Samsung Says Foldable Smartphones Account for Over 20 PC of Flagship Sales in India

New Delhi/London: Samsung’s foldable smartphones now account for more than a fifth of its flagship sales in India, and it expects the adoption to accelerate as consumers shift to new mobile designs and layouts, the company’s Southwest Asia CEO and President J B Park said.

Samsung first introduced foldable phones in 2019, and since then it has launched a new version of foldables every year. Last week, the South Korean technology giant announced the launch of its 8th generation of foldables — Galaxy Z8 — which are made in India.

“When we first introduced the foldables in 2019, they were not even known to the consumers. Even my neighbours were surprised that our phone could fold and asked – Is this real? Since then, we have come a long way. Today, more than 20 per cent of our flagship sales are from foldables. And year by year, it (foldable sales) is growing.

“Based on whatever the experience or the requirements are for the consumer, that’s where we are focussing. I expect there will be an expansion in the consumer base transitioning to the new form factor,” Park said at an Indian media roundtable in London.

Samsung currently sells almost 65 per cent of its flagship devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S26+, and the foldable Galaxy Z series, in tier 2 and tier 3 cities and rural markets.

“We have seen the rural market growing in double-digits, much faster than metros… We continue to invest heavily in tier 2 and tier 3 towns to educate them about our premium products, which are different from what we used to sell in rural markets – like 2G and feature phones which were mostly about voice. But once these (tier 2, tier 3 and rural) customers come in touch with a new technology and environment, the transition rate is much faster, and that’s how we are focussing on the rural market for expansion,” Park said.

To a question on how Samsung is guarding consumers against phone price hike amidst a global memory chip shortage, Park said device prices going up across all brands is “inevitable”. But in India, Samsung is bearing the interest cost for 24 to 30 months even on the flagship devices for EMI purchases.

“We will provide the devices on EMIs to lessen the burden and also bear the interest so that our customers do not have to worry about the cost, but still the device cost itself will grow, just like our competition,” Park said.

He said over the past eight months, Samsung has been absorbing the cost as compared to its competitors.

“If you compare how much they (competition) have increased the price, Samsung’s increment is relatively lesser than competition because we have been absorbing the cost. Not because we want to maintain the market share or grow the market share, but as a company that is focussed to provide the best devices, the loss that we are taking in 2026 is humongous,” he said.

Talking about profitability in Samsung’s consumer electronics business, Park drew parallels with his experience when with the company’s mobile vertical a decade ago.

“I’m not that profitable in consumer electronics because, just like in the mobile division 10 years ago, when we had a lot of Chinese brands challenging us, and they came in and faded out like a tsunami, they keep on knocking the doors in the Indian market. I see the same trend in consumer electronics.

“We see a lot of Chinese brands in the market, which is bringing down the profitability of our business. Can we be profitable if there are 70 brands in ACs? If three stronger ones (brands) remain, I think that’s when we can start making profits. But as of now, I don’t think so. The Chinese are very tough on cost and are very competitive. (Despite intense competition) We are trying to maintain our top position in both display and home appliances,” Park added.

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