New Foldable Phone Designs Are Setting Up an Ambitious 2026
Commentary: 2025 made foldable phones viable. In 2026, new designs and a rumored foldable iPhone could help propel these bending devices into even more hands.
After six years on the market, foldables phones in 2025 have seen new design refinements and ideas that are making the category particularly exciting as we enter 2026. While still far from mainstream, foldable phones are finding their audience and, for the first time, are seeing a double-digit growth forecast in the category.
According to a December report from market research company IDC, global foldable phone shipments were expected to grow 10% in 2025 compared to 2024. And that number will continue to grow in 2026, with an expected 30% year-on-year jump, thanks to rumors of an upcoming foldable iPhone from Apple. And even though Samsung's Flip and Fold phones have been around for years, the company's newer TriFold and rumored "Wide Fold" have me hyped for what's to come in 2026.
On the other hand, Huawei has led the way with innovative products, including its own trifold that beat Samsung to the category -- the Huawei Mate XT -- as well as a one-of-a-kind wide-screen flip phone, the Huawei Pura X. It dominated China's foldable phones market with a massive 68.9% market share in the third quarter of 2025, according to a report from IDC (via MyDrivers). This is huge for a single brand in any market, especially when a niche category like foldables has several competitors (Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and more).
These new foldable phone styles, along with the rumored iPhone Fold from Apple -- which is said to have a passport-size design -- could mean we'll see four different types of foldable phones by 2026, giving people more options for compact devices that unfold into larger screens.
The four kinds of foldable phones to expect in 2026
I hope these phones with hinges go mainstream in 2026.
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
So far, the most popular foldable phones have been book-style (like the Galaxy Z Fold 7) and flip phones (like the ). While the former is a phone that unfolds into a mini-tablet, the latter folds into a more pocketable design. Both designs have their benefits, but if rumors are true, there are more ways to build a folding phone.