GoKawiilCounterpoint Research is out with a new report forecasting 21% year-over-year growth in global foldable smartphone shipments in 2026, with Apple expected to capture a 25% share following its entry into this market. Here are the details.
Apple could account for one in four foldable smartphone shipments in 2026
In a report published this week, Counterpoint Research forecasts that Samsung will retain its lead in global foldable smartphone shipments in 2026, despite its share falling from 40% in 2025 to 32%.
Apple is expected to debut in second place with a 25% share, narrowly ahead of Huawei at 24%, down from 30% last year. Motorola is projected to follow with 8%, down from 12%, while HONOR’s share is expected to fall from 7% to 3%. Other brands are forecast to account for the remaining 8%, compared with 11% in 2025.
Across the market, Counterpoint expects Apple’s entry to help drive a 21% year-over-year increase in global foldable smartphone shipments in 2026, “intensifying competition in the premium book-type foldable segment.”
From the report:
“A wider book-type design could become more relevant as AI features move beyond chat-based interactions into everyday workflows. Tasks such as summarizing documents, editing content, managing schedules and moving information across apps all benefit from more screen space and a more flexible layout. For Samsung, a wider Fold model would offer a stronger canvas to show how foldables can support AI-assisted productivity in a more practical way.”
The report comes on the heels of Samsung’s announcement of its next-generation foldables, led by the new passport-style Galaxy Z Fold8.
Its shorter, wider design resembles the form factor rumored for Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra, though Samsung mobile product chief Drew Blackard told Joanna Stern that any similarity is coincidental:
In today’s newsletter: Samsung says the new shape of the Samsung Z Fold 8 has nothing to do with the Apple foldable reports. It’s about giving us a wider screen for videos. https://t.co/VR7kBQD3sm pic.twitter.com/E5a8lm8KQT — Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) July 22, 2026
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