A couple of years ago, Samsung was not only a trendsetter in the foldable smartphone segment but also the largest manufacturer of these devices. Now the situation has already changed - according to the results of Q2 2025 , Samsung's share decreased from 21% to 9% compared to Q2 2024 (although Counterpoint Research analysts are confident that Samsung will "regain its market share within a year" due to the lineup update in Q3 and deferred sales by mobile operators). Huawei is already the largest seller of foldable smartphones (but at the expense of the huge Chinese market, where the company has 76.6% of this market segment). The share of Motorola foldable smartphones has also increased significantly. Analysts attribute this to the manufacturer's aggressive marketing policy in North America, where Motorola offers a foldable smartphone at the lowest price of USD 700. In general, the foldable smartphone market is growing - expectations are 45% by 2025 (but mainly due to China).
I have been using the Motorola RAZR 50 for several months and understand why everything is happening the way it is. Because Motorola's strategy works: for less money, the consumer gets several advantages even over the Galaxy Flip with flagship features (which has a more powerful processor and a better camera).
Better equipment
The RAZR comes with a matching colour case (in the case of Samsung, you have to buy it separately). Also, in some markets, the smartphone can be additionally equipped not only with a USB-C charging cable, but also with a charger and a lanyard that can be attached to the case using metal clips on it. In my case, there was no charger, but the lanyard was in the colour of the case. We all understand that marketing is obliged to create additional sales of accessories (where the margin is fantastically profitable for both the manufacturer and the sellers). But it was possible to at least add a case to a device costing $1,000 or more if the manufacturer of a $700 smartphone adds one.
The RAZR 50 comes with a case and lanyard in the colour of the smartphone. Illustration: gagadget
Faster charging
Despite the fact that the Galaxy Flip is a smartphone with top specs and the most powerful processors at the time of its launch (although the Flip 7 is powered by Exynos instead of Qualcomm, which is only available in the Fold 7), Samsung's fast charging technology is worse. Yes, you can argue that faster charging can accelerate battery degradation. However, we are dealing with a top-of-the-line image model, which has a consumer lifespan of 1-2 years rather than 5-7. Owners of such a smartphone change their device once every year or two years. Therefore, the battery simply does not have time to degrade significantly during this period.
On average, the RAZR charges fully in an hour, while the Galaxy Flip takes an hour and a half. In the first 80% of the charge, the difference in speed is even more noticeable. It is illogical that a more expensive smartphone provides a worse user experience. But this explains why Motorola is growing.
A screenshot of the RAZR 50's external screen during fast charging. Illustration: gagadget
Games on the external screen out of the box
In addition, the RAZR 50 has better implementation of the external screen. Widgets with simple casual games are available immediately to the buyer of the smartphone. You can take out your smartphone and play a simple game on the screen for a few minutes while waiting for transport or standing in a queue. It's a way to kill some time without reading news that is destructive to the psyche.
It should be added here that Galaxy Flip users can also use games on the external screen. But to do this, you need to install a separate Good Lock app (which you still need to find out about somewhere). Then install the MultiStar plugin in it. And then activate the section "I ❤️ Galaxy Foldable". And then add a widget with games (which also need to be downloaded additionally) to the external screen. It's too complicated for the average consumer to use it on a massive scale. Whereas Motorola smartphones have all this available at once. Why Samsung hasn't made all of this part of the system at once to popularise the foldable smartphone format is a mystery.
Screenshots of the Good Lock app. Illustration: gagadget
I'm not talking about the larger external screen, which Galaxy Flip got only this year. Or about the less noticeable crease - in fact, my long experience with Galaxy Flip and Motorola RAZR smartphones says that now it is impossible to feel the difference and the crease is still felt in both cases. Especially over time, when the smartphone has already had hundreds or thousands of folding and unfolding cycles.
And, of course, none of this is to say that a cheaper smartphone beats a more expensive one in everything. Each of them is worth its money, which corresponds to their technical characteristics. The processor performance and camera capabilities are different, in favour of the Galaxy Flip, of course. But this is a simple and clear signal to the market: cheaper foldable smartphones can look attractive. And this is already affecting the growth of the market and the popularisation of foldable smartphones, which, in my opinion, will sooner or later become widespread and affordable.
For those who want to know more
Co-founder and editor-in-chief of gagadget.com. Graduated from the Journalism Department of Kyiv National University in 1998. I made my first publications in mass media in my school years (there were still newspapers then). Observed the evolution of smartphones in the front row since Nokia 7650 on Symbian. Since 2002 he has specialized in the topic of smartphones, mobile communications and analysis of the development of the consumer electronics market.
