Android foldable makers face major shake up after Apple’s entry

Apple hasn’t even launched a foldable iPhone yet, but it’s already being tipped to shake up a market that Android brands, especially Samsung, spent years building.

New projections from TrendForce suggest Apple could capture nearly 20% of the global foldable smartphone market in its first year. This is significant for a category that remains niche but highly competitive, and it puts immediate pressure on established brands like Samsung and others who have been working on foldables for years.

Foldable phones have been available for a while. Samsung has released several generations of Galaxy Z Fold and Flip devices, improving durability, displays, and hinge designs each time. But adoption has remained relatively limited due to high prices, durability concerns, and the ongoing issue of the visible screen crease.

That’s where Apple is said to be taking a different approach. Rather than rushing a product to market, Apple seems to be focusing on solving the crease problem, which has been one of the biggest visual and tactile drawbacks of foldable phones so far.

According to TrendForce, creases form when the layers of a screen stack become misaligned as you bend them, creating stress that eventually leads to a permanent wrinkle. Apple’s solution uses a special type of Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA). This material helps spread stress more evenly across the display, which could make the crease almost invisible.

It’s not just about the adhesive. The display also uses glass with varying thickness: it is thinner and chemically strengthened at the fold for flexibility, and thicker on the flat panels for durability.

While Apple is getting most of the attention, the rest of the industry is also making progress. For example, the OPPO Find N6 already boasts a virtually crease-free experience thanks to 3D-printed hinge components, and Samsung showed its own creaseless panel concepts at CES 2026.

The foldable iPhone is expected to arrive as early as the second half of 2026. However, it likely won’t be cheap. Reports suggest Apple’s foldable, dubbed the iPhone Ultra, will be positioned at the high end of the market and will probably appeal to users who are already comfortable spending a lot on flagship devices.