Foldable smartphones have plenty of room to expand, with one reason behind their slow growth is due to the high pricing set by various manufacturers, including Samsung. In fact, even the Korean giant did not have much success with its foldable handsets as opposed to the regular-shaped ones, with the company reportedly shipping 2.04 million units in 2020, snaring a 73 percent market share in the process. That figure is nothing compared to what Apple is expected to seize, according to an analyst, and that will be thanks to the foldable iPhone.
Analyst Believes Apple Will Have an Advantage Against Samsung Thanks to Its ‘Cross-Product Ecosystem’
Ming-Chi Kuo predicts Apple to ship between 15-20 million foldable iPhone units in its first year, which he previously believed would launch in 2023 bearing an 8-inch flexible QHD+ OLED screen. Though pricing is something that was not discussed by Kuo and is a major factor for a consumer before settling on a purchase, the analyst believes that Apple will have the advantage against Samsung due to its strong ecosystem, as reported by 9to5Mac.
“At present, the product position of foldable smartphones is mainly to integrate the smartphone and tablet. But we believe that the foldable smartphone is only one of the applications of the foldable design. We predict that foldable devices will blur the product segmentations between smartphones, tablets, and laptops in the future. With its cross-product ecosystems and hardware design advantages, Apple will be the biggest winner in the new foldable device trend.”
Presently, Kuo has not heard of Apple currently developing the foldable iPhone, with a previous report suggesting the company aims to prioritize profitability over what its competitors are doing. This means that Apple might delay production of the foldable iPhone if it feels that it is costly to manufacture or if it does not tout the level of quality the company intended from the start.
Rumors also claim this foldable iPhone would get stylus support, with another source stating that the launch will happen in 2022 instead of 2023, and the device would be sold for a pricey $1,499. Of course, a significant number of things can change in Apple’s plans, so we will wait and see if the company intends a launch to happen in a couple of years.
With the state of foldable smartphones right now, do you think Apple stands a chance of dominating the market with its first offering? Share your thoughts down in the comments.
The post Apple Could Become the ‘Biggest Winner’ With Its Foldable iPhone – Could Ship up to 20 Million Units in 2023 by Omar Sohail appeared first on Wccftech.
source https://wccftech.com/foldable-iphone-shipments-up-to-20-million-2023/