Samsung is expected to face increased competition from rivals like Motorola, Huawei, and Oppo in the foldable market.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (pictured) is expected to be succeeded by the Galaxy Z Fold 6
Photo Credit: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra is not expected to debut at the company's Galaxy Unpacked event later today, and the purported foldable phone might be delayed indefinitely, according to a report. The South Korean smartphone maker was previously said to be working on a thinner version of the upcoming Galaxy Z 6 Fold handset that would arrive as an 'Ultra' or 'Slim' model with a slightly larger screen. However, the foldable phone could reportedly be revived by the company to compete with more advanced models from its Chinese rivals.
A WinFuture report (in German) states that Samsung has put the rumoured Galaxy Z Fold 6 foldable phone "on hold". It was previously expected to debut with the model number SM-F958 as a top-of-the-line foldable phone, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Samsung is set to face even more competition in the foldable market, as Motorola recently launched the Razr 50 Ultra which will compete with the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6. Meanwhile, the South Korean smartphone maker's Galaxy Z Fold 6 will have to contend with the Honor Magic V3, which is set to be unveiled in China.
Both the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra and the Honor Magic V3 are expected to feature a more modern design compared with the rumoured Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6, respectively. Motorola's handset features a large cover screen, while the Magic V3 from Honor is expected to be one of the slimmest foldable phones available in 2024.
In May, Counterpoint's Foldable Smartphone Shipment Tracker revealed that Huawei had captured to the top spot in global foldable smartphone shipments in Q1 2024, overtaking market leader Samsung for the first time. Shipments from Huawei and Honor rose by a whopping 460 percent and 257 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Samsung's shipments saw a 42 percent drop in Q1 2024.
According to the report, Samsung is expected to deliver incremental upgrades over its Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 models, while internal discussions on whether to revive the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra model are underway. As a result, we can expect to see the company launch only two foldable models at its Galaxy Unpacked event that will take place later today.
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