Pixel 9 Pro Fold Gains Ground as Europe’s Foldable Market Stalls
The European foldable smartphone market is hitting a strange inflection point as the segment appears to be currently flatlining. While the innovative form factor continues to capture headlines, recent reports from Counterpoint Research indicate a mere 4% year-on-year growth in Q1 2025, with foldables accounting for only 1.5% of total smartphone sales in Europe. High prices and lingering consumer doubts about durability and practical use cases remain significant hurdles.
However, amidst this modest growth, a clear success story is emerging: Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The Foldable Landscape: A Battle for Market Share
For a long time, Samsung had been the undisputed king of foldables, but the playing field is rapidly becoming more crowded and competitive. Samsung's market share in Europe's foldable segment has notably shrunk, dropping from 56% in Q1 of 2024 to 41% in Q1 2025. This decline is largely due to increased pressure from a growing roster of competitors. Motorola has surged into second place, driven by the success of its more affordable Razr 50 flip phones. Other notable players like Honor, Xiaomi and TECNO are also making their presence felt.
Google's Ascent: The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's Impact
Among these rising contenders, Google has might be the most surprising. The company's foldable market share in Europe has seen a remarkable leap, skyrocketing from 2% last year to a significant 8% in Q1 2025. Their 265% year-on-year growth is largely attributed to the strong performance of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
What makes this success particularly impressive is that Google's foldable offerings occupy the high-end price bracket, similar to Samsung's premium Galaxy Z Fold series. Unlike some competitors, such as TECNO which has also seen substantial growth with more affordable options, Google is proving that some consumers are willing to invest in a premium foldable experience.
Samsung’s Slide
Samsung’s long-standing dominance appears to be eroding, not from bold competition alone, but from its own reliance on refinement over innovation. This iterative approach now appears to be taking a toll, as a growing segment of users begins shifting to more ambitious or better-value alternatives. Their European market drop of 15% in a year is a clear indicator of this trend. For the upcoming Fold 7, Samsung faces a critical challenge: it must step up to the plate with substantial advancements in design and features to reclaim its lost market share and reassert its position as the undisputed leader in the increasingly competitive foldable arena.
Rumored specs for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 suggest a major leap forward: an ultra-slim 3.9mm profile, a powerful 200MP main camera, expanded inner and outer displays (with the latter possibly stretching to 8.2 inches), the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, improved thermal management via a larger vapor chamber and perhaps some other “industry firsts.” If these enhancements materialize, the Fold 7 could finally deliver the kind of “Ultra” foldable experience Samsung’s fans have been waiting for.