Every time Samsung makes fun Apple so as not to have a foldable iPhone in its lineup, I remember Samsung dying to see Apple start making foldable devices.

The reasons are multiple. First of all, a foldable iPhone will allow this product category to go mainstream in a way that Samsung and other smartphone vendors that sell foldables cannot. Second, Samsung is a leading manufacturer of foldable OLED panels and a likely foldable iPhone supplier. Finally, all the innovations brought to the market by the foldable iPhone would become standards that others would quickly copy.

This was just speculation on my part, but a new report from display experts at DSCC sees the release of the foldable iPhone as the catalyst the foldable phone industry needs to see growth in the years to come .

THE DSCC report says foldable phones aren’t selling very well. It’s not just Samsung that is unable to increase its sales and market share. Chinese sellers are also struggling.

DSCC claims that the foldable display market has seen annual growth of at least 40% between 2019 and 2023. But we are looking at an increase of only 5% in 2024, followed by a decline of 4% in 2025.

Samsung is struggling to sell the Galaxy Z Flip 6 in markets like the US and China. The Flip is Samsung’s best-selling foldable phone each year. Meanwhile, Huawei is seeing growth this year, but the lack of advanced processors will impact its ability to compete next year.

Samsung and Huawei are the world’s top two sellers of foldable phones, and there is no real competition from a third player.

DSCC sees Apple as the reason for its optimism in the foldable market. The foldable iPhone is expected to be released in the second half of 2026. Apple’s “dominant position in flagship smartphones could generate significant growth for the foldable smartphone market,” the report said. “Any improvement in form factor, features, use cases, durability, etc. could generate new demand for this market.”

Display experts see 2026 as “a banner year for foldable devices with over 30% growth and with over 20% growth predicted for 2027 and 2028”, assuming Apple launches a foldable iPhone this year -there.

The DSCC also predicts that 2026 will bring a trifold foldable for at least one other brand. A “sliding” laptop could arrive next year, with several models coming in 2026. Apple is not named in connection with these products. However, I will remind you of the rumors that Apple will at some point make a foldable Mac/iPad.