A major brand has halted development of foldable smartphones amid declining sales

The foldable smartphone segment, previously thought to be the future of mobile technology, has run into unexpected difficulties. According to Chinese publication 163.com, a major manufacturer has halted development of smartphones with flexible screens. While the company chose to remain unnamed, its move underscores the growing difficulties in this market.

The company’s move underscores the growing difficulties in this market.

Niches, challenges and exceptions

.

Despite the initial hype, the market for bendable devices remains a niche market. Only major players like Huawei and Samsung are still profitable in this area, while other brands, including the aforementioned manufacturer, are still evaluating the prospects.

The market is still a niche market.

The example of Xiaomi shows the contrast of success between different foldable device formats. Their recently launched Mix Flip is performing well and is expected to reach sales of over 460,000 units by the end of the year. At the same time, the Mix Fold 4, a larger model, has failed to break even the 100-thousand sales milestone.

The Mix Fold 4, on the other hand, is performing well and is expected to reach sales of over 460,000 units by the end of the year.

Other manufacturers revise plans

Oppo has also pushed back the release of its new Find N5 series foldable devices to next year, and it remains unknown whether it will arrive in 2025. Brand Transsion, which introduced the foldable Tecno Phantom V Fold 2, Flip 2 and Infinix Zero Flip, is presumably finalizing development in this area and may not release any new models.

Transsion’s new models are not expected to be released until 2025.

Market slowdown in China

The overall cooling in China’s foldable market is confirmed by IDC data: shipments in the third quarter of 2024 totaled 2.23 million units, marking growth of just 13.6% year-on-year. That’s well below the explosive growth seen in the previous two years.

So far.

Perspectives and Challenges for Bendable Devices

Foldable smartphones continue to be a promising trend, but manufacturers need to overcome key hurdles – making devices more affordable and ruggedized – in order to move forward. Without these improvements, it’s hard to expect foldable devices to take the lead in the smartphone market.

And without these improvements, it’s hard to expect foldable devices to take the lead in the smartphone market.