Samsung's Foldable Lead Is Shrinking as Apple Circles

Samsung has owned the foldable phone market since 2019, when the original Galaxy Fold shipped to reviewers with a peeling screen and a $1,980 price tag. Six years later, the company still sells more foldables than anyone else. But the lead that once looked untouchable now looks like a narrow head start — and the reason has less to do with Samsung's phones than with what's happening around them. The numbers tell the story. Samsung's share of global foldable shipments has slid from roughly 80% in 2022 to around 50% or lower in recent quarters, according to estimates from display-industry trackers. Huawei, Motorola, Honor, and Xiaomi have all carved out pieces of the category, mostly outside the US. Motorola's Razr flip phones, in particular, have become a genuine hit in America, regularly undercutting Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip on price. That price gap matters more than any spec sheet. A new Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $1,899.99. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 starts at $1,099.99. For most buyers, those numbers are still a hard sell when a perfectly good slab phone costs $800 or less. Foldables have gotten thinner, lighter, and more durable, but they haven't gotten meaningfully cheaper — and that's the single biggest reason they remain a niche product. Foldables still account for only about 1.5% of global smartphone sales. Now the real pressure is coming. Multiple supply-chain reports say Apple is preparing its first foldable iPhone, with a launch window that has crept from 2026 into 2027. Apple has reportedly been working with Samsung Display — yes, its biggest rival's display arm — on foldable panels. That's an awkward arrangement, but it's how the component business works, and it means Samsung's display division could profit from a phone that hurts Samsung's phone division. Why should American shoppers care? Because Apple entering a category has historically done two things: it validates the form factor and it forces everyone else to compete harder on price. When Apple shipped the iPhone, every phone got better. When it shipped the Apple Watch, fitness trackers got cheaper. A foldable iPhone — likely priced north of $2,000, if rumors hold — would give Samsung, Google, and Motorola a reason to push their own foldables down-market to capture the buyers Apple prices out. There are early signs. Samsung has been expanding its cheaper Galaxy A-series foldable experiments in some markets, and Google's Pixel Fold line has been discounting aggressively within months of launch. Motorola's Razr routinely sells for $500 or less on promotion. The direction of travel is clear even if the sticker prices haven't fully caught up. The flip side: if Apple's foldable lands at a luxury price and sells well, Samsung may decide the premium tier is where the profit is and leave budget buyers behind entirely. That's the risk of a maturing category — the early adopter discount disappears, and the mainstream never quite arrives. For now, anyone shopping for a foldable should ignore list prices. These phones discount fast. The Z Flip 6 has already seen cuts of $200 or more at major retailers, and carrier trade-in offers can knock several hundred dollars off a Fold. If you can wait, waiting has paid off every single year this category has existed. **Our take:** Samsung's foldable monopoly was never going to last, and Apple's arrival will be good for buyers — eventually. The catch is that "eventually" might mean another two years of paying luxury prices for a phone that folds. If you want one now, buy on promotion, not at launch.