Europe’s foldable smartphone market experienced minimal growth in the first quarter of 2025, with sales increasing by only 4 percent year-on-year, according to Counterpoint Research’s Global Handset Model Sales Tracker. This flatlining performance underscores that foldable smartphones remain a niche segment, accounting for a mere 1.5 percent of total smartphone sales in the region.
“For an emerging segment supposedly in its early growth stage, 4 percent YoY growth is a worrying sign,” stated Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, Jan Stryjak. He highlighted ongoing consumer concerns regarding the high price points, durability, longevity, and perceived lack of clear use cases for foldable devices.
Despite the overall market stagnation, competition within the foldable segment has intensified significantly over the past year. While Samsung maintained its lead in Q1 2025, it lost considerable market share compared to Q1 2024 due to increasing competition from multiple vendors.
Motorola emerged as Europe’s second-largest foldable smartphone vendor in Q1 2025, surpassing HONOR. This surge was largely attributed to the success of its more affordable Razr 50 flip phones. Other players like Google, Xiaomi, and TECNO also demonstrated robust growth throughout the year, driven by the launch of “impressive devices,” some of which offered more attractive price points.
“Samsung dominated for a long time with devices that did not seem to change much year on year, but other vendors have released some fantastic models,” Stryjak added, citing examples such as the HONOR Magic V3, the Motorola Razr 50, the Google Pixel 9-Fold, and the TECNO Phantom V Fold 2. He emphasized that these new entrants are directly challenging Samsung’s long-held dominance in the European market.
The increased competition is seen as a crucial factor for driving innovation within the foldable segment, which is anticipated to lead to a reduction in prices and stimulate faster future growth. Samsung has taken note of this evolving landscape, teasing an “Ultra variant” of its upcoming Galaxy Fold7 series, which is expected to compete with HONOR for the title of the slimmest book-type foldable available in Europe. This intensified rivalry is hoped to provide the necessary impetus for the segment’s much-needed growth.
