Foldable Smartphone Shipments to Double by 2028 on New Wide-Format Design, Omdia Says

The foldable smartphone market is expected to grow by more than 20% annually through 2028, with shipments reaching 36 million units, as leading vendors introduce new form factors, according to Omdia's Smartphone Feature Forecast. Annual shipments are projected to more than double compared with 2025, the firm said, supported by the emergence of a new wide-format design gaining adoption among major vendors.

"In a year defined by supply chain constraints and market uncertainty, foldable smartphones stand out as the industry's most compelling growth story," said Zaker Li, principal analyst at Omdia. "Huawei pioneered this new wide-format design with the Pura X Max in May 2026, followed by Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 in August. With other leading vendors set to launch similar products in the coming months, this new category is driving a fresh wave of growth in the foldable smartphone market."

The new wide-format foldable design features a shorter, wider aspect ratio, giving the device a more tablet-like format when unfolded, according to Omdia. Compared with traditional book-type foldables, the firm said the design can improve portability by reducing overall device volume and weight while offering a larger viewing area for productivity and content consumption. The wider external sub-display allows more horizontal content during everyday use, Omdia said, while the unfolded internal display delivers a full-screen, tablet-like experience for multitasking, media consumption and mobile productivity.

Global foldable smartphone shipments reached 18.2 million units in 2025, with year-on-year growth slowing to 6%, the lowest rate recorded in recent years, according to Omdia's shipment data. Shipments in the first half of 2026 totaled 5.1 million units, down 21.6% year-on-year, the firm said, with flip-type foldable shipments declining 47% compared with the first half of 2025 while book-type shipments remained broadly flat.

Book-type devices accounted for 69% of global foldable smartphone shipments in the first half of 2026, according to Omdia, with Huawei and Samsung together dominating 75% of that segment. The firm said leading vendors have already increased production targets for wide-format foldable smartphones in 2026, with more Android brands expected to adopt similar designs in 2027.

Omdia forecasts global foldable smartphone shipments to exceed 22 million units in 2026, with year-on-year growth recovering to more than 22%. Over the long term, the firm said foldable smartphones are expected to remain a premium niche within the global smartphone market, with shipments projected to reach 45 million units by 2030 — accounting for less than 3% of total global smartphone shipments.

Foldable smartphones continue to face structural cost barriers, according to Omdia, with complex components including large displays, hinges and specialized glass keeping bill of materials costs high. As a result, the firm said vendors are prioritizing premium positioning over volume, while consumers must weigh higher prices against trade-offs including camera performance and repair costs. Omdia said driving adoption beyond early adopters will require vendors to develop differentiated, value-added services suited to the foldable form factor, alongside strategic partnerships that can lower ownership costs and demonstrate clearer use-case benefits over conventional smartphones.