Samsung wants to sell 20 million foldables in 2024, including thinner Galaxy Z Fold 6

Ben Schoon | Oct 20 2023 - 9:19 am PT

Foldable smartphones still feel rather new, but as Samsung prepares for its sixth-generation release, the company is setting its sights on selling 20 million foldables in 2024.

A report from The Elec reveals that Samsung is aiming to sell 20 million foldables next year, up from a target of 15 million for 2023. That new goal would mean Samsung aims to sell as many foldables on its own in 2024 as the entire market was forecasted to sell in the entirety of 2023.

It’s a lofty goal, especially given the competition is tougher than ever. In the United States, Samsung has genuine competition now, with the Motorola Razr+ and Razr (2023) offering flip phones that compete on a flagship level, or on price, with the Galaxy Z Flip 5. And, in the book-style area, Samsung now has to deal with Google’s Pixel Fold and the OnePlus Open competing with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Both of those devices offer better cameras and wider outer displays compared to Samsung’s foldable.

And, in the Chinese market, things are even more competitive. Brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei, and Honor are pushing the boundaries of foldable hardware. Honro, for example, launched the Magic V2 foldable earlier this year with super-thin hardware that undercut Samsung’s device by around 4mm.

In an effort to stay competitive against devices in China, Samsung is reportedly aiming to make the Galaxy Z Fold 6 a thinner display, but there’s no word on exactly how thin that might be. The existing Galaxy Z Fold 5 is 13.4mm when closed, which is thicker than the OnePlus Open (11.7mm) and the Google Pixel Fold (12.1mm).

Whether a thinner device is enough to help push Samsung’s foldable sales up, the minor update this year certainly didn’t make much of a difference. Currently, Samsung is only expected to ship around 10 million foldables in 2023, falling short of its goal and meaning next year’s goal would have to double the existing total.