TrendForce: Apple to capture a quarter of the folding phone market in 2026

Following yesterday’s iPhone Duo announcement, TrendForce published a new report that outlines the state of the foldable phone market for 2027. According to the report, Apple will ship 5 million units of its folding phone by the end of the year.

If this prediction turns out to be true, then Cupertino would be sitting at a 24.8% market share, which would slot it in second place, right behind Samsung. Global folding phone shipments are expected to reach 20.2 million units in 2026, which would make for a 0.5% rise compared to 2025.

The upward trend with folding phones is then projected to reach 23.5 million shipments in 2027. TrendForce estimates that Samsung will account for 7.1 million shipments with a corresponding 35% market share, while Huawei is expected to reach 5 million shipments for its folding phones and a 24.8% market share. The report notes hardware improvements and AI use cases as the main driving factors for the upward trend in foldable phone adoption.