Global shipments of foldable smartphone display panels are forecast to grow 23% in 2026, with book-style devices expected to account for 81% of the market, according to Counterpoint Research. The figures track panels shipped to phone manufacturers rather than finished foldable phones sold to consumers.
The annual growth forecast follows a weak first half, when total foldable-panel shipments fell 13% year over year. The decline masked a sharp split between form factors: book-style panel shipments rose 35%, while clamshell-panel shipments dropped 62%. By the second quarter, book-style panels represented nearly 80% of volume.
- Book-style foldable panels are projected to grow 107% in 2026 and reach an 81% market share.
- Clamshell, or flip-style, panels are forecast to decline 59% and fall to a 16% share.
- Multi-fold panels are expected to remain a niche category, representing about 3% of shipments.
The shift is expected to intensify in the second half of 2026. Counterpoint forecasts panel shipments in that period to rise 53% from the first half and 71% from the second half of 2025, accounting for 61% of the year’s total volume.
Apple is projected to account for 27% of foldable-panel shipments during 2026, with its entire panel volume concentrated in the second half of the year. The iPhone Duo has already been officially unveiled, moving Apple’s foldable plans beyond the rumor stage in the forecast.
- Samsung is forecast to lead foldable-panel procurement with a 33% share.
- Apple is forecast to take a 27% share of foldable-panel shipments.
- Huawei is forecast to account for 25% of foldable-panel shipments.
Together, the three companies would control 86% of the projected panel market. That concentration should not be confused with finished-device share: a separate Counterpoint forecast put Apple at 25% of foldable phone shipments in 2026, behind Samsung at 38%, illustrating that display-panel volumes and handset sales measure different parts of the market.
