Why Samsung enjoys a monopoly in the foldable mobile phone market in India

According to CMR, the foldable market in India is expected to grow at a staggering 64% compound annual growth rate until 2026, accounting for a 20X growth in foldable smartphone shipments

It has been three years since India got its first foldable smartphone with a bendable screen. And the brand that got it here – Samsung – continues to be the only player in the segment. With reason.

The South Korean electronics maker recently launched two new models, and one of them, the Galaxy Z Fold4, is among India's most expensive smartphones – starting at Rs 1,54,999.

The fourth iteration since inception, the Galaxy Z Fold4 enables experience that is otherwise not possible with conventional bar-shaped smartphones. When unfolded, it is like a tablet with a big bendable 7.6-inch secondary screen.

The screen is essentially what makes all the difference. The challenge, however, has been about how to make it work on a foldable device without compromising on longevity and quality.

“It has been a tough challenge, especially for phone brands that depend on display makers, but Samsung managed to crack it because it makes displays in-house. This helped it get a lead in the foldable device segment,” said Navkendar Singh, analyst at IDC (International Data Corporation), a global market intelligence firm.

Samsung uses a plastic OLED screen panel on the secondary screen, and protects it by covering it with an ultra-thin sheet of glass. The company says the big bendable secondary screen can withstand about 200,000 folds – which is around 180 folds per day for three years – to help alleviate fears about the long-term use of the foldable.

To deliver a differentiating experience on the fold, Samsung worked with both Google and Microsoft.

The big screen on the Galaxy Fold Z4, for instance, supports up to three app windows at a time, thus enabling multitasking. Like the PC, the device supports the files drag-and-drop function. And, there is a taskbar to quickly access five apps that the user commonly uses plus two recent apps (also based on usage pattern).

Through the taskbar, one can quickly get into another app from any window without having to minimise or close the app currently in use. The cherry on top is the support for stylus (SPen – sold separately) for digital inking, scribbling, and note-taking. These features give the Samsung foldable phone an edge over others.

“Samsung has worked a lot on the interface side, especially on the device experience when unfolded. There’s still room for improvement, but even in its current form, the Samsung foldable device is far ahead in competition with regard to productivity-oriented tasks,” Singh said. “Moreover, the tie-up with Google and Microsoft helped the company deliver a novel experience on its foldable device. You can check emails, write on a word document, attend a video conference and do all of it simultaneously with the apps window open side-by-side on the big screen.”

The competition

While Samsung might have a clear lead in the foldable segment, it has competition in the global market. However, the foldable devices from competing brands are not available in India.

China’s Huawei has a foldable phone in its product portfolio but the company has not been active in the Indian market. Another Chinese brand, OPPO, introduced a foldable device akin to Samsung in 2021, but the phone never arrived in India. Xiaomi’s stride in the foldable device market, too, is limited to its home country.

One of the reasons for Samsung’s monopoly in the foldable market in India is its dominant position in the premium smartphone market.

“Other brands have realised that their mass comes from products in the mid-price segment,” said Singh. “Venturing into the premium segment with a foldable would certainly show their innovation prowess, but it is difficult to fight Apple and Samsung’s dominance in that segment in India, and most brands realise that.”

Analysts expect the foldable device segment to grow in coming years.

Foldables have reached an inflection point in terms of shipments as well as consumer acceptance, said Prabhu Ram, head-Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research (CMR).

According to CMR, the foldable market in India is expected to grow at a staggering 64 per cent compound annual growth rate until 2026, accounting for a 20X growth in foldable smartphone shipments.