Samsung is planning to sell between 5 and 6 million foldables next year. According to a report by ET News, the company is planning to expand the production of foldable smartphones.
We’re not talking about a small expansion here, not at all. Samsung has sold 500,000 Galaxy Fold units this year, according to reports. That is actually how much the company decided to manufacture.
Samsung planning a 10-fold increase in foldable smartphones production
Well, next year, Samsung is targeting a 10-fold increase in foldable smartphones production. The company is currently selling the Galaxy Fold in batches of 10,000 units. In order to make such a huge leap, Samsung needs to invest in its Vietnam-based factories, claims the source.
That applies especially if it wants to switch to Ultra Thin Glass that was mentioned back in August. As a reminder, the Galaxy Fold 2 is rumored to sport an 8-inch display, and a bendable glass cover called ‘Ultra Thin Glass’.
Ultra Thin Glass is kind of hard to manufacture, so manufacturing as many as 5-6 million such displays would be quite a task. If someone can do it, it’s Samsung, but still, it’s quite a feat.
While Samsung is reportedly planning to increase the production of foldables, market researchers are quite skeptical. They are claiming that there’s not enough demand for such devices.
DSCC claims that there’s not enough demand for 4-5 million units, let alone 5-6 million. IHS Marking is even more modest, as it doesn’t think there’s even a need for 3 million such devices.
As a reminder, Samsung originally planned to boost production to 10 million units, but changed its mind. It is possible that market researchers had an impact on the company’s plans.
A lot of rumors are floating around regarding the Galaxy Fold 2. If the company does plan to sell that many units next year, it will have to alter the phone’s price tag a bit. Maybe we’re wrong, but if it ends up coming $2,000, it’s kind of difficult to expect so many people will buy it, especially considering it’s a new and unproven form factor.
We may get several variants of the Galaxy Fold 2
Some rumors are claiming that the company is planning to release several variants of the Fold 2. One of them will allegedly fold vertically, while the other will fold outwards. Even a third model is mentioned, as an ‘affordable’ variant to the premium unit. That ‘affordable’ unit is rumored to cost around $1,500, which is still a lot.
According to ET News, Samsung has decided to delay its next foldable handset, at least the clamshell one. It was rumored to become official in Q1 2020, just like the Galaxy Fold. That will not happen, though, at least according to the report.
These are all just rumors at this point, as Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything just yet. We may get one model, or more of them, but it’s safe to say that the company will continue manufacturing foldables in 2020.