Foldable smartphone panel shipments are projected to jump 46% year-over-year in 2026, with Apple's entry into the market serving as the main catalyst, according to Counterpoint Research's latest Foldable-Rollable Display Shipment Tracker.
"Apple is the key driver as it starts to procure panels for its first foldable iPhone," said Counterpoint's Guillaume Chansin. The research firm expects Apple's foldable iPhone to "reinvigorate the broader market," spurring massive growth in panel shipments next year.
Apple's "iPhone Fold," which we are provisionally calling it, is said to have an outer display and opens like a book to reveal a larger iPad mini-style internal display. The report indicates that Apple's entry into the market will see similar book-type foldables cement their position as the dominant form factor in 2026. Meanwhile, multi-fold panels, like those used in Samsung's Galaxy Z TriFold, will account for only low single-digit market share.
Samsung Display stands to benefit most from the shift, with its panel market share expected to climb past 50%. Samsung is also reportedly supplying the panels for Apple's first foldable. The move toward book-type designs is also expected to drive up average selling prices for foldable panels.
Consumer preference appears to be shifting toward larger displays that offer tablet-like productivity. Counterpoint notes that Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold outsold the Flip model during the early sales window in the second half of 2025, which was a first for the series.
Counterpoint expects overall foldable smartphone shipments to grow 14% in 2025 and 38% in 2026. Apple's foldable iPhone is expected to arrive next year, around mid-September.
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