Book-style foldables could significantly outsell clamshells for the first time ever

Big-screen foldable phones are set to have a big year, with market research firm Counterpoint Research expecting the form factor to account for the majority of folding phone shipments in 2026. The projections come ahead of Apple’s expected entry into the foldable market later this year. Larger foldables are typically referred to as book- or passport-style foldables, while smaller ones are often called clamshell foldables or simply flip phones. Historically, foldable phone users have chosen between these two form factors in nearly equal numbers, but Counterpoint Research thinks that will change.

The firm’s 2026 projections for the foldable market predict that book-style devices will emerge as the industry-leading form factor, representing 65% of all folding phones shipped. For context, book-style phones represented just 52% of 2025 foldable shipments. Counterpoint Research sees benefits to the form factor on both the sides of the deal. Large foldables sell at higher prices on average, making them appealing to companies. They also feel more premium and enable productivity workflows impossible on traditional smartphones, satisfying customers.

The market research firm also sees a correlation between the worrying smartphone memory shortage and the shift in priority towards premium and pricey handsets.

“As memory supply tightness becomes increasingly concentrated in components used for low- to mid-range smartphones, concerns around the broader mass-market outlook are growing,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint, in the press release. “Against this backdrop, OEMs are placing greater emphasis on higher-value devices, prioritizing profitability over volume. Book-type foldables are well-positioned in this shift, as their premium specifications and higher memory configurations support ASP (average selling price) expansion while aligning with value-led growth strategies.”

Samsung led the global foldable market in units shipped last year, reclaiming the top spot after Huawei briefly took the lead in 2024. The South Korean tech giant led for the four straight years prior. Foldable phone shipments favored the smaller, clamshell form factor early on, with larger folding phones representing 35% and 39% of the market in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The book-style foldables grew to represent 47% of the market in 2022 and claimed roughly half of the sector in the years that followed. Popularity slowly trended upward, with book-style foldables accounting for 47% of the market in 2023, 51% in 2024, and 52% in 2025.

The current market leader, Samsung, may be representative of the shifts expected to shake up the industry in 2026. Counterpoint Research notes that Samsung sold more Galaxy Z Fold 7 units than Galaxy Z Flip 7 units in the second half of 2025. That could end up serving as a snapshot of the changing consumer habits in the foldable market at large, based on these projections.

Apple’s rumored foldable launch is surely a consideration, as the report notes that a book-style foldable iPhone could “accelerate broader market adoption” in the category. For now, these are only projections, and we’ll have to see how foldable phone models sell throughout the year for confirmation of this emerging trend.