A brand new report from DSCC highlights the struggles that foldable smartphones are going through available in the market. They simply endured their first year-over-year decline, and issues are anticipated to worsen. The report notes one cause for optimism although: Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone.
Rapid foldable progress has ended before anticipated
Foldables are nonetheless of their early days, however they’ve simply hit an unlucky peak. For the primary time ever, Q3 2024 noticed a year-over-year decline in panel procurements.
This apparently isn’t only a blip, both, because the show analysts at DSCC anticipate a whole yr of decline arising in 2025.
From the DSCC report:
After having fun with not less than 40% progress per yr from 2019-2023, DSCC now believes the foldable smartphone show market will rise simply 5% in 2024 and fall by 4% in 2025. Demand has stalled at round 22M panels. Foldable smartphone show procurement was down 38% Y/Y in Q3’24 and is anticipated to be down Y/Y in 4 of the subsequent 5 quarters
This all looks like very dangerous information for firms banking on foldables.
Apple and the iPhone anticipated to show issues round
Unsurprisingly, the report expects Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone to alter the sport.
The foldable iPhone is at present anticipated to launch in late 2026, and because of this DSCC forecasts that to be a document yr for foldables general as Apple reinvigorates the class.
Although the market has stalled and can decline for the primary time on a panel procurement foundation in 2025, there may be cause for optimism. Apple is anticipated to enter the foldable market in 2H’26 and given their dominant place in flagship smartphones might generate important progress for the foldable smartphone market. Any enchancment in kind issue, performance, use circumstances, sturdiness, and so forth. might drive new demand for this market. As a outcome, 2026 is anticipated to be a document yr for foldables with over 30% progress and with over 20% progress projected for 2027 and 2028 as nicely.
If Apple’s foldable iPhone does certainly ship, it’ll little doubt have a big effect on the foldable market.
However, placing all of the hopes for a smartphone class on the iPhone appears problematic. If the system has already hit a peak, these different smartphone makers seemingly have an even bigger drawback than Apple alone will resolve.
A foldable iPhone would absolutely enhance demand for foldables, however how a lot can it actually change the fortunes of its opponents? Only time will inform.
What do you make of foldables beginning to decline already? How a lot distinction will the iPhone make? Let us know within the feedback.
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