• In 2024, China’s foldable smartphone sales increased 27% YoY, continuing their rapid growth but at a slower pace.
• Huawei dominated the market, accounting for half of the foldable sales. HONOR was the only other major player with a double-digit market share.
• The top five best-selling foldable smartphones accounted for more than 50% of foldable sales in China, with Huawei and HONOR each securing two spots and vivo one.
• The popularity of book-type foldables dwarfs that of clamshell foldables in China, with 67% of the foldables purchased being book-type.

Beijing, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, San Diego, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo – February 21, 2025

China’s foldable smartphone sales increased 27% YoY in 2024, continuing their rapid growth but at a slower pace, according to Counterpoint Research’s Q4 2024 China Foldable Smartphone Tracker. China is the world’s largest and most competitive foldable smartphone market with many domestic Android OEMs vying for the segment.

With strong brand equity, Huawei’s dominance in China’s foldable segment was further solidified in 2024. It captured half of the foldable sales in China. Its bestsellers spanned both book-type and clamshell foldables. Huawei’s Mate X5 and X6 led the book-type foldables while the Pocket 2 and Nova Flip were the top performers in the clamshell foldables. HONOR was the only other major player with a double-digit market share, driven by strong sales of the Magic Vs 2 and Vs 3 series, popular for their thin design and lightweight build. In contrast, other major Chinese OEMs and Samsung took single-digit market shares.

The top five best-selling foldable models in 2024 accounted for over 50% of foldable sales in China. Huawei and HONOR each claimed two spots and vivo one. Among these top five models, only two – Huawei’s Pocket 2 and HONOR’s V Flip – were clamshell foldables.

In the Chinese market, over 67% of foldable sales are book-type, while clamshell foldables account for 33%. This aligns with Counterpoint’s China Consumer Study, which shows that the country’s consumers tend to prefer book-type foldables. Another key factor driving the adoption of book-type foldables is their significant improvement in durability and user experience compared to first-generation devices. As technology advances, foldable smartphones are seeing major enhancements in areas like thickness, hinge, weight, battery life and camera. Notably, the weight and thickness of book-type foldables are now approaching that of traditional bar phones, making them more user-friendly for a wider range of consumers. These devices are no longer predominantly used by men or business professionals but are also expanding to female consumers. For instance, OPPO is set to continue to support this trend with its upcoming launch of the flagship Find N5, which will be the slimmest book-type foldable in the market, measuring just 8.93 mm.

Although the foldables market remains niche, accounting for about 3% of China’s smartphone market, foldable devices have continued to evolve and become more mature with each iteration. Looking ahead, we expect that with better integration of the software and hardware and more compelling use cases, the foldables market could see sustainable growth.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media, and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.