Overview
- Counterpoint Research projects book-style devices will account for about 65% of global foldable shipments in 2026, up from roughly 52% in 2025, and stresses this is a forecast rather than realized sales.
- Apple is expected to introduce a book-style foldable iPhone in late 2026, which analysts say would accelerate adoption of larger models and influence market leadership dynamics.
- Recent market signals include Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 outpacing the Galaxy Z Flip 7 in preorders and reports that OEMs are developing wider book-style designs to meet productivity use cases.
- Android manufacturers are prioritizing higher-margin, premium book-style phones as clamshell models are repositioned as complementary, style-led offerings.
- A supply chain leaker says Apple has tested a clamshell ‘iPhone Flip’ prototype, but its path to mass production is uncertain, as analysts describe 2026 as a move into a more software- and ecosystem-driven expansion phase.