Samsung’s late-year devices might be introduced a bit earlier than expected in order to compete with new foldables making their debut on the market, reports claim.

The brand’s fall lineup is set to include the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 foldables, the Galaxy Tab S9 series tablets, and the Galaxy Watch 6 wearables, in addition to a potential new set of earbuds. These products might be introduced in late July as opposed to Samsung’s usual August timeline, according to SamMobile.

Samsung Electronics usually starts mass production of foldable phone hinges at the end of June, but this year they will start mass production at the beginning of June.
It's also possible that the Galaxy foldable will be released in July this year.

— Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) April 20, 2023

Several brands are now getting into the foldable market, including Google, which is now expected to introduce the Pixel Fold, its first flexible display device in May with potential June market availability. The Oppo Find N2, which launched in late December is still being reviewed by enthusiasts. Meanwhile, several other devices including the Vivo X Fold 2, Tecno Phantom V Fold 5G, and Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 are similarly being rumored for launch in the coming weeks and months.

Tech informant, @Tech_Reve suggests that Samsung plans to begin mass production of components for its foldables at the beginning of June, instead of at the end of the month which is more typical for the company.

Samsung retains a dominant market share among foldables, shipping 62 percent of all the niche devices as of 2022, according to Counterpoint Research.

However, the brand still remains territorial about giving up said market share to incoming competitors, SamMobile noted.

If rumors are accurate the prospective launch date might be between July 25 and 27, which could give several brands plenty of time to slide in with the availability of their own products. Notably, reports suggest that Google plans to open pre-orders for its Pixel Fold on April 26, a full week ahead of the foldable’s expected unveiling. The device might then be on official pre-order for another month before it becomes commercially available.

While neither details for Samsung nor Google have been confirmed, it makes sense that the Korean brand might be taking a closer look at its strategy in the face of new competition.