Motorola dethrones samsung in foldables as razr fever grips north america

Samsung’s foldable crown is slipping—fast. Fresh Counterpoint numbers show Motorola racing from 30 % to 44 % regional share in a single year, leaving the once-dominant Galaxy Z franchise clinging to a 51 % sliver it owned outright in 2024.

How the razr flipped the script

Carriers that once buried Motorola in the back aisle now shove the Razr Ultra front-and-center. Stack a $700 instant rebate, free Moto Buds+, and a thinner profile against a Z Flip 7 that never saw a real promo, and consumer muscle memory rewrote itself. Samsung’s answer? A half-hearted Z Flip 7 FE that arrived late, cost too much, and felt like an afterthought.

The raw math hurts: Samsung shed 15 points of share while Motorola gained 14. Every percentage point equals roughly 80 000 units across the US, Canada, and Mexico—call it 1.2 million defections, give or take.

Google is growing—and still irrelevant

Yes, Pixel Fold shipments jumped 52 %, but bumping from 4.1 % to 4.8 % is like bringing a snorkel to a tsunami. Until Google learns to market outside the TechTok bubble, it remains a rounding error for shelf space.

Apple’s shadow lengthens

The iPhone Fold—或 whatever Jony-Ive-less prototype escapes Cupertino this fall—will land with carrier co-marketing dollars Samsung hasn’t enjoyed since 2017. Analysts pencil in a 25 % slice of North American foldable sales in its first nine weeks. That blood comes from someone’s vein, and Samsung looks the palest.

Samsung’s counterpunch is a rumored Galaxy Z Fold 8 “Wide,” basically a tablet that folds horizontally. Price it like the doomed S25 Edge and the only thing wide will be the inventory channel.

Bottom line

Foldable growth in North America soared 28 % last year, yet Samsung walked away with less share than it held when the category was a curiosity. If the Z Flip 8 launches at $999 again while Motorola discounts the Razr Ultra to $799, don’t be shocked when Counterpoint 2026 shows Samsung in third place behind a resurgent Moto and Apple’s rookie fold. The empire that invented the game might soon be begging for extra innings.