This is the latest forecast released by market research company Omdia. According to experts, folding screen smartphones are increasingly welcomed, with shipments increasing steadily year by year. This year, new wide screen designs are being applied by many major manufacturers, creating a new wave in the market.
Huawei pioneered this new wide screen design with Pura X Max in May 2026, followed by Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 in August. With other leading suppliers expected to launch similar products in the coming months, this new product portfolio is driving a new wave of growth in the foldable screen smartphone market.
This new large-format folding screen design has a shorter and wider frame ratio, giving the device a more tablet-like shape when opened. Compared to traditional book-folding devices, this design can improve portability by reducing the overall volume and weight of the device while still providing a larger display area for work and content experience.
The wider external secondary screen allows displaying more horizontal content during daily use, while the internal screen when opened provides a full-screen experience, like a tablet, for multitasking, vehicle consumption and mobile productivity. This design is expected to become an important trend for the next generation of folding screen smartphones.
Omdia experts predict that global foldable machine shipments will exceed 22 million units by 2026, a sharp increase compared to 18.2 million units in 2025.
In the long term, foldable screen smartphones are expected to be a high-end segment in the global smartphone market, with expected shipments reaching 36 million units in 2028 and 45 million units in 2030, accounting for less than 3% of the total global smartphone shipments.
Fold-screen smartphones will continue to face barriers in product cost, with complex components including large screens, hinges and specialized glasses causing raw material costs (BOM) to remain high.
Therefore, suppliers are prioritizing positioning high-end products over quantity, while consumers must balance between higher prices and product limitations, including camera performance and repair costs.
