Huawei and Samsung are intensifying their battle in the global foldable smartphone market as the industry prepares for a second growth cycle driven by new form factors, premium hardware, AI features and financing programs.
Global foldable smartphone shipments are forecast to grow by more than 20 percent annually through 2028, reaching around 36 million units, according to Omdia’s Principal Analyst Zaker Li. That would be more than double the 18.2 million units shipped in 2025. Shipments are expected to approach 45 million units by 2030, although foldables will still account for less than 3 percent of global smartphone shipments.
Huawei currently holds a commanding position in book-type foldables, while Samsung is responding with its Galaxy Z Fold8 portfolio, wider-format designs and financing programs designed to reduce the effective cost of premium devices.
Huawei Captures 57% of Book-Type Foldable Smartphone Market
Huawei emerged as the clear leader in book-type foldable smartphones during the first half of 2026, capturing 57 percent of global shipments.
Samsung ranked second with 18 percent, giving Huawei and Samsung a combined 75 percent share of the book-type segment.
HONOR followed with 9 percent, OPPO with 7 percent and vivo with 6 percent, while other smartphone brands accounted for the remaining 3 percent.
The strength of Huawei and Samsung is particularly important because book-type smartphones represented 69 percent of global foldable shipments in 1H26.
Book-type devices also proved more resilient during a difficult first half. Overall foldable smartphone shipments dropped 21.6 percent year over year to 5.1 million units in 1H26. Flip-style foldable shipments plunged 47 percent, while book-type shipments were broadly flat.
Huawei Pura X Max Opens New Wide-Format Foldable Segment
Huawei is seeking to strengthen its leadership through hardware differentiation rather than relying solely on conventional book-style designs.
The company launched the Huawei Pura X Max in May 2026, pioneering what Omdia identifies as an emerging wide-format foldable smartphone category.
The shorter and wider design aims to provide a larger usable viewing area while retaining the portability of a foldable smartphone. Its wider external screen is designed to display more horizontal content, while the larger internal screen targets multitasking, entertainment and productivity.
The wide-format approach could become an important growth engine for the foldable market as other Android smartphone makers adopt similar designs.
Samsung followed Huawei’s move with the Galaxy Z Fold8 in August 2026, and more Android vendors are expected to introduce wide-format foldables during 2027.
Samsung Expands Foldable Push With Galaxy Z Fold8 Series
Samsung’s 2026 strategy covers both book-type and flip-style foldables through the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 introduces a redesigned form factor, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra targets the ultra-premium market with a focus on thinness, performance and productivity.
Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra measures 4.1mm when unfolded and weighs 215g, illustrating how foldable vendors are attempting to address concerns around thickness and weight.
The company is also using financing to expand the potential market for expensive foldable smartphones.
In India, Samsung’s latest foldable devices generated more than 271,000 pre-orders within 72 hours. Significantly, 45 percent of those orders came from Tier 2 cities and smaller markets, indicating demand beyond India’s largest metropolitan areas.
Samsung supported the launch with a 30-month, zero-down-payment, no-cost EMI plan, allowing buyers to spread the cost rather than requiring the company to make substantial reductions to headline prices.
Foldable Smartphone Prices Remain Above $2,000
Affordability remains a major challenge for both Huawei and Samsung as they seek to expand foldables beyond premium buyers.
Average selling prices for fold-type smartphones remained above $2,000 through 2025 and 1H26, according to Omdia. Flip-style foldables remained around or above $1,000.
By comparison, bar-type smartphones stayed close to $600, while the overall global smartphone average selling price was around $600-$650.
Flexible displays, complex hinges, specialized glass and other components contribute to higher manufacturing costs. Consumers may also face more expensive repairs and hardware compromises, including camera-related trade-offs.
Financing and trade-in programs are consequently becoming almost as important as hardware innovation for vendors seeking to expand the addressable market.
Google is also maintaining premium pricing with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold starting at $1,899. The device became available on August 20, 2026, while Motorola is targeting the flip segment with its 2026 Razr portfolio.
Foldable Smartphone Shipments to Top 22 Million in 2026
The renewed Huawei-Samsung competition comes as Omdia expects the foldable smartphone industry to enter its second major growth cycle.
Global shipments reached 18.2 million units in 2025, but growth slowed to only 6 percent, the lowest level in recent years.
The slowdown followed an extraordinary early expansion phase. Foldable smartphone shipment growth peaked at 364 percent in 2020 and remained at 151 percent in 2021 before slowing to 36 percent in 2022 and eventually reaching 6 percent in 2025.
Omdia forecasts shipments will exceed 22 million units in 2026, representing growth of more than 22 percent.
Growth is expected to accelerate to approximately 29 percent in 2027, with shipments reaching around 36-36.5 million units in 2028. That would make the market more than twice as large as it was in 2025.
Shipments are forecast to continue expanding through 2029 and reach approximately 45 million units in 2030, when annual growth is expected to moderate to around 6 percent.
Huawei and Samsung Shape Foldable Smartphone Growth
Huawei’s 57 percent share of book-type foldables gives it a substantial advantage as the category enters its next growth phase. Its Pura X Max also demonstrates a strategy centered on creating new form factors that differentiate foldables from traditional smartphones.
Samsung, with an 18 percent book-type share, is responding through a broader portfolio spanning the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8. Its strategy combines thinner hardware, premium productivity features and long-term financing to make expensive devices easier to purchase.
Together, Huawei and Samsung control 75 percent of book-type foldable shipments, a category representing 69 percent of the overall foldable market in 1H26.
The opportunity is expanding rapidly as total shipments rise from 18.2 million units in 2025 toward 36-36.5 million in 2028 and approximately 45 million in 2030.
However, foldables are still forecast to represent less than 3 percent of global smartphone shipments by 2030. For Huawei, Samsung and their rivals, the next challenge is therefore not simply producing better foldable hardware. Lower effective ownership costs, financing, improved durability, optimized software, AI capabilities and more practical form factors will determine whether foldables can move beyond their premium niche.
FASNA SHABEER
