Global foldable smartphone shipments are expected to grow 20% in 2026 compared to last year, with Apple's first entry into the category cited as one of the factors driving the increase, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.

The report notes that the broader smartphone market is contending with tighter supply of upstream logic chips and higher memory prices, but says the foldable segment is expected to keep expanding regardless. Samsung is expected to retain its lead in the category, while Apple, Huawei, and other brands are described as helping to drive growth, with the fourth quarter of 2026 flagged as the year's most important sales period.

Industry sources told the publication that wider foldable designs and Apple's move into foldables are giving the category a further lift. Nearly eight years of product development, along with a growing number of brand launches and a broader range of devices for buyers, have made foldables more mature and given manufacturers added momentum to expand shipments.

Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models this September, and has reportedly told suppliers to prepare to build around 10 million units this year. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested the device may not be available to pre-order until the fourth quarter of 2026, a timeline that lines up with DigiTimes' framing of that quarter as the category's key growth window.

According to the report, Samsung's own experience shows that early preorder campaigns can generate strong launch-period sales, but the bigger growth phase is expected to arrive in the fourth quarter, once foldable launches from multiple brands are already on the market. That period is seen as a key opportunity to expand overall demand and drive shipment growth. ‌DigiTimes‌ added that that most consumers already expect device prices to rise, so demand should hold up as long as increases stay reasonable.

Source: Macrumors