Xiaomi jumps 108% in foldable market during industry slow-down

The foldable global market for smartphones is facing dramatic shifts with one of the brightest beacons in an otherwise challenging market otherwise being Xiaomi. According to the recent industry analysis, Xiaomi has seen a staggering 108% year-over-year growth in foldable mobile shipments to emerge as a strong competitor in the new-age category.

Contrarily, the March 28 CounterPoint Research report points to alarming trends in the overall market with minimal growth of only 2.9% in 2024 and subsequent negative growth in 2025—its very first such failure since foldable technology entered mainstream popularity.

Market Leaders and Challengers

The foldable phone market has seen extremely contrasting fortunes among market leaders

Samsung: 33% year-on-year drop
Huawei: 54% growth
Motorola: Leading the pack with an impressive 253% growth
Honor: 106% growth
Xiaomi: 108% growth
Vivo: 23% growth
OPPO: 72% fall

The performance places Xiaomi among the category’s fastest-growing brands with only Motorola ahead in percentage growth. The feat is even more remarkable in the context of the challenging market conditions confronting industry giants OPPO and Samsung.

Causes of the Market Slowdown

Several crucial factors have played a role in the overall market slowdown:

The precipitous Q4 2023 drop in Samsung sales
OPPO’s steep decline in low-end clamshell foldable production Market saturation within early-adopter segments
Economic factors that affect premium device purchases

Despite all these challenges, Xiaomi has bucked the trend with its aggressive strategy towards foldable tech and competitive pricing strategy.

Future Outlook: Temporary Downturn Before 2026 Boom

While CounterPoint predicts a challenging 2025 with potential negative growth, the long-term forecast shines bright. Senior analyst Jene Park notes that the brief slow-down is not an indicator of market maturity but a strategy reset before the explosive growth in 2026.

The projected 2026 surge will be fueled by two main drivers:

Apple’s Potential Entry into the Foldable Market
Renewed interest in clamshell-type foldable devices

For firms like Xiaomi, already well-established in the foldable space, such expected market growth represents a massive opportunity to harvest the fruits of initial investments and technological head starts.

Source: IThome