A sizeable minority of consumers in the US are strongly considering foldable smartphones as their next purchase when they’re due for an upgrade, according to a new report by Counterpoint Research.

The report states that 28% of surveyed users are “most likely” to consider foldables in the foreseeable future, with 16% “somewhat likely” of a foldable purchase. 29% viewed foldables as not being a priority for them at the moment, with 27% of responders reported as being “not sure” regarding their future smartphone purchase.

In terms of desired form factors, Counterpoint Research categorizes foldables as either “Flip Type” similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip4, or “Book Type” like the Galaxy Z Fold4. Flip-type foldables narrowly edged out book-type ones, with 49% of responders preferring the former compared to 35% favoring the latter.

In terms of preferred brands, Samsung took the top spot with 46% of users preferring a Samsung-made foldable. Bizarrely, Apple came in second at 39%, despite the company not planning to launch a foldable iPhone anytime soon. Motorola took the third place with 6% of all responders.

The report adds that Samsung loyalists are the main driving force behind the company’s strong foldable sales, noting that “a large portion of Galaxy foldable users were originally Galaxy Note users”. The market is eagerly waiting for a foldable offering from Apple, adding that “there is a lot of vacuum and excitement among consumers for a foldable iPhone, which is evident in the survey”.

The report warns that foldables won’t overtake candy bar smartphones in the immediate future. Despite their “rapid growth” sales-wise, foldables only made up about 1% of global smartphone shipments, and 7% of premium smartphone sales in 2022. High price tags remain an entry barrier for most potential foldable customers, with the report concluding that “durability, new features and the entry of other prominent players are important factors to boost the adoption of foldable phones”.