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The foldable smartphone market is expected to grow by more than 20% annually through 2028, with shipments reaching 36 million units, as leading vendors introduce innovative form factors, according to Omdia’s Smartphone Feature Forecast.
Annual shipments are projected to more than double compared with 2025, supported by the emergence of a new wide-format design that is gaining adoption among major smartphone vendors.
“In a year defined by supply chain constraints and market uncertainty, foldable smartphones stand out as the industry's most compelling growth story,” commented Zaker Li, Principal Analyst. "Huawei pioneered this new wide-format design with the Pura X Max in May 2026, followed by Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 in August. With other leading vendors set to launch similar products in the coming months, this new category is driving a fresh wave of growth in the foldable smartphone market."
Wide-format foldable smartphones emerge as a new growth driver
This new wide-format foldable design features a shorter and wider aspect ratio, giving the device a more tablet-like format when unfolded. Compared with traditional book-type foldables, this design can improve portability by reducing overall device volume and weight while providing a larger viewing area for productivity and content consumption. Its wider external sub-display allows more horizontal content to be shown during everyday use, while the unfolded internal display delivers a full-screen, tablet-like experience for multitasking, media consumption, and mobile productivity. This form factor is expected to become an important trend for the next generation of foldable smartphones.
According to Omdia smartphone shipment data, global foldable smartphone shipments reached 18.2 million units in 2025, with year-on-year (YoY) growth slowing to 6%, the lowest rate recorded in recent years. During the first half of 2026, shipments reached 5.1 million units, down 21.6% YoY. Flip-type foldable smartphones declined 47% compared with 1H25, while book-type foldable smartphone shipments remained broadly flat. Book-type shipments accounted for 69% of global foldable smartphone shipments in 1H26, with Huawei and Samsung together dominating 75% of the segment. The emerging wide-format book-type foldable design is projected to support future growth in the category, while demand for flip-type continues to weaken. Leading vendors have already increased production targets for wide-format foldable smartphones in 2026, and more Android brands are expected to adopt similar designs in 2027. As production expands across vendors, these devices are projected to contribute to stronger growth in global foldable smartphone shipments.
Foldable smartphones remain a premium niche despite long-term growth
Omdia forecasts global foldable smartphone shipments to exceed 22 million units in 2026, with YoY growth recovering to more than 22%. Over the long term, foldable smartphones are expected to remain a premium niche within the global smartphone market, with shipments forecast to reach 45 million units by 2030, accounting for less than 3% of total global smartphone shipments.
Foldable smartphones continue to face structural cost barriers, with complex components including large displays, hinges, and specialized glass keeping bill of materials (BOM) costs high. Vendors are therefore prioritizing premium positioning rather than volume, while consumers must weigh higher prices against product trade-offs, including camera performance and repair costs. To drive adoption beyond early adopters, vendors will need to develop differentiated, value-added services that take advantage of the foldable form factor, while exploring strategic partnerships that can reduce ownership costs and demonstrate clearer use-case benefits over conventional smartphones.
