Of course, the US is not the only country in North America, so the difference in opinion between the two market research firms might have something to do with Canada and Mexico. But beyond who actually won what 2025 trophy, the key takeaway seems to be that Motorola's Razr lineup exploded in popularity last year compared to 2024, while the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip families are seeing their industry supremacy threatened well before Apple is expected to (finally) throw its hat in the ring.
From a one-horse to a two-horse to a three-horse race
I honestly don't know if I'm more impressed by Motorola's incredible surge from a 30.1 percent foldable market share in North America in 2024 to 44.1 percent in 2025 or more surprised (not in a good way, obviously) by Samsung's year-over-year decline from a 65.6 percent to a 50.9 percent slice of the regional pie.
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That's a pretty small gap between first and second place, and a huge advantage held by the silver medalist over the number three vendor. | Image by Counterpoint Research
It's pretty clear that a lot of folks who purchased a Samsung foldable in 2024 decided to switch to a Motorola Razr the next year, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out exactly how that happened. One of these brands vastly improved its US carrier presence and retail visibility of late, and with frequent and super-enticing promotions like a $700 outright discount and a free pair of Moto Buds+ for the 1TB Razr Ultra, it's definitely not surprising that Motorola managed to massively boost its sales figures.
Meanwhile, Samsung totally bungled the release of the affordable Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE (which wasn't even that affordable to begin with), priced the "normal" Galaxy Z Flip 7 a little too high (and never offered Razr Ultra-grade discounts), and... managed to turn the Z Fold 7 into a bigger hit than the Z Fold 6, with the latter part explaining how the company ultimately held on to its number one spot in the vendor hierarchy.
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Have you purchased a foldable device in 2025?
With an undoubtedly competitively priced Razr (2026) family on the horizon, Samsung is clearly in a world of trouble in the foldable market it effectively gave birth to back in 2019, and that's before you even consider the iPhone Fold (or iPhone Ultra). Yes, Apple's first-ever foldable handset is likely coming out this year, and even with only a few months of actual availability under its belt, that highly anticipated device is widely expected to sell like hotcakes and put a lot of instant pressure on both Samsung and Motorola.
Wait, what about Google?
If you're a fan of the search giant's Pixel Folds, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is Google's foldable shipments expanded by a massive 52 percent in North America last year compared to the previous year.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is an objectively great device... that's not exactly selling like hotcakes. | Image by PhoneArena
The bad news is that only helped Big G rise from 4.1 to 4.8 percent market share, which remains a very modest number compared to Samsung and Motorola's towering slices of the pie. Basically, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold proved significantly more successful than a... not-very-successful Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and even if the same will be true for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold this year, Google is unlikely to break the 5 percent market share barrier once Apple enters the game.
Like Google, I believe Samsung and Motorola are also virtually guaranteed to see their market shares drop in 2026, although the market as a whole will probably continue to grow after posting a 28 percent increase in sales from 2024. North America, mind you, outperformed "most other regions" with that number, which makes it hard to understand why so many important global foldable brands aren't at least trying to gain some ground in the continent.
Will Samsung slip into third place soon?
That's clearly a very distinct possibility in the region if Motorola maintains its growth trajectory and Apple manages to make the instant impact so many analysts are expecting.
To stop that from happening, it appears that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 will be joined to market by a first-of-a-kind Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide this year, although depending on its price, that model might suffer a similar fate as the iPhone Air-rivaling Galaxy S25 Edge.
If you ask me, Samsung should focus more on making the Z Flip 8 competitive against the Razr Ultra (2026) in terms of both specs and pricing. A new FE version of either the Z Flip or Z Fold with truly affordable pricing and better marketing would also be nice, but alas, there are no rumors such a device is coming anytime soon.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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