Apple's iPhone Fold is expected to be the driving force of a 2026 rebound for foldable smartphone orders, falling only just behind Samsung's hardware.

Apple is expected to unveil its first folding iPhone in late 2026. Though the move will mark the company's entry into new smartphone territory, the iPhone Fold could also have a significant impact on overall orders for foldable phone screens.

According to Counterpoint Research, the iPhone Fold will account for 29% of all folding smartphone display orders in 2026. Huawei, meanwhile, is expected to take 24% of the market, while Samsung will likely remain in the lead with 31% of overall orders for folding smartphone displays.

Per Wednesday's report, Apple's iPhone Fold orders will also drive the competition towards higher average selling prices. High-end book-style foldables have reportedly replaced value-oriented clamshell folding devices as the mainstream form factor, but "the growth of in-fold is not entirely dependent on Apple."

Meanwhile, tri-fold devices like the Huawei Mate XT series and Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold reportedly won't become mass-market products anytime soon. The yield challenges and complexities of tri-fold designs will continue to serve as factors that limit widespread adoption.

According to multiple sources and rumors, Apple's supplier for iPhone Fold OLED panels will be Samsung Display, which held 22% of the foldable smartphone screen market in Q1 2026. This is up from 15% in Q1 2025.Foldable smartphone screen shipments are still dominated by BOE, though, which held 45% of the market in Q1 2026, down from 52% in 2026. An April 2026 rumor said that Apple had decided against using BOE OLED panels for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro. We likely won't see BOE hardware on the iPhone Fold either.

As a whole, though, global shipments of foldable smartphone screens are expected to reach approximately 27.5 million units for the entirety of 2026. This means orders will be up roughly 24% compared to 2025, and iPhone Fold panel orders are sure to be a key contributing factor.

Source: Appleinsider