Phones
Samsung dominates foldable market amid growing competition
Samsung dominated the foldable panel market in the second quarter. The early launch of its new foldable phones pushed Samsung’s tally in the market share. Analysts report that Q2’24 to be the peak quarter of this year’s panel shipments.
According to DisplaySupplyChain, foldable panel shipments reached a new high in Q2’24 rising 151% Q/Q and 126% Y/Y to 9.8M panels. The outlet is crediting Samsung’s new foldable phones that were launched earlier than usual.
The South Korean display manufacturer dominated Q2’24 foldable panel procurement in Q2’24 with a 48% share followed by Huawei at 29%, reversing positions vs Q1’24 when Huawei held a 53% to 21% advantage.
Samsung accounted for the top two models in Q2’24 on panel procurement basis followed by two models from Huawei and one model from Honor. However, Q3’24 foldable panel shipments are expected to fall 30% Q/Q and 21% Y/Y to 6.9M.
The company regained the number 1 position in foldable panel market with a 53% to 27% advantage over BOE in Q2’24 after trailing BOE in Q1’24 at 29% to 48%. In the third quarter, Samsung could gain share in Q3’24 to 49% with Huawei slipping to 16%.
Samsung’s share is expected to rise slightly to 49% with Huawei’s share falling to 16%. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is expected to remain the #1 model on a panel procurement basis with a 32% share followed by the Z Fold 6 at 13%.
Samsung could launch the Galaxy S25 series in early 2025. Meanwhile, work on future products is already underway as a routine process. Apple could debut its 2nm processor in the 2026 iPhone to rival Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series.
Ming-Chi Kuo revealed Apple’s tentative chipset strategy for future chips. The analyst claimed that the iPhone 17’s SoC will be produced on a 3nm TSMC N3P process. The company would debut an advanced 2nm chip with Pro models.
It is expected that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will be made using 2nm process technology. Previously, Qualcomm approached Samsung Foundry on a 2nm production deal. However, TSMC will remain the primary producer of 2025 Snapdragon.
Samsung’s 2026 flagships will certainly use Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. This means the advanced semiconductor process product will first come to Android before Apple. The iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max could arrive in late 2026 with 2nm silicon.
The processors for 2025 iPhone 17 models will be made by TSMC's N3P process/3-nanometer technology. The processor for 2026 iPhone 18 models is anticipated to use TSMC's 2-nanometer technology. However, due to cost concerns, not all new iPhone 18 models may be equipped with a…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) September 19, 2024
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is manufactured using a second-gen 4nm process. Qualcomm stuck with 4nm despite Apple’s decision to opt for 3nm last year. This year’s Snapdragon will be the first Android chip to be made using a 3nm processor.
Rumors floated so far suggest that the 2026 Snapdragon could be based on a 2nm process node. The chip will be smaller than the upcoming Snapdragon, offering enhanced power efficiency and performance wonders.
Galaxy S25 x Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
Samsung’s upcoming flagships will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. This processor will introduce Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU and newer GPU. It’s the biggest opportunity for Android vendors to beat Apple’s lead in chip performance.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus could look the same as S24 Plus from the front. The company has reportedly reduced side bezels on the vanilla and Ultra variants. Meanwhile, the lineup’s middle child could introduce no bezel refinements.
The Galaxy S25 Plus could have wider bezels than S25 and S25 Ultra. Tipster IceUniverse claims that the move is aligned with differentiating the Plus from Ultra. It’s also said that the recently leaked renders have frame appearance errors.
The S25 Ultra is said to be slightly thicker and more squarish than the S25 Plus. This is highly due to identical display size with a difference of only 0.1mm. The backplate will have notable differences due to distinct cameras and sensors.
Samsung’s next-gen flagships will likely debut in January next year. Details about the upcoming phones are floating heavily, fading the One UI 7 trend. However, things may change with time as early rumors couldn’t be considered final specs.
A bad news,S25+ will be the widest bezel among the three models, which is almost the same as S24+.
It may be that Samsung did this on purpose to make way for S25 Ultra.
Among the three models, the narrowest bezel is S25 Ultra. pic.twitter.com/CaEPyeooAC— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 17, 2024
I have a more accurate CAD than onleaks, which contains lines that were missing before, so I know this.
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 18, 2024
The Galaxy S25 Plus could be equipped with a 4900mAh battery. Similar to the S24 Plus, it would support 45W fast charging technology. Yet, you can expect even longer battery performance due to the enhanced application processor.
Samsung will either use Exynos 2500 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Both chipsets will be developed using the next-generation 3nm chipset. Improved display technology may further push the power efficiency, offering even more juice to run.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra would be super sleek against the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple recently launched its new iPhone lineup, with shipments starting on the 20th. Samsung will likely debut the new flagship phones in January 2025.
A new rumor suggests that the Galaxy S25 Ultra camera lens is greatly sleek as compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Leaker IceUniverse compared the thickness of both flagships’ camera lenses, suggesting a notable difference.
Per the info, the Galaxy S25 Ultra lens could be just 2.4mm thick. Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a 4.3mm thick camera module. It’s over 1.5x of the camera thickness of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Despite equipping better camera hardware, the Galaxy S25 Ultra could maintain its thickness. Camera modules on Chinese phones are already monstrous (in size), which won’t create a sleekness load against the upcoming S25 Ultra.
If the rumor is true, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the finest and sleekest flagship in 2025. The company has reportedly upscaled the hardware game, with the design department also working hard to make the device vastly acceptable.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is said to be 8 grams heavier than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Samsung reduced the thickness of the middle frame, as part of reducing the weight. However, things may be cleared as the time of official debut comes close.
S25 Ultra lens is only 2.4mm, and that of iPhone16 Pro Max is 4.3 mm. pic.twitter.com/KSMVsCICpS
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 17, 2024