News

HONOR ‘fastest-growing’ book-style foldable vendor in Europe: Counterpoint

Magic V2, Magic V3 key contributors to HONOR’s tripled market share

Published

August 18, 2025

GadgetMatch

HONOR continues to build its presence in Europe as a smartphone vendor. According to Counterpoint Research insights, the company tripled its market share in the region for book-style foldables in 2024, making it the fastest-growing book-type foldable OEM in the region.

HONOR entered the European foldables market with its Magic V series offerings in early 2023, challenging Samsung which had been the dominant player in the category.

By the end of the same year, already HONOR placed second behind Samsung in terms of book-style foldables.

The following year, HONOR’s Magic V2 accounted for 27% of book-type foldable sales in Europe, per Counterpoint.

Together, the Magic V2 and Magic V3 enabled HONOR to triple their market share from 11% to 34% that year, on a year-on-year sales growth of 377%.

Such growth meant HONOR accounted for 70% of the overall growth particularly for book-style models in Europe.

Book-style models on the rise in Europe

More and more brands have been introducing foldable smartphones in the past few years. And European markets have been receptive to them so far.

Counterpoint mentioned that clamshell-type foldable sales grew 19% from 2023 to 2024. But while they are still more prominent than book-style models due to the former’s cheaper average price, the latter is beginning to gain traction as well.

Consumers are beginning to favor book-type foldables as well. The sales ratio of clamshell-type to book-type foldables shifting from 70:30 to 55:45 by the first half of 2024 can attest to this.

Samsung-HONOR rivalry continues

Of course, eager to maintain its status as the best-selling foldable phone in Europe, Samsung launched its latest Z series offerings — the Z Fold7 and Z Flip7.

But HONOR is likewise motivated to make the most out of the momentum, with the HONOR Magic V5 launching in London on August 28.

It is currently the world’s slimmest foldable at just 8.8mm when folded. Beyond the form factor, Counterpoint said a “seamless fusion of platform-level AI and market-leading hardware” — including flagship cameras —”can be a winning combination” for HONOR.

While Samsung is still the market shares leader at 50% in 2024, this figure is actually 23 percentage points lower than the South Korean tech giant’s 2023 market share of 73%.

Another key contributor to this is the introduction of other foldables from brands like OPPO, OnePlus, and TECNO in Europe.

‘Exciting time for the industry’

Lastly, Counterpoint projects that book-type foldable smartphone sales will reach almost 4 million units a year by 2028.

That’s the equivalent of 2% of total smartphone sales. Meanwhile, foldable phones, regardless of type, are expected to reach almost 10% of sales in Europe’s premium segment. They can even reach a higher share in key markets like the United Kingdom and Germany.

With Apple reportedly working on its own foldable phone and with Google also launching the Pixel 10 Pro Fold soon, it is clear that the foldables competition in Europe is getting tighter than ever.

Related Topics:HONOR Magic V series HONOR Magic V5 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7

Enterprise

Google illegally destroys 250,000 trees for a single AI data center

This is what we stand to lose with data centers.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In the Philippines, it’s illegal to cut down a single tree without a permit. It’s a constant reminder that the preservation of nature should be a civil, besides being a moral, obligation. And yet, corporations are seemingly immune from obligations and morals. Google, the company that used to stand for “Don’t be evil,” shows off its true colors by illegally cutting down 250,000 trees in Finland for a datacenter.

As first reported by The Guardian, Finland is now staring at 330 hectares of land suddenly denuded of around 250,000 valuable trees, all thanks to Google. A local ecologist has also said that the company killed a further 150,000 trees at a separate site.

The environmental desecration is part of Google’s multibillion-dollar push to build data centers all over the world for artificial intelligence. Google has since been ordered to stop the development in the country after Finland found that the company acted without securing the needed assessments and permits to clear the area.

Google brushed away the report by saying that they acted “on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time.” The company also said that they are protecting the water quality at the affected sites and committed to replanting trees across 130 hectares, a pale comparison to the total area affected.

Other AI companies are also trying to weasel their way into other countries to build data centers. An example is the controversial Pax Silica in the Philippines. Finland now stands as a cautionary tale against the unimpeded and unsupervised growth of data centers for a service that no one asked for.

Don’t be evil, my ass.

Accessories

Bose acquires Skullcandy

But both are still separate brands.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As one of the wisest sages of the 2000s once said, “He was a punk, she did ballet. What more can I say?” Sometimes, opposites attract. Now, two of those opposites in the audio space are coming together: the punk Skullcandy and the ballet-loving Bose.

Today, Bose has announced its acquisition of Skullcandy. The latter will continue to operate as a separate brand but now officially under the Bose umbrella. Although, it’s not a new collaboration as the two brands have previously worked together on devices before. Skullcandy will just have more access to Bose’s technologies moving forward.

Alternatively, Bose will now have access to Skullcandy’s more varied audience. Compared to Bose’s focus on premium products, Skullcandy caters to more alternative lifestyles. Though the brand has since mellowed from its more radical roots, it is still known as one of the alternative brands.

Bose, on the other hand, is still a household name for home audio and noise-cancelling headphones. The new relationship between two polar opposites might be seen as a weird one, but it’s ultimately beneficial to both parties. Besides, both brands were very strong in the 2010s. Keeping both brands going is a boon to audiophiles of the past decade.

Gaming

Next Xbox might cost double the price of an Xbox today

The most expensive Xbox Series X costs $900. The next Xbox’s price might double that.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Buying a new gaming setup must be one of the most torturous things you can purchase these days. The rising price of chips has hampered the buying ability of many a consumer today. Sadly, that trend isn’t changing anytime soon. According to new reports, the next Xbox might cost double of what an Xbox costs these days.

The next console is currently codenamed Project Helix. Spearheaded by relatively new Xbox CEO Asha Sherma, Project Helix has hopes of being an all-around gaming machine capable of playing PC games besides console exclusives. Sharma obviously wants the platform to come back as a worthy destination for gamers.

That’s a monumental task, though, especially after the rising prices of chips are constantly threatening the prices of new devices. Now, according to a profile of Sharma published by Fortune, the next Xbox might cost as high as US$ 1,800. For reference, the limited 25^th anniversary edition of the Xbox Series X currently costs US$ 899.

Should Fortune’s estimate hold true, a new console in the coming years is double the cost of the most expensive Xbox Series X variant available today. The next generation of gaming might be even more of a luxury than it already is.

Unfortunately, things aren’t getting better across the board. Gaming on PC and on PlayStation aren’t going to be much cheaper as the RAM crisis continues.