Babbar said foldables now account for nearly 20% of Samsung India’s business contribution by value, challenging the perception that the category remains a niche product limited largely to affluent consumers in Tier 1 cities.
“In fact, contrary to the larger perception that foldables are not mainstream, the data shows it differently. Today, for Samsung, the business contribution of foldables in terms of value will be touching 20%, so they are already mainstream,” Babbar said.
He added that Tier 2 cities and locations beyond them are driving growth faster than Tier 1 markets, with affordability emerging as a key factor in the adoption of premium smartphones.
Samsung is betting on newer financing and EMI options to make its latest foldable devices more accessible to a wider set of Indian consumers. Babbar said affordability would remain a key driver of India’s premiumisation journey, with the company looking to use its latest product range to expand adoption.
“We see long-term affordability being the core driver to the premiumisation journey which we see in India,” he said.
The comments come as Samsung expands its foldable smartphone portfolio with the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8 at its Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event.
The company has positioned the new lineup as its most complete foldable range yet, with a focus on wider consumer adoption, improved hardware, Galaxy AI features and refined designs. The new generation also places greater emphasis on slimmer form factors and enhanced durability.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra marks Samsung’s push to bring its Ultra experience to the foldable category, targeting power users and content creators. The Galaxy Z Fold8, meanwhile, is designed around the advantages of a larger unfolded display for activities such as reading, watching reels and consuming long-form content.
Samsung is also continuing to build on its FlexCam experience with the Galaxy Z Flip8, which features a redesigned FlexWindow aimed at allowing users to access information, shortcuts and automation without unfolding the phone.
Artificial intelligence is another major focus of the new foldable portfolio. Samsung said Galaxy AI has been optimized across the three devices to deliver more personalized and contextual experiences. The company has also integrated Google’s Gemini Intelligence across the lineup, allowing users to complete tasks across supported apps using natural language, images and screen context.
Features such as Now Brief and Now Nudge are designed to provide personalized recommendations and reminders, while AI-powered multitasking has been tailored for the larger displays of the Fold series.
On the Galaxy Z Flip8, Samsung has centered its AI experiences around the redesigned FlexWindow, allowing users to access information and perform certain tasks without opening the device.
With foldables now contributing a significant share of its premium smartphone business and adoption spreading beyond India’s largest cities, Samsung is looking to affordability, financing options and AI-led use cases to drive the next phase of growth in the category.
Edited by: Swapnil Deshpande
First Published: Jul 23, 2026 11:43 PM ist
