The foldable smartphone market is approaching a new milestone

According to a new forecast by Counterpoint Research on foldable smartphone sales, this market is expected to reach a significant cumulative milestone in 2026: the total number of foldable smartphones sold to date will exceed 100 million units by the end of the year. This will occur eight years after the launch of the first commercially available foldable smartphone in 2019.

Apple’s entry into this market, as well as growing demand for larger, book-style devices from Samsung and Huawei, are expected to drive demand for foldable smartphones.

Read also: Foldable Smartphone Reviews

Global Foldable Smartphone Shipment

In 2027, global shipments of such devices are projected to grow by 37% year-over-year. Furthermore, given the expected acceleration in growth, analysts believe that the foldable smartphone market will easily reach the next milestone of 100 million total shipments within the next three years.

Foldable smartphones currently account for only about 2% of the total smartphone market, so there is significant room for growth in this segment. Samsung continues to lead innovation in the foldable device space, while Huawei remains one of the key drivers of the market in China thanks to its wide range of options. Apple is expected to bring a new wave of premium users to the segment with its upcoming foldable smartphone. However, other brands are also stepping up their efforts: Xiaomi has already unveiled its Xiaomi 18 Fold, and Motorola, HONOR, Google, vivo, and OPPO are also working on new foldable smartphones, including models with a wider screen format.

Xiaomi 18 Fold

This surge in activity should help the market accelerate its growth even further in 2027. A key factor will be Apple’s expected full-year sales figures: analysts predict that the company’s foldable smartphone shipments will more than double, and its market share will reach 40%. At the same time, the shift toward wider, book-style devices is likely to continue thanks to the strong launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold8 and the momentum of the Huawei Pura X Max.

“Apple’s entry will surely increase competition at the premium end. However, foldables are still a very small part of the overall smartphone market, so there is room for the category to grow well beyond current volumes,” emphasized Research Director Tarun Pathak. “Samsung continues to push innovation, Huawei remains strong in China, and we are seeing more OEMs prepare new designs and form factors. The broader participation is expected to help the market expand over the next few years.”

Global Foldable Smartphone Shipment

Apple’s entry into the market is likely to have an immediate and significant impact. Counterpoint forecasts that by 2026 alone, Apple will ship up to 6 million foldable iPhones, capturing 25% of the global market and ranking second behind Samsung (38%) and ahead of Huawei (22%). It would be a major achievement for Apple to reach this milestone so quickly after entering the category, especially given that there isn’t much time left in the year.

It is expected that, in the initial scaling phase, production will be limited by supply rather than demand. Initial production volumes will remain limited, so sales and shipments are unlikely to reach full scale immediately following this week’s anticipated product launch. Instead, the device’s availability in various regions is expected to gradually expand as production ramps up.

Huawei Mate XT 2

For the foldable smartphone market, the user experience will be the real differentiator. It is this experience that will help expand the category and foster new use cases targeting broader consumer groups, divided between productivity and content consumption. Although prices for these devices remain significantly higher than those of traditional monoblock smartphones, analysts predict that foldable models will become more widespread over the next few years.

The Foldable Smartphone Market Is Approaching a New Milestone: Apple Could Shake Up the Market

New comments