Market researchers: Foldables are stagnating - but Apple could save the market

There are few topics in mobile devices that are as controversial as the question of whether smartphones with foldable displays are a future market. Devices available to date have their fans, but there are also quite a few critical voices that do not see this as a future trend. A new survey by market researchers focusing on the supplier industry paints a rather gloomy picture of the near future. Declines are even expected. But everything depends on whether Apple releases a device with a foldable display for the first time - in this case, the market researchers expect a boom.

According to the analysis by market research company DSCC, the market for foldable smartphones will stagnate for the first time in 2024/2025. After total growth of 40 percent in the years 2019 to 2023, growth of just five percent is expected for this year. A slight decline of four percent is even expected for 2025. Demand is currently stagnating at around 22 million displays.

Why the market is stagnating

There are many reasons for this development. Samsung, the market leader in foldable displays with 40 percent, is experiencing weaker demand for the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The South Korean manufacturer is also concentrating its efforts on its home country and Europe. The Chinese manufacturer Huawei, number two with a 33% market share, is struggling with delayed product launches and has procured fewer displays. Motorola and Honor are lagging far behind with single-digit market shares.

Analysts are hoping for a turnaround if Apple enters the market, which has been speculated about for years. It remains unclear whether the iPhone manufacturer could enter the market with its smartphone or iPad – or whether Apple will even bring the technology from its research laboratories to market maturity. There is also talk of foldable MacBooks. If Apple launches its first devices in the second half of 2026, experts expect growth of 30 percent.

Apple motivating others – or not?

The growth is not attributed to Apple alone. According to the analysis, Apple's market entry would send out a signal that would also motivate other manufacturers to focus more on devices with foldable displays, which would stimulate the market in general.

Such expectations should, of course, be viewed with skepticism. A few years ago, market researchers and even competitor Meta also assumed that the mixed reality headset market would experience a significant upturn as a result of Apple's Vision Pro, which was still the subject of speculation at the time. At present, however, there is still little sign of a boom in this segment.

(mki)