According to Trendforce, shipments of foldables will increase 44% year on year in 2023.
The increased sales will have an impact on the market for hinges in foldable OLED smartphones, which is expected to reach $500 million.
Trendforce predicts that 12.8 million foldable smartphones will be shipped in 2023, up from 12.8 million in 2018.
Because other manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo only sell their devices in China and in limited quantities, Samsung will sell 82% of all foldables in 2022.
The foldable sales figures are a byproduct of the Trendforce analysis, which was primarily concerned with the hinge market. There are currently two types of hinges: teardrop-shaped and U-shaped.
The former has many more complex parts and is “several times more expensive” than the latter.
According to the analysis, as the penetration rate of foldable models increases, manufacturers will look for cost-effective components, beginning with the hinge.
The global hinges market will reach $500 million, representing a 14.6% increase year on year. KH Vatech and S-connect are the key players, with both supplying U-shaped hinges to Samsung.
Companies that have embraced the more complex hinge include Amphenol and Asia Vital Components.
Display manufacturers are also contributing expertise on foldable hinges. CSOT demonstrated a “semi-set” production flow that incorporates an OLED display into the necessary hinges, resulting in a one-piece component. This will simplify manufacturing while also increasing durability.
Smartphone users are most concerned about the crease in the middle of the foldable panel, which Trendforce claims Samsung is aware of but will continue to use the U-shaped single-axis hinge, which causes a slight groove in the screen.
That way, future Galaxy Z Fold devices will have lower prices, though a recent report claims otherwise, so it remains to be seen how things play out.
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