Foldable screens (and likely phones) could hit 50m shipments by 2024

The dawn of foldable smartphones thus far has been more like a sad, foggy morning than a bright Spring day.

We already know the troubles Samsung has been through with its Galaxy Fold. It seems that Huawei is now delaying its Mate X beyond September. This doesn’t really inspire much confidence in the budding technology.

But new data from analytics firm IHS Markit (via GizChina) suggests that foldable phones’ popularity will be on the up and up as we head into the next decade.

The firm believes that foldable screen shipments will reach 50-million by 2024, a great deal of those attached to foldable smartphones, of course. This number was also corroborated by a March 2019 report by IHS Markit.

Shipments of foldable screens are expected to accelerate after 2022

This figure’s a huge acceleration from its 2020 prediction of 8.3-million. By 2021, the firm expects more than 17-million bendy panel shipments.

Still, 50-million is a drop in the ocean of overall OLED shipments. The display technology is expected to see more than 700-million shipments in 2021, with foldable panels representing less than 3% of that.

But now that Samsung has repaired and redesigned its Galaxy Fold, and Huawei seems more likely to unveil its foldable smartphone in 2019, the technology could be getting the boost it needs.

Feature image: The Huawei Mate X, by Andy Walker/Memeburn