DSCC: "Google Foldable Phone Delay Benefits Samsung's Z Flip3 and Fold3"

Ross Young, Citing Google Sources
"'Pixel Fold' Expected After Second Half of Next Year"
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Samsung Electronics unveiled the foldable smartphones 'Galaxy Z Fold3' and 'Galaxy Z Flip3' at 'Galaxy Unpacked 2021'. On the 12th, customers visiting the Samsung Delight Shop in Seocho-gu, Seoul, are seen exploring the new products. The newly released products will be available for pre-order in Korea from the 17th to the 23rd and are scheduled for a global sequential release on the 27th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As Google delays the release of its next-generation foldable smartphone 'Pixel Fold' to the second half of next year or later, Samsung Electronics' 'Galaxy Z Flip3' and 'Galaxy Z Fold3' are expected to benefit from increased demand toward the end of the year. The global semiconductor supply shortage, which has disrupted the launch schedules of new smartphones from Chinese brands, is also seen as a positive factor for Samsung.

Ross Young, founder and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), cited Google sources on the 15th (local time) on DisplaySupplyChain.com to reveal this.

Ross Young stated, "It has been confirmed that the launch may not happen in 2021 or even in the first half of 2022," adding, "Google believes that the product competitiveness will not meet the level the company requires."

The Google Pixel Fold was expected to compete with Samsung's foldable phones in a niche market specialized for premium demand in Europe and the United States. In fact, from a hardware perspective, the Pixel Fold was anticipated to be the same size as Samsung's Z Fold3, which features LTPO and a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. News of Google's foldable phone development was first revealed last year when IT specialist media 9to5Google reported, citing internal Google documents, that the launch was planned for Q4 2021.

Ross Young explained, "Considering Samsung Electronics can execute costs efficiently, it seems Google, which would have to bear higher costs, ultimately judged itself at a disadvantage in the competition."

IT specialist media SamMobile also offered a similar interpretation. SamMobile noted, "Both Samsung and Google seem to have concluded that the foldable phone market is still small and that competing against Samsung in a niche market would be too risky," adding, "The Pixel Fold was evaluated as being quite similar to the Z Fold3 because its parts supply chain is the same as Samsung's."

Ross Young further analyzed that the delay and production disruptions of new smartphone models from Chinese brands due to semiconductor chip shortages would be a positive factor for Samsung Electronics. He predicted that the combined shipments of the Z Flip3 and Z Fold3 in 2021 would be about 3% higher than initially expected, driven by strong year-end demand.

However, as the overall foldable smartphone market slows down, the forecast for foldable smartphone panel shipments in 2021 was revised downward from 10.4 million units to 9.9 million units. Ross Young had originally expected significant growth from 3.2 million units in 2020 to 10.4 million units in 2021.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.