While most of the smartphone market is dealing with rising costs and tighter supply chains, one segment is doing the opposite: foldable phones are booming. Industry data points to 20% growth in the foldable market for 2026, even as memory chip shortages and higher component prices squeeze the rest of the industry.
A Market Growing Against the Trend
The average price of a foldable phone has climbed to around $1,485, roughly 18% higher than in 2025. Normally, rising prices would slow sales down. Instead, the opposite is happening — buyers shopping in this category aren’t as price-sensitive, and they’re specifically after the large, flexible displays foldables offer.
Samsung Sets a New Record
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 has already made history, logging the highest number of preorders of any Samsung phone ever, with 1.44 million units reserved in Korea alone within the first seven days. Notably, seven out of every ten preorders were for the book-style foldable rather than the clamshell design, suggesting buyers are gravitating toward bigger screens over compact form factors.
Apple’s Entry Is Reshaping Expectations
Much of the current excitement centers on a product that hasn’t even launched yet: Apple’s first foldable iPhone, expected later this year. Reports suggest Apple requested around 10 million units from suppliers before the device was even officially announced, a number that signals just how seriously the company is treating this category. That kind of demand is pulling the entire foldable segment’s price expectations upward, shifting the market’s center of gravity toward premium price points above $1,600.
Why This Matters
The timing is notable. Foldables are thriving in a year when tighter chip and memory supply is making phones more expensive across the board. Instead of pulling back, buyers in this segment appear willing to pay a premium for the newest form factor, making 2026 look increasingly like the year foldable phones stopped being a niche experiment and started becoming a mainstream category.
What to Watch Next
Whether this momentum holds may depend heavily on what happens in the final quarter of 2026. If Apple’s foldable iPhone preorders slip toward the end of the year, most of 2026’s foldable sales volume could end up concentrated between October and December rather than spread evenly across the year.