Samsung reports 30% growth in foldable phone sales as Apple prepares its own entry
Samsung says sales of its latest foldable smartphones are up 30% year-over-year, driven by new customers and repeat buyers. The company faces new competition as Apple prepares to launch its first foldable iPhone.
Samsung Electronics says sales of its newest foldable smartphones are up 30% by volume compared with the previous generation, a sign that the category is gaining momentum just as Apple prepares to enter the market with a device of its own. The company shared the figures exclusively with Fortune, citing one month of data since the July launch of its Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 families.
The growth follows roughly 30% expansion in Samsung's foldable sales last year and comes despite higher prices on the new models, which the company attributes to memory costs. Dave Das, executive vice president of mobile experience at Samsung Electronics America, said the response to foldables has been strong, with demand coming from both first-time buyers and existing foldable owners upgrading more frequently.
Das compared the current market dynamics to the early days of smartphones, when each annual release generated significant buzz and drove upgrades. He argued that innovation in foldables is more visible to consumers than changes in traditional bar-type phones. With foldables, he said, users can immediately see improvements in thickness and weight, making the generational leap obvious at first glance.
The company also reports that the share of new foldable customers who previously owned a competitor's smartphone is 25% higher than for its traditional phones. A notable portion of those switchers are coming from Apple, with some choosing an Android device for the first time to get a foldable form factor. Das said the device helps consumers overcome concerns about switching operating systems.
Foldable phones open like a book to reveal an interior screen roughly double the size of the closed device, making them suited for video viewing and work tasks. A smaller exterior display provides quick access to apps when the phone is shut. Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, and Google all sell foldables, with interior screens ranging from about 5 to over 8 inches.
While traditional bar-type devices such as the Galaxy S26 still account for most of Samsung's smartphone volume, Das said foldables are growing at a much faster rate and are now considered a mainstream part of the business. Prices remain premium, with Samsung's foldables starting at $1,200 and its high-end model reaching $2,100. Apple's forthcoming foldable is expected to cost at least $2,100.
According to Counterpoint Research, foldables made up less than 2% of global smartphone unit sales last year, though that share is expected to rise as Apple enters the segment. Samsung led the foldable market in 2025 with 40% global share, followed by Huawei at 30%, the research firm said.
Samsung launched its first foldable, the Galaxy Fold, in 2019 and endured early technical problems with hinges and screens that drew harsh reviews. The company says it has since made major progress, with reviewers of the latest models describing the display crease as barely noticeable and praising build quality and durability. Das said the main constraint on making devices thinner is now the USB-C port itself.
In July, Samsung introduced a new passport-sized foldable alongside updated versions of its existing models. Early sales data shows the passport-style Z Fold 8 accounting for 40% of foldable sales, with the high-end Z Fold Ultra 8 also at 40% and the clamshell Z Flip 8 making up the remaining 20%. Das said buyers of the Ultra model tend to use it for productivity, while passport-style buyers are more focused on content consumption such as video. The Z Flip 8 attracts users primarily interested in capturing photos and video.
The passport-style device is expected to be Samsung's closest competitor to Apple's rumored foldable iPhone Ultra, which is also reported to have passport-like dimensions. Das said seven years in the market have taught the company what different types of consumers want from foldables, pointing to distinct productivity-oriented, content-consuming, and content-capturing user groups. Apple, which generates roughly half its revenue from the iPhone, is preparing what would be the biggest design change to its signature product in nearly two decades.
