Samsung reportedly to slash foldable phone shipments after poor performance in 2024

what you need to know
- A report claims that following the poor performance of Flip 6/Fold 6, Samsung will reduce Flip 7/Fold 7 foldable phone shipments in 2025.
- It is rumored that the total production of these devices will reach 5 million units next year, of which the Flip 7 will account for about 3 million units.
- Elsewhere, Samsung is rumored to be putting those resources into the S25 series, as its production is likely to be around 37.4 million units, a 7% increase over the S24.
- The S25 series is rumored to debut on Unpacked on January 22nd.
Samsung is reportedly changing the focus of its mobile phone business with the new year.
A recent report from EtNews (Korea) claimed that Samsung will “significantly” reduce the production of foldable phones next year. The publication cited “industry sources” as saying that the 2024 Z Flip 6 and Fold 6 underperformed after debuting this summer. If you compare the Flip 5/Fold 5 with today’s devices, the pre-order numbers for these models are also lower.
The Korean OEM is still expected to continue pushing forward with its foldable products; however, reports say it may only produce 3 million units of the Flip 7 and 2 million units of the Fold 7. According to the publication, the total number of foldable models will reach 5 million units in 2025, about 3 million units less than in 2024.
There has to be a balance, and it looks like what Samsung has taken from its foldable phones will be carried over to its phablet Galaxy S25 range. The publication’s sources claim that the next series of production models may increase by around 7%. Samsung’s S25 “target shipments” are said to be about 37.4 million units, which is in sharp contrast to the previous S24 target of 35 million units.
Interestingly, the report focuses on the highly anticipated Galaxy “S25 Slim”, which may sell as many as 3 million units.
While these rumors appear to be coming from the left, an early report from July revealed that Flip 6/Fold 6 pre-orders were underperforming. Previous 5 Series models were so popular that Samsung broke records for those models with cumulative pre-orders reaching 1.02 million units. Fast forward to 2024, and the number of foldable devices in South Korea has dropped to 910,000. Statistics show a 10% drop, but the Flip 6 is still the most popular, accounting for 60% of the total.
TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile division, said shortly after the Unpacked conference that he hopes to increase the company’s foldable phone shipments by 10% in 2024. Shipments will decline across the board.
On the other hand, previous rumors suggested that Samsung would go all out with the Galaxy S25 as it looks to surpass last year’s success. The suspicions stem from the company’s “supply order,” which shows it plans to produce about 30 million S25 phones by the end of 2025. about 7 million units.
What’s more, 2025 could look very different for Samsung and Google. The struggling Flip 6 and Fold 6 performed well, but its “successful” Galaxy S24 (aka S24 Plus) also failed to stand out. real Help it make money. Jeon Young-hyun of Samsung Electronics’ DS division did publicly apologize for the company’s lack of innovation and “vowed” to make changes.
Some leaked images may give us an idea that the Galaxy S25 series will be launched on January 22nd.