Samsung Faces Steep Competition in China’s Foldable Market

Since 2022, Samsung has been releasing its W-series foldables in China. Essentially, these are premium versions of the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip models that the company sells globally. China is an important market for Samsung, and it often gets limited-edition products that never launch in the US, or anywhere else. For example, the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition was released only in Korea and China.

Samsung lands in fifth place in China’s foldable market share

Even with these efforts, Samsung still isn’t the most popular choice for foldables in China, if IDC’s latest report is anything to go by. And it definitely is. According to IDC, Samsung ranked fifth in China’s foldable market, a stark contrast to the company’s dominant position in many other regions.

So, who’s taking the lion’s share? Huawei commands a massive 68.9% of the foldable market in China. Honor follows with about 11.2%, while Vivo and Oppo hold 5% and 4.9%, respectively. Samsung trails behind these competitors with just 4.3%.

This modest 4.3% figure is partly attributed to the design improvements Samsung introduced with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. IDC highlights that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 showed “significant progress in thinness and lightness.”

Looking at the bigger picture, IDC reports that China’s foldable phone market made a strong comeback in Q3 2025. Shipments reached 2.63 million units. Those are up 17.8% year-over-year. The report notes that more brands are offering better designs at lower prices. As a result, consumers are growing more comfortable trying foldables, helping the category regain momentum in the Chinese tech market.