With Apple on the horizon, Samsung arms itself for the “foldable war”

Foldable cell phones are becoming the new battleground among smartphone manufacturers. With Apple set to launch its first foldable model this year, market expectations are that this segment - which debuted eight years ago and accounts for only 1.6% of total devices - will start to gain more traction among premium customers. Samsung wants to regain its leadership in Brazil and Latin America.

Although it was a pioneer, it lost the top spot to Motorola, according to IDC. However, the South Korean brand claims that eight out of every ten foldable devices used in Brazil are from Samsung.

In any case, Samsung wants to gain ground in this fight and has just launched three new devices in this segment, highlighting the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra - its most sophisticated device in the segment. In addition to it, the company also launched new versions of the Fold8, with a new passport-like format, and the Flip8, which folds in half and has greater appeal among younger consumers.

Although they form a small category, foldables are growing faster than conventional devices - which have been declining in volume in recent years. IDC estimates that 20.6 million foldable devices were sold worldwide in 2025, a 10% growth over the previous year. For this year, the consultancy projects an expansion of around 30%.

Gustavo Assunção, senior vice president of Samsung Brazil, says that the bet also helps to face an immediate problem: with the market declining and memory costs pressuring margins, foldables can increase the average price, stimulate upgrades, and increase its share in the premium segment - currently at 40% in Brazil, according to consultancy Nielsen. The prices of the new launches range from R$ 9.4 thousand to R$ 19.3 thousand. "Flagship phones are being the locomotive of the sector," Assunção told Brazil Journal.

Not surprisingly, the category has already gained weight in Samsung's revenue. The Z line accounts for around 20% of the company's most sophisticated cell phone revenue in Brazil, according to Assunção. "It's not something to be ignored: it has its weight, and that makes us continue to invest in this format," said the executive. Assunção also said that the first numbers of the Fold8 in countries where it has already been launched were above expectations.

The strategy gained urgency as competition increased. Despite being in second place in foldables in Brazil, Samsung is still the global leader. Consultancy Counterpoint projects that Samsung will continue in the top spot in 2026, but with a decline in market share from 40% to 32%. The possible entry of Apple would be the great nemesis of the South Korean company: the consultancy estimates that the iPhone manufacturer could debut with 25%, followed by Huawei, with 24%.

The search by manufacturers for the premium segment is an alternative to contain the pressure of component costs seen in recent years. In global Samsung, the segment that includes smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and wearables had revenue of US$ 22.8 billion in the second quarter, a 13.7% increase. Despite the advance in the top line, operating profit went from US$ 2.1 billion to a loss of US$ 480 million.

Assunção admits that there is also pressure on margins: in the first half, the Brazilian operation absorbed part of the increase in components, mainly in entry-level cell phones. From July, however, adjustments began to be passed on. The impact will be greater on cheaper models and smaller on sophisticated devices, including foldables.

Knowing that consumers will not be happy to pay more, the company is expanding installment plans in Brazil, post-paid plans with carriers, and programs that use the old device as part of the payment.

In the foldable launches, Assunção says that eight out of ten buyers deliver the used cell phone when purchasing the new model. The used market, by the way, is one of the fronts that Samsung should enter in Brazil in the coming years. The company already operates this business directly in the United States and is taking the model to Europe and South Korea - and Brazil is on the radar.

Samsung claims, using Nielsen's database, to sell five out of every ten cell phones in Brazil and have half of the population using a Samsung device. "Whoever has a larger installed base generally has a greater chance of making an upgrade to a more sophisticated phone," said Assunção. "The work now, in this context of cost pressure, is to stimulate these consumers to buy better phones."

Samsung also bets on local production to gain ground in the market. Brazil is the only country where the company maintains two factories of its own - in Campinas and Manaus - in addition to research centers linked to operations, and all smartphones are manufactured locally. "We delayed the launch of the new foldables by a few weeks because we wanted all the devices sold here to be produced in Brazil. It's a great advantage for us," said Assunção.