The global foldable smartphone market is expected to grow by more than 20 per cent a year through 2028, with annual shipments projected to reach 36 million units as leading manufacturers introduce new designs, according to research firm Omdia.

Shipments are expected to more than double from 2025 levels, driven in part by the emergence of a new wide-format design that is gaining traction among major smartphone manufacturers.

“In a year defined by supply chain constraints and market uncertainty, foldable smartphones stand out as the industry’s most compelling growth story,” said Zaker Li, principal analyst at Omdia.

“Huawei pioneered this new wide-format design with the Pura X Max in May 2026, followed by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 in August,” he said.

“With other leading vendors set to launch similar products in the coming months, this new category is driving a fresh wave of growth in the foldable smartphone market,” Li added.

Omdia said the wide-format foldable design is emerging as a new growth driver for the sector, with its shorter and wider aspect ratio giving the device a more tablet-like shape when unfolded.

Compared with traditional book-style foldable phones, the design can improve portability by reducing overall device volume and weight while still offering a larger viewing area for productivity and content consumption.

The wider external sub-display also allows more horizontal content to be shown during normal use, while the internal screen provides a full-screen, tablet-like experience suited to multitasking, media consumption and mobile productivity.

Omdia expects the form factor to become an important trend in the next generation of foldable smartphones.

The forecast comes after a marked slowdown in the foldable market in 2025 and the first half of 2026.

Global foldable smartphone shipments reached 18.2 million units in 2025, but annual growth slowed to 6 per cent, the lowest rate recorded in recent years, according to Omdia’s smartphone shipment data.

Momentum weakened further during the first half of 2026, when global shipments totalled 5.1 million units, representing a 21.6 per cent decline year on year.

Flip-style foldable smartphones were particularly affected, with shipments falling 47 per cent compared with the first half of 2025.

Shipments of book-style foldable smartphones, meanwhile, remained broadly unchanged.

Book-style devices accounted for 69 per cent of global foldable smartphone shipments in the first half of 2026, with Huawei and Samsung together accounting for 75 per cent of that segment.

Omdia said the new wide-format design was likely to help revive growth in the category, even as demand for flip-style models continued to weaken.

Major manufacturers have already increased their production targets for wide-format foldable smartphones during 2026, while more Android manufacturers are expected to introduce similar designs in 2027.

As production expands across a wider range of manufacturers, Omdia expects these devices to contribute to stronger growth in overall global foldable smartphone shipments.

The market is nevertheless expected to remain a premium niche within the wider smartphone industry, despite its longer-term expansion.

Omdia forecasts that global foldable smartphone shipments will exceed 22 million units in 2026, with annual growth recovering to more than 22 per cent.

By 2030, shipments are forecast to reach 45 million units, although foldable smartphones are still expected to account for less than 3 per cent of total global smartphone shipments.

The relatively limited penetration reflects persistent structural cost barriers within the foldable sector.

Complex components, including large displays, hinges and specialised glass, continue to push up bill of materials costs, making foldable devices more expensive to manufacture than conventional smartphones.

As a result, manufacturers are continuing to prioritise premium positioning rather than pursuing mass-market volumes.

Consumers, meanwhile, must weigh higher purchase prices against trade-offs that can include camera performance and potentially higher repair costs.

Omdia said manufacturers would need to offer more differentiated and value-added services built around the foldable form factor if the category is to move beyond early adopters.

Strategic partnerships could also help reduce the overall cost of ownership while making the practical benefits of foldable devices clearer compared with conventional smartphones.

The combination of new form factors, expanding production and wider manufacturer adoption could therefore give the segment fresh momentum after the slowdown seen during 2025 and the first half of 2026.