Foldable smartphone shipments are expected to hit 16 million units this year, growing 73 percent from 9 million units last year, according to industry tracker Counterpoint Research.

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics continued to lead the foldable category it created with the first Galaxy Fold device. China’s Huawei and Oppo came in a distant second and third.

Samsung’s share of the foldable market was 62 percent in the first half of this year which is expected to jump to 80 percent in the second half with its new Galaxy Fold 4 and Flip 4 product launches, Counterpoint estimated. (Yonhap)