The hardware is now compelling, sales are rising, and there’s the chance to create a new experience
hands on Folding smartphones have been with us for six years without winning much market share, but after two weeks using Samsung’s latest model, and recent reports of surging sales in the category, it feels to me like dual-screened devices are something developers now need to consider.
For those who came in late, Samsung set one standard for foldables with 2019’s Galaxy Fold, a device that looks like a conventional smartphone but which opens like a book to reveal the double-width display inside. The device was hefty – 15.5 mm thick and 276 grams – and chewed through battery life when driving its 7.3-inch internal screen.
In the same year, Motorola rebooted its Razr range with a phone that started life as a little square-ish block with a small display on one external surface, and which opened up into a conventional rounded rectangular Android. Samsung followed that template with the Galaxy Flip.
All were expensive and their folding screens were a little disconcerting to use and sometimes showed signs of age after a few months. Subsequent models improved slightly, but the phones were still thick, heavy, and pricey. Sales stalled at about 1.5 percent market share, even after more manufacturers started making foldables.
That’s changed in recent months. Analyst firm Counterpoint recently reported 45 percent year-over-year shipment growth, led by Huawei and helped by Motorola’s Razr 60 lowering the cost of entry-level foldables to a near-midrange $699.
Counterpoint also reported record sell-through for Samsung’s 2025 edition Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7.
I’ve just spent two weeks with the Fold7, which Samsung has slimmed down significantly.
This year’s model is just 8.9 mm thick when folded and weighs 215 grams.
