The rumored foldable iPhone could save a stagnant folding phone market, according to a new report

• A new report reveals that shipments of folding displays for smartphones have declined for the first time
• This is in spite of 2024 being a strong year for foldable releases from Samsung, Google, and others
• The rumored folding iPhone, supposedly due in 2026, could be the light at the end of the tunnel

Global shipments of folding displays decreased year on year for the first time in the third quarter of 2024, despite a number of well-received flagship foldable releases during the year, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

That’s according to a report from Digital Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), which aggregates data from across the tech manufacturing chain.

According to the report, demand for foldable displays decreased by 38% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2024, with only a moderate 5% increase in demand expected for the entire of 2024.

This contrasts with a previously strong upwards trend – in every year from 2019 to 2023, demand for folding displays increased by 40%.

DSCC now estimates that demand for the displays will decrease by 4% in 2025 overall, with total shipments holding steady at around 22 million.

The report doesn’t include much information on actual sales of folding phones, but does focus on foldable handsets as the primary use case for these displays.

More releases, fewer shipments

This decline may come as something of a surprise, given that our list of the best foldables has seen a few new entries this year – in 2024 alone the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and cheaper options from Motorola have all hit store shelves.

And as our reviews for these devices note, the folding phones released this year have generally been the best we’ve ever seen.

As PhoneArena notes, the decline in shipments may be related to a number of smaller phone makers exiting the folding phone sector completely – generally global-focused brands like Tecno and Oppo.

The report does hold out some optimism, stating that Apple is likely to enter the market in the second half of 2026 – a folding iPhone would be expected to sell well enough to give a significant boost to the entire folding phone market.

Foldable future

While we don’t expect to see folding phones disappear any time soon, the report suggests these powerful devices may remain a niche rather than posing a challenge to the traditional slab form factor.

Though foldable devices offer a lot of power and convenience, they are consistently much more expensive than their slab phone counterparts.

It could be this fact that’s led DSCC to predict that even the most popular folding phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, will sell 10% less than its predecessor, the Z Flip 5.

And while a cheaper Galaxy Z Flip FE has been rumored for a while, there’s still currently no truly cheap folding phone available.

If the report’s prediction of a folding iPhone turns out to be true, we could see a surge in foldable fever – but it seems the industry will have to brace through a quiet year first.

For the latest updates on folding phones, be sure to check out our phones coverage, and for more on the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series, head over to our Samsung phones coverage.