Samsung Dominates Foldable Market With 69% Share in Q3 2026
Samsung now ships nearly seven out of every ten foldables sold worldwide, hitting a 69% market share in the third quarter of 2026 according to Smart Analytics Global.
The Tech TL;DR:
- Samsung’s foldable shipments grew 13% year-on-year to dominate 69% of the global market in Q3 2026.
- The wider aspect ratio of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 accounted for nearly 55% of all Samsung foldables shipped during the quarter.
- Apple entered the market in late October 2026 with the iPhone Duo, facing supply constraints stretching into January 2027.
While the overall market shrank to just over 7.5 million units, Samsung added 9 percentage points to its market share. Nearly 55% of all Samsung foldables shipped during the quarter came from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which served as the primary driver.
“Smart Analytics Global sees this as an early success for Samsung’s first wide-format foldable.” When folded, the phone feels much more like a standard smartphone, whereas unfolding it provides an experience closer to that of a tablet due to its revised proportions.
Samsung DOMINATED the foldable market, capturing 69% global share 👀 The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is proving that Samsung's foldable strategy is working. According to Smart Analytics Global's Q3 2026 report: • Samsung captured 69% of global foldable shipments, its highest share since…
Huawei remained in second place, but its share fell from 18% to 14%. Weak consumer demand in China alongside the debut of the Huawei Pura X View—a newly launched wide foldable that cannibalized orders meant for alternative models—are cited by Smart Analytics Global as the main causes for the decline.
Motorola parent company Lenovo maintained its hold on the third position, expanding its market portion by 2 percentage points to reach 8%. Smart Analytics Global credits the wider rollout of the Motorola Razr 70 series across more countries and sales channels, a lineup that includes the Motorola Razr 70, Motorola Razr 70 Plus, and Motorola Razr 70 Ultra.
Excluding Samsung, combined foldable shipments from every other brand fell 24% year-on-year. Smart Analytics Global says high prices and a lack of compelling use cases are still holding back mainstream adoption.
| Brand | Q3 2026 Foldable Market Share | Change (YoY) |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung | 69% | +9 percentage points |
| Huawei | 14% | -4 percentage points |
| Lenovo (Motorola) | 8% | +2 percentage points |
Book-style foldables with wider screens made up about 45% of global foldable shipments in the third quarter, making them the most popular form factor. Smart Analytics Global expects that share to go beyond 65% in the fourth quarter.
The Apple iPhone Duo, Apple’s debut foldable device launched in late October 2026, is projected to fuel the vast majority of this expansion. Smart Analytics Global predicts that Apple will overtake Samsung to become the world’s largest foldable brand in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Overall foldable shipments will return to double-digit growth during the quarter, according to the report. Previous projections from TrendForce only anticipated Apple securing the position of the world’s second-biggest foldable manufacturer in 2026, making this current outlook considerably more ambitious.
Apple chief executive John Ternus acknowledged that device availability for the iPhone Duo remains limited, noting that online store delivery dates currently push out toward late January 2027. Apple has also confirmed inner display issues on a small number of units.