Samsung follows suit, chasing Chinese foldable phones

In 2019, Samsung introduced the first Fold model. At the same time, Huawei and Royale introduced their foldable phones. Initially, the devices from Chinese companies were praised for their outward folding mechanism, no need for a secondary screen, more modern and technological.

However, time has proven Samsung right. Chinese companies have to change the design, learn from the Korean company's Fold and Flip lines about the layout to have a practical folding machine.

Samsung shows that the Galaxy Fold's folding style (front) is more futuristic than the Huawei Mate X's reverse folding style (back) from 2019. Photo: Samsung, Huawei.

After 6 generations, Samsung's advantage in this field is gradually disappearing. Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 show that they are having to catch up with competitors from the billion-people country. As the biggest breakthrough of the entire product line in many years, this duo has just reached the threshold of catching up with competitors in terms of technology, unable to surpass Honor, Vivo, Oppo.

Folding from Samsung's Unique Selling Point, it becomes a common playground. Now, the company has to compete with cameras, configurations or AI, functions that competitors can quickly copy.

From leading to chasing

In recent years, Samsung has been “fighting the mafia alone”. Chinese companies have launched and improved foldable phones at an incredible rate. International sales are limited, but the billion-people market is still large enough for these companies to invest and start showing off their features. In addition, Vivo, Oppo, Honor, Huawei and Xiaomi seem to share technology. Whenever one company has a new solution, the others are soon updated.

From the waterdrop hinge design that reduces screen marks to ultra-thin glass or silicon-carbon batteries that help transform Chinese foldable phones quickly.

On Samsung’s side, I don’t feel like the Z series is lagging behind because the company seems to have chosen a different path. The Korean manufacturer’s foldable phone, though thick and heavy, is waterproof, has a sturdy hinge, and keeps the screen ratio narrow for easier grip. It feels like a choice from the company instead of being inferior to Chinese technology. This is similar to the manufacturer making the screen fold inward instead of bending outward 6 years ago.

The Galaxy Z Fold7 is the company's biggest upgrade in years, reducing size and weight.

But the above theory is no longer true in the newly launched Z Fold version. The upgrade is almost the biggest of the entire line in many years, transforming the expensive model from Samsung. The user experience may be improved, but the value pursued by previous versions is no longer.

By following the race to reduce the thinness and weight of the device, Samsung puts itself in a position to catch up with its Chinese competitors. This is not a playground where this company has an advantage. Since 2024, Vivo, Oppo, and Honor have had “Fold” smartphones that are as light as a bar, less than 1 cm thin.

These companies also “ambushed” the Korean company when launching new phones shortly before the Unpacked event. The Honor Magic V5 model is 4.1 mm thin when opened, 8.8 mm when folded. These numbers are all better than the Galaxy Z Fold7. When Samsung tried to convince users with a really thin folding phone, Honor had a thinner phone.

The Vivo X Fold5 model has just been sold in China, with similar dimensions to the Fold7.

The company also ditched the S Pen, a proprietary weapon that could have differentiated its Z Fold line.

The same thing happened with the Z Flip7. The model has a secondary screen that runs all the way around the edge, leaving only the camera. The change makes the device look more high-tech and visually appealing. However, Lenovo (Motorola) and Xiaomi did the same thing last year on their two vertical folding devices.

In this race, Huawei shows that they want to lead the market. They dare to sell unimaginable models like the Mate XT 3-fold or the Pura X hybrid.

What other weapons does Samsung have?

Responding to Tri Thuc - ZNews , a representative of Samsung Vietnam said they believe that their products are not only strong in being thin and light. Having a high-resolution camera, smart AI, optimized software and powerful processor will help the device gain an advantage over its competitors.

The manufacturer's bullet points are all correct. However, the above strengths, if taken out of the context of the Z series, can still be applied to any Samsung flagship.

Configuration, performance or AI all lack the unique factor which plays an important role in attracting customers. The S Pen of Galaxy Note or iOS on iPhone are such components. Honor and Oppo have not optimized the software or lower resolution cameras at present. However, catching up or surpassing such factors is not difficult in the mobile market.

Samsung phones still have strong AI, cameras and chips, but they are not exclusive strengths.

The Magic V5 and Find N5 both have top-of-the-line Snapdragon processors. They don't have the full suite of features like the Galaxy AI, but they do have Gemini and tools to support translation, transcription, image processing, object removal, etc.

Samsung originally had a unique element in the Z series, which was the folding screen mechanism. However, the company has been caught up in this category. It is no longer their own advantage. When the basic elements are leveled, the folding phone race is no different from flat screen phones. Manufacturers are racing to improve configuration, expand size, add cameras, fast charging, etc.

Samsung Display has shown off several prototypes of rollable, tri-fold, and oddly proportioned phones. However, they remain on paper.

According to a report by Counterpoint Research, Samsung’s foldable phone market share has dropped from 56% to 41% over the past year. In terms of sales, the company has dropped by 24%. This is an alarming number for a device that was once expected to help them surpass Apple. The major upgrades in this year’s product are a positive sign that Samsung has changed. However, they need to do more to excel as this technology is gradually reaching saturation point.

Source: https://znews.vn/samsung-di-sau-vao-the-bam-duoi-dien-thoai-gap-trung-quoc-post1567183.html