Apple and Huawei foldable launches expected to revive declining smartphone market in 2026

Highly anticipated foldable launches from Apple and Huawei Technologies next week are expected to offer a much-needed lifeline to a subdued global smartphone market, which is bracing for an estimated 17 per cent decline in 2026.

Apple’s September 9 event has the industry watching closely, with expectations building for its first foldable iPhone to take centre stage alongside standard model refreshes and the keynote debut of new CEO John Ternus.

The US tech giant’s biggest product showcase of the year will arrive just two days after Shenzhen-based Huawei unveils the Mate XT 2, an upgrade to its flagship trifold device.

Analysts are counting on Apple’s foldable debut to lift a sluggish smartphone sector reeling from soaring component costs.

“Apple’s entry into the foldable market has done more than reignite growth in a category that was losing momentum,” Nabila Popal, senior research director at research firm IDC, said on Wednesday. “It has fundamentally altered the market’s trajectory.”

Popal projected that Apple would ship more than 17 million foldable iPhones by 2027, capturing about 40 per cent of the global foldable market.

“Apple is positioned to challenge Huawei and Samsung for leadership in markets where they have long dominated – an extraordinary outcome for a product expected to be less than two years into its life cycle,” Popal said.