

Apple's long-rumoured folding iPhone will be a big hit, but you'll have to wait for it. That's according to Taiwanese research company Trendforce, which says that the folding iPhone won't arrive until at least 2027 – but when it does its impact will be seismic.
That's a safe prediction to make, because of course whenever Apple enters a new category it does so with considerable market power. But Trendforce is putting some numbers in its predictions: it says that in 2024 the folding phone market is only 1.5% of the smartphone market. By 2028, with some help from Apple, it'll be 4.8%. That might not sound like much but it represents millions of folding phones – and it's likely to mean shrinking market share for Samsung, which is currently the market leader.
What will the folding iPhone do to the foldables market?
According to Trendforce, Samsung's share of the folding market has dropped significantly since other firms have moved into the market sector. Samsung had 80% of the fledgling folding phone market in 2022, but Trendforce says that its market share dropped to 60% in 2023/4 and the firm "now struggles to maintain 50%".
Key rivals so far are Huawei and Motorola, with other firms remaining below the million-sales mark; Huawei's tri-fold phone, expected to launch later this year, "could potentially raise their market share to nearly 30%". The firm expects Motorola's share of the folding phone market to rise to around 6%.
According to Trendforce, Apple "is still evaluating component specifications and performance", and it has apparently set very strict requirements regarding the display's crease and its reliability. Those requirements mean that Apple is "unlikely" to release its own foldable before 2027 – although other sources say that we can expect a folding iPad then, with a folding MacBook also following in 2027.
When Apple does enter the market, it won't be at the bottom end – and that's where most of the competition is right now, with Chinese brands in particular really pushing to cut their costs and reduce the sticker prices of their foldables; Trendforce highlights the Nubia Flip, which has a £499 price tag, as an example of the trend. But the foldable Apple will want to beat will be the 2027 equivalent of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, which currently starts at £1,749.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Arlo’s Essential security cameras are now available on Apple Home – here’s why that matters
Arlo upgrades its affordable security camera line-up with Apple Home integration
By Bethan Girdler-Maslen
-
Samsung's flagship phones will reportedly maintain one key advantage over iPhone for the foreseeable
Apple is said to be struggling to match Samsung in a specific tech area
By Rik Henderson
-
First foldable iPhone could be Apple's most eye-wateringly expensive ever
There's a big problem facing Apple
By Sam Cross
-
If the iPhone 17 Pro adds these 4 new features I'm already sold
Apple needs to make a big swing
By Max Freeman-Mills
-
Apple reportedly preparing the iPhone 17e already
But it sounds like an odd launch window
By Sam Cross
-
iPhone 17 Pro case leak shows Apple really is about to make a huge design swerve
This is going to alienate some users
By Sam Cross
-
New iPhone 17 Pro Max renders give us the best look yet at the flagship phone
This is going to cause a stir
By Sam Cross
-
Apple's iPhone just did something it never has before
This is an unprecedented event for the iPhone
By Sam Cross
-
Leaked iPhone Fold pricing suggests it will be fighting an uphill battle from the start
It looks set to be the most expensive foldable phone
By Sam Cross
-
Will there ever be a US-made iPhone?
It's something right-wing commentators have called for
By Sam Cross