Analysts Call iPhone Fold A Game Changer That Will Dominate Foldables
Watch out Samsung, because if a new report by the analysts at IDC Research proves accurate, Apple's upcoming iPhone Fold will almost instantly capture a huge portion of the folding smartphone market. The forecast for what is being dubbed a "real game-changer for the category" is that the iPhone Fold will capture a "22% unit share and staggering 34% of the foldables market value in its first year," the latter of which comes by way of Apple's expected premium pricing.
In line with previous leaks and rumors, IDC forecasts the iPhone Fold costing $2,400 on average. It's possible that the starting price will come in lower, but if so, the expectation is that Apple's first folding iPhone will be expensive—more so than its regular iPhone lineup.
To put the projected pricing into perspective, the iPhone 17 Pro ranges from $1,099 (256GB) to $1,499 (1TB), while the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,999 (256GB) and goes up to $1,999 (2TB).
"The launch of Apple’s first foldable iPhone will mark a turning point for the foldable segment," said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices at IDC. "This move is likely to boost category awareness and drive consumer interest. Apple tends to be a catalyst for mainstream adoption of new categories. Although foldables will continue to be a niche segment from a volume perspective, it will become a relevant value driver for most vendors offering foldables, as average selling prices will be 3 times higher than a standard smartphone."
From that perspective, Apple's entry and expected success in the still-emerging foldables category is also good news for Samsung. Additionally, IDC expects Samsung's recently launched Galaxy Z TriFold to be the other "exciting" launch that will boost the category next year.
Huawei is the other major player in the foldable space, though while IDC anticipates its HarmonyOS seeing "strong growth" with shipments anticipated to double next year, the longer term outlook still favors Android and iOS. According to the forecast, Android will still claim the lion's share of the foldable market in 2029 with a 52% share (versus 89% in 2025), followed by iOS at 34% (currently 0%), then HarmonyOS at 14% (currently 11%).
The other interesting tidbit from IDC's forecast is that foldables (including tri-folds) are expected to provide a salve for stagnating sales, with consumers keeping their handsets for longer periods of time these days.
Top imaged generated with Grok (xAI)
