New sales estimates are suggesting demand may have plateaued for foldable phones on Android, but there may be a surefire way to give the sector a shot in the arm – the arrival of a long awaited Apple device.
A report from Display Supply Chain Consultants claims the foldable display market has risen by just 5% in 2025, and predicts it’ll only go up by 4% in 2025. That comes after solid year-on-year growth of around 40% between 2019 and 2023.
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The report points out that Samsung is disappointed in the adoption of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphone and other foldables released this summer. While Samsung continues to do well with foldables in its native Korea and in Europe, it has yet to crack the US or China, the report claims.
The report also says Huawei’s share of foldable panel procurement has slipped considerably during 2024 amid the delayed release of Mate X6 and Pocket 3 handsets.
However, while the outlook for attracting new folks to foldables continues to be bleak heading into 2025, an Apple incursion could be around the corner in 2026.
The report says: “Although the market has stalled and will decline for the first time on a panel procurement basis in 2025, there is reason for optimism. Apple is expected to enter the foldable market in 2H’26 and given their dominant position in flagship smartphones could generate significant growth for the foldable smartphone market. Any improvement in form factor, functionality, use cases, durability, etc. could drive new demand for this market. As a result, 2026 is expected to be a record year for foldables with over 30% growth and with over 20% growth projected for 2027 and 2028 as well.
The report also says there’s likely to be more tri-fold devices like the Mate XT coming in 2026, while slideable laptops could also arrive in the same year.
