Apple Foldable iPhone Nears as Android Rivals Mature
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- Apple is widely expected to launch its first foldable iPhone next month alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models — a move IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo called "a turning point for the foldable segment."
- IDC's Francisco Jeronimo projects Apple will claim 34 percent of the foldable market by value in its first year, per his report.
- Foldable phones made up just 1.6 percent of the global smartphone market in 2025 according to Counterpoint, despite years of iterative hardware improvements from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Honor.
- Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold became the first foldable with an IP68 durability rating, with Honor following via the Magic V6's IP69 — which is also the thinnest foldable on the market and packs the largest battery, thanks to silicon-carbon battery designs.
- Oppo's Find N6 features an almost invisible crease achieved by 3D-printing a photosensitive liquid polymer into every hinge gap and hardening it with UV light.
- Samsung shifted its Galaxy Z Fold 8 to the same wider squat shape as Huawei's Pura X Max and Apple's leaked foldable, with wider folds from Oppo and Honor reportedly on the way as well.
Why it matters: For Apple loyalists who have waited seven years, the imminent launch finally delivers foldable hardware that matches Android rivals on durability and crease quality. But with the foldable category still representing just 1.6 percent of global smartphones, Apple's projected 34 percent first-year share by value reinforces how premium pricing — not technology — limits the segment's ceiling, even with the industry's most influential entrant.
