- SAG tracked global foldable smartphone shipments and trade wholesale revenue both down double digit in Q1 2026.
- Huawei maintained global leadership in both shipment volume and trade wholesale revenue, although the company lost share to Samsung and Honor this quarter.
- Samsung emerged as the biggest share gainer in Q1 2026, with shipment share rising from 14% to 25% YoY and value share nearly doubling from 16% to 31%, driven by strong Fold 7 and Flip 7 promotions.
- Honor continued to gain momentum in the premium foldable segment, supported by healthy demand for the Magic V6 series in China etc.
- Big fold devices remained the dominant form factor with 69% shipment share in Q1 2026, although SAG expects the industry to gradually transition toward wide fold and wide flip designs in the coming quarters.
- Apple’s expected foldable smartphone launch in 2H 2026 is projected to become a major industry inflection point, with Apple forecast to become the global foldable market leader by 2027.
SAG tracked global foldable smartphone shipment volume declining at a double-digit rate in Q1 2026, while global foldable smartphone trade wholesale revenue also fell double digits YoY amid weakening replacement demand, rising pricing pressure, and slowing momentum in a few mature foldable markets such as China. Huawei maintained its leadership position in both shipment volume and trade wholesale revenue during the quarter, although the company continued to lose market share to both Samsung and Honor. Meanwhile, Samsung emerged as the biggest share gainer in Q1 2026, with both shipment share and value share nearly doubling YoY, supported by aggressive channel promotions, improving operator support, and stronger momentum in premium markets outside China.
Exhibit 1: Global Foldable Smartphone Vendor Share and Value Share in Q1 2026
Huawei Remains No.1 Despite Share Decline
Huawei remained the global foldable smartphone leader in Q1 2026 with a 40% shipment share, although this was down significantly from 54% in Q1 2025. In value share, Huawei also retained the top position at 43%, declining from 59% a year earlier. SAG believes the softer performance was mainly driven by mixed demand for the Mate X6 series compared with the earlier Mate X5 generation, alongside the absence of major portfolio refreshes during the quarter.
In China, premium consumers have become increasingly selective on foldable upgrades, particularly amid a weak macroeconomic environment and intensifying competition from Android rivals.
Nevertheless, Huawei is expected to rebound in the coming quarters following the launch of the Pura X Max, which has received positive early feedback thanks to its innovative wide-fold form factor and premium industrial design.
Samsung Nearly Doubles Share on Strong Fold 7 Momentum
Samsung delivered the strongest share gains among the top three vendors in Q1 2026. The company’s global foldable shipment share rose sharply from 14% in Q1 2025 to 25% in Q1 2026, while its value share nearly doubled from 16% to 31%.
SAG attributes the strong momentum largely to aggressive channel promotions for the Fold 7 and Flip 7 series in key markets including South Korea and Japan. Samsung also benefited from improving foldable demand trends in North America and parts of Europe, where carrier subsidies and installment plans continued to support premium smartphone adoption. At the same time, Samsung’s broader retail and operator presence outside China remained a structural advantage compared with most Chinese foldable competitors.
Honor Continues Rapid Premium Expansion
Honor also continued to strengthen its position in the global foldable market during Q1 2026. The company’s shipment share increased from 11% to 19% YoY, while value share climbed from 8% to 14%.
SAG believes the growth was primarily supported by the strong performance of the newly launched Magic V6 series in the China market. Honor continued to improve its foldable hardware competitiveness, particularly in areas such as device thinness, battery capacity, hinge durability, and industrial design. The brand also benefited from growing consumer awareness in the premium Android segment following expanded retail investments and stronger operator partnerships in selected international markets.
Big Fold Still Dominates, But the Industry Is Entering a Form Factor Transition
By form factor, big fold devices continued to dominate the global foldable smartphone market in Q1 2026, accounting for 69% of total shipments worldwide, followed by small flip models at 28%, while wide flip devices represented 3% share. Wide fold devices remained commercially negligible during the quarter but are expected to emerge as the next major growth engine for the industry.
From a product perspective, SAG believes the foldable smartphone market is gradually undergoing a transition away from traditional big fold and small flip designs, both of which are approaching maturity due to usability limitations, toward next-generation wide fold and wide flip form factors. These newer designs better align with natural viewing ratios, enable more intuitive multitasking experiences, and provide a more practical primary-device experience for mainstream consumers.
As a result, SAG forecasts wide fold devices will grow from effectively zero volume in 2025 to approximately 20 million units in 2027, representing roughly 55% of the global foldable smartphone market and becoming the dominant sub-category.
Huawei Emerges as the Pioneer in Wide Fold and Wide Flip
Huawei has emerged as the pioneer in both the wide flip and wide fold categories, driven by the strong market response to the Pura X and newly launched Pura X Max models, which validated consumer demand for a wider and more usable flip-style form factor.
With the Pura X Max launch in April 2026, SAG expects Huawei to further consolidate its leadership in this emerging segment by leveraging its early-mover advantage, rapid product iteration capabilities, and strong premium brand positioning within the foldable smartphone market.
Apple Expected to Reshape the Foldable Market in 2027
A major inflection point for the foldable smartphone market will be Apple’s expected entry in 2H 2026. SAG forecasts Apple foldable iPhones will make Apple to become the global foldable market leader in 2027, within just one full year of commercialization. The forecast assumes Apple launches its first foldable model on schedule in 2026 without major delays, while avoiding significant technological barriers, supply chain constraints, or durability concerns. SAG also assumes the product pricing will remain around the US$2,000 level. Should any of these conditions fail to materialize, actual shipment volumes could fall below current expectations.
Meanwhile, Android OEMs combined are projected to follow a much slower growth trajectory, expanding only 3% in 2026 and 12% in 2027. SAG believes this reflects intensifying competitive pressure from Apple in the premium segment, rising component and manufacturing costs that continue to push foldable smartphone pricing higher, and the time required for Android vendors to transition their portfolios toward next-generation foldable designs and form factors.
The full SAG Foldable Smartphone Vendor Share and Value Share by Form Factor Forecast report includes detailed quarterly shipment, revenue, ASP, form factor, and vendor forecasts by region and country through Q4 2027.
Clients please click here to access the full report.
For any other prospects, please contact SAG at contact@smartanalyticsglobal.com for more information and report access.