Join the discussion: Is Samsung losing the battle for the best foldable?

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Mariyan Slavov
Mariyan Slavov
Phonearena team
Original poster
• 1y ago

I think it's only a matter of time before Chinese brands surpass Samsung when it comes to foldables. The situation in the US is a bit synthetic, with the Samsung-Apple duopoly maintained pretty much by government incentives and laws. R&D budgets and operational profit margins are so much different between Chinese brands and Samsung/Apple that the latter two are bound to fall behind (and it's already happening).

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IanChiang370LZ
IanChiang370LZ
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

Ironic that Sammy can monopolize in NAM market when it comes to foldables (before Pixel Fold enters the market there), since Apple sells no foldables anyway and its Chinese competition are forbidden from entering NAM market, leaving Galaxy Fold the only choice. However, in Chinese market Samsung is having a much harder time when grabbing market shares from its foldable competitors. I have only seen one people use Galaxy Fold ever since its 1st launch several yrs ago, which is because Galaxy Folds are not on par with its Chinese counterparts (absolutely no discrimination here).


Purely from a functionality perspective, several reasons why (objectively) I think Galaxy Folds are inferior to its Chinese competition:

  1. A weird and unscientific outer screen aspect ratio which does not accommodate popular APPs well. This is especially evident for Chinese market;
  2. Poor camera performance (compared to Vivo Zeiss/Xiaomi Leica/Huawei Xmage/Oppo Hasselblad on their respective foldables). It is even less competent than Honor Magic Vs when it comes to photography. In display camera of Galaxy Folds is unscientifically designed too (cannot hide completely under the screen);
  3. High price. In Chinese market, Galaxy Folds are way more (20~30%) expensive than any foldables from Vivo, Oppo, Honor, Xiaomi. The only exception is Huawei Mate X3 which is about 10% more expensive but it's far more competent (weight, camera, hinge, functionality, charging and battery, etc) compared to Galaxy Folds;
  4. Poorly designed hinge - Samsung has not been successful in solving this problem (getting rid of the gap between inner screen when folded) on Galaxy 1~4 whereas all its Chinese competition have solved this issue perfectly with no detectable gaps at all.
  5. Very slow charging speed and so-so battery life.

I firmly believe that Chinese customers' choices are made 95% from a pure functionality standpoint without involving stereotype/geopolitical factors, which is a perfect indicator that Sammy's foldable products are simply not on par.

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J2017
J2017
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

The only time Samsung had the best foldable was when they had the only foldable on the market

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MsPooks
MsPooks
Arena Master
• 1y ago

Samsung will need to stay on its A game, but they'll always have a more compelling overall product. Ecosystem, support, features, trade-in deals.... The Chinese always look dominant on paper, but are never the "killers" specs would suggest. Anybody who thinks the Chinese OEMs have discovered anything Apple and Samsung haven't is smoking something; more than likely, they "borrowed."

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MsPooks
MsPooks
Arena Master
• 1y ago
↵J2017 said:

The only time Samsung had the best foldable was when they had the only foldable on the market

You know there's never been a time when Samsung had the only foldable on the market, right? That's a rhetorical question.

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J2017
J2017
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago
↵MsPooks said:

You know there's never been a time when Samsung had the only foldable on the market, right? That's a rhetorical question.

You're right but I don't count the flexpai?

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J2017
J2017
Arena Apprentice
• 1y agoedited
↵MsPooks said:

Samsung will need to stay on its A game, but they'll always have a more compelling overall product. Ecosystem, support, features, trade-in deals.... The Chinese always look dominant on paper, but are never the "killers" specs would suggest. Anybody who thinks the Chinese OEMs have discovered anything Apple and Samsung haven't is smoking something; more than likely, they "borrowed."

What are YOU smoking? How exactly have the Chinese "borrowed" how to make a better foldable from Samsung when the FOLD is trash. You and that other troll just won't give credit where credit is due.

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Mariyan Slavov
Mariyan Slavov
Phonearena team
Original poster
• 1y ago
↵MsPooks said:

Samsung will need to stay on its A game, but they'll always have a more compelling overall product. Ecosystem, support, features, trade-in deals.... The Chinese always look dominant on paper, but are never the "killers" specs would suggest. Anybody who thinks the Chinese OEMs have discovered anything Apple and Samsung haven't is smoking something; more than likely, they "borrowed."

With all due respect, Huawei pretty much invented the outward-folding screen with no crease with the Mate Xs. I'm not arguing "for" or "against" (the design has its flaws, but it's still original), just saying Chinese brands don't always copy Samsung and/or Apple. It might've been that way in the past, but now the R&D budgets of Chinese companies are times what Samsung and Apple spent combined. And it shows: variable aperture cameras, ultra-fast charging, innovative designs (Mate Xs, Watch Buds, Xiaomi 11 Ultra, etc.)

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poptart
poptart
Arena Master
• 1y ago
↵MariyanSlavov said:

I think it's only a matter of time before Chinese brands surpass Samsung when it comes to foldables. The situation in the US is a bit synthetic, with the Samsung-Apple duopoly maintained pretty much by government incentives and laws. R&D budgets and operational profit margins are so much different between Chinese brands and Samsung/Apple that the latter two are bound to fall behind (and it's already happening).

Using the vivo x fold side by side with the fold 4 has made me realize how little gains Samsung has accumulated since releasing its first foldable.

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J2017
J2017
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago
↵MariyanSlavov said:

With all due respect, Huawei pretty much invented the outward-folding screen with no crease with the Mate Xs. I'm not arguing "for" or "against" (the design has its flaws, but it's still original), just saying Chinese brands don't always copy Samsung and/or Apple. It might've been that way in the past, but now the R&D budgets of Chinese companies are times what Samsung and Apple spent combined. And it shows: variable aperture cameras, ultra-fast charging, innovative designs (Mate Xs, Watch Buds, Xiaomi 11 Ultra, etc.)

The Chinese especially Huawei are spending tons in R&D while Apple and Samsung are busy maximizing profits. The Chinese know that ultimately a superior product while win them marketshare and greater profit.

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