Foldable phone sales faced an unexpected decline in the first half of 2026. New data shared by Omdia reveals that the growth rate in the sector has slowed considerably.

Global shipments fell by 21.6 percent compared to the same period last year, remaining at 5.1 million units. This indicates that interest in foldable devices has decreased in the short term and consumers are acting more cautiously.

Current Market Situation

Flip-style models were the segment most affected by this decline. Shipments of these devices fell by 47 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026.

Book-style foldable phones, on the other hand, generally followed a flat trend. These models continued to dominate a large portion of the market, accounting for 69% of global foldable phone shipments.

Looking at it by brand, Huawei holds the lead with a 57% market share. Samsung is in second place with 18%, while Honor is in third place with a 9% share.

Huawei and Samsung together have a 75% market dominance in this segment. Honor, in third place, continues to be one of the valuable players in the market.

Reasons for the decline and future expectations

The main reason for this decline in the market is that foldable phones are still a fairly high-priced product category. Large and flexible screens and complex hinge mechanisms directly drive up production costs.

Special glass components also make the devices more expensive compared to classic flagship phones. The decrease in consumer enthusiasm for these devices in the first period also negatively affects the growth rate.

Especially in flip models, the fact that the advantages offered do not justify the high price difference weakens demand. While 18.2 million foldable phones were shipped worldwide in 2025, annual growth remained at only 6 percent.

However, there is room for growth in the sector with new design concepts. The wide-format design pioneered by Huawei’s Pura X Max model offers a different user experience than classic book-type models.

This design offers a larger external screen when the device is closed, while creating a tablet-like usable area when opened. If Samsung and other major Android manufacturers also adopt similar designs, it could revitalize the market.

Omdia expects foldable phone shipments to exceed 22 million units for the entire year. This expectation represents more than 22 percent annual growth.

Long-term projections show that foldable devices will continue to grow. Global shipments are expected to reach 45 million units in 2030.

However, it is assumed that this number will represent less than 3% of total global smartphone shipments. How much do you think prices need to fall for foldable phones to become widespread?