– Foldable phones, the foldables category, is growing very dynamically both in Poland and worldwide. Currently in Poland they account for over 2% of sold phones, and in the premium category – almost 6%. We expect that within the next two years it will exceed 10% share in the premium segment of the phone market – emphasizes Marcin Garbarczyk, VP Head of Mobile Experience at Samsung Electronics Poland, in an interview with Newseria.
According to estimates cited by Counterpoint Research, global deliveries of foldable devices are expected to rise by 21% this year on an annual basis. Last year they reached 19.6 million units. Forecasts assume that by 2028 they will increase to 40.6 million units.
– The foldable device category is growing significantly faster than the rest of the market for two reasons. First, premium is growing very dynamically – all devices above 600 euros in retail price – and foldable phones belong to this category. Second, they grow faster than the entire premium category due to their functionalities. When unfolded, the phone offers completely new features and content usage possibilities, and when folded it has a very compact form that can be tucked into a pocket or bag – stresses Marcin Garbarczyk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MP0qWVOFoU
GfK analyses indicate that the share of the premium segment (above 600 euros) in the Polish smartphone market rose from 11% in 2020 to 30% in 2026. The average price of a smartphone sold in Poland has almost doubled in the last six years – from 290 euros in 2020 to 523 euros in 2026.
– Samsung is the leader in the foldables category. We were the first to introduce it to the market in 2019 and we continue to develop it dynamically. Last year, with the launch of the seventh generation Z Fold, we significantly changed the product, making it much slimmer – says the VP Head of Mobile Experience at Samsung Electronics Poland.
Counting the latest launch, since 2019 Samsung has released eight generations of devices and remains a key player in this category. It includes Flip models (opened like flip phones) and Fold models (opened like books). Fold-type models, thanks to a larger screen, increasingly replace tablets or an extra monitor during work.
– This year, with the eighth series, we also introduce a third product to our lineup. We strongly believe that this new form will be dominant and will attract the greatest interest from consumers. It is very compact, passport-size when folded, and when unfolded we have a 4:3 format that allows, for example, comfortable movie watching – explains Marcin Garbarczyk. – Phones are slimmer and more powerful, have new processors and larger memory. All of this is to further improve the user experience.
As he emphasizes, the new shape of foldable devices is also a new chapter for the entire category. The novelty of eighth-generation foldable smartphones is also the display technology – Flex Titanium, which uses two titanium components to increase durability and flexibility of displays, reducing visible bending.
– Foldable phones are a completely different league, because they are a very engaging tool that changes the way we work on these devices and how we use them – says Magda Sielachowicz-Nowakowska, Head of Marketing at Samsung Electronics Poland. – The possibilities that lie in these devices make us learn to use them a bit differently. It’s about how we watch, read, record video content, take and view photos every day. It’s something entirely different and is appreciated by an ever-growing crowd of Poles.
One of the main advantages of foldable smartphones is the larger screen, which not only makes it easier to watch movies or series, but also to work with documents and spreadsheets.
– You can also record video in a completely different way, because you set the phone and record, for example, conducting an interview or a video conference – says Magda Sielachowicz-Nowakowska. – Poles are very open to all technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence in phones.
Samsung has been implementing Galaxy AI solutions for several generations of products, also fully in Polish. As the expert emphasizes, artificial intelligence for a significant portion of consumers, especially younger ones, is currently one of the main factors deciding on device choice.
– There is, for example, the New nudge feature, which says: “don’t schedule at this time because you already have a meeting” or “leave the house because you need to catch the train or plane” – says the head of marketing at Samsung Electronics Poland. – Galaxy AI is also an advantage of foldable smartphones in a business context, because for example it helps edit emails. Especially when we’re on the go and need to quickly respond to something important, we have an assistant that will edit something for us, even if we later modify it.
