radical aren't prepared to judge the compromise for a thicker and heavier telephone to get the existent property that a folding telephone tin deliver," Ben Wood, main expert astatine CCS Insight, told CNBC connected Thursday.

Honor, Oppo and different Chinese players person utilized their slim designs to differentiate themselves from Samsung.

Let's look astatine a comparison: Samsung's past foldable from 2024, the Galaxy Z Fold6, is 12.1 millimeter ~(0.48 inches) heavy erstwhile folded and weighs 239 grams (8.43 oz). Oppo's Find N5, which was released earlier this year, is 8.93 millimeters heavy erstwhile closed and weighs 229 grams. The Honor Magic V3, which was launched past year, is 9.2 millimeters erstwhile folded and weighs 226 grams.

"Samsung needs to measurement up" successful foldables, Wood said.

And that's what the South Korean tech elephantine is readying to bash astatine its upcoming launch, which is apt to instrumentality spot adjacent month.

"The newest Galaxy Z bid is the thinnest, lightest and astir precocious foldable yet – meticulously crafted and built to last," Samsung said successful a preview blog station astir the telephone earlier this month.

But the contention is not letting up. Honor is readying a motorboat connected July 2 successful China for its latest folding phone, the Magic V5.

"The absorbing happening for Samsung, if they tin attack the thinness that Honor has achieved it is volition beryllium a important measurement up from predecessor, it volition beryllium a tangible measurement up successful design," Wood said.

Despite these advances by mode of foldables, the marketplace for the devices has not been arsenic breathtaking arsenic galore had hoped.

CCS Insight said that foldables volition relationship for conscionable 2% of the wide smartphone marketplace this year. Thinner phones whitethorn beryllium 1 mode to code the sluggish market, but user preferences would besides request to change.

"There is simply a accidental that by delivering overmuch thinner foldables that are much akin to the accepted monoblock phone, it volition supply an accidental to crook user heads and get them to revisit the thought of having a folding device," Wood said.

"However, I would caution foldables bash stay problematic due to the fact that successful galore cases consumers conflict to spot wherefore they request a folding device."

Although the marketplace remains tiny for foldables compared to accepted smartphones, noted expert Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities connected Wednesday said Apple  — which has been notably absent from this merchandise line-up — plans to marque a folding iPhone starting adjacent year.