69 percent of foldable phones are from Samsung

Are foldable phones still a niche product? The third quarter 2026 report of research company Smart Analytics Global (SAG) answers this question with numbers. According to the report, more than 7.5 million foldable phones were shipped worldwide during this period; This figure is 2 percent lower than the same period last year.

69 out of every 100 foldable phones sold came from Samsung. While the company's foldable shipments increased by 13 percent on an annual basis, its market share increased by 9 points.

More than half of Samsung's sales came from a single model. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 alone accounted for approximately 55 percent of Samsung's foldable shipments. Total foldable shipments of brands other than Samsung decreased by 24 percent on an annual basis. SAG states that high prices and limited usage scenarios still prevent foldables from becoming widespread.

Huawei's share in second place dropped from 18 percent to 14 percent. SAG attributes this to weak demand in China and the fact that the newly released large-screen Pura X View is eating into sales of the company's other models. Lenovo and Motorola, which are in third place, increased their share by 2 points to 8 percent as the Razr 70 series went on sale in more countries.

Large-format foldables accounted for approximately 45 percent of shipments in the third quarter. SAG expects this rate to exceed 65 percent in the fourth quarter with the release of Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. The company predicts that the foldable market will grow in double digits on an annual basis in the fourth quarter and that Apple will surpass Samsung and become the world's largest foldable phone manufacturer.