Galaxy Z Fold8 Drives Samsung to 69% of Global Foldable Shipments in Q3 2026

Samsung owned nearly seven out of every ten foldable phones shipped worldwide in the third quarter of 2026, according to new estimates from research firm Smart Analytics Global (SAG). The company's 69% share of global foldable shipments is its highest since 2023, and it was built almost single-handedly by one phone: the Galaxy Z Fold8.

The wider market tells a more mixed story. Overall foldable shipments slipped 2% year on year to 7.5 million units in the July-to-September quarter, SAG's Smartphone 360 research service found. Samsung grew against that tide, raising its foldable shipments by 13% from a year earlier while almost every rival lost ground.

The Fold8 did the heavy lifting

According to SAG, the Galaxy Z Fold8 accounted for more than half of Samsung's foldable shipments for the quarter. The phone went on general sale on 7 August, and well-known tipster Ice Universe estimates Samsung shipped around 2.85 million units in the 55 days between launch and the end of the quarter on 30 September — roughly 50,000 phones a day. That estimate has not been confirmed by Samsung, and SAG's figures are its own shipment estimates rather than sales numbers reported by the manufacturers.

The Fold8 is Samsung's first wide foldable, with a shorter, broader body and a 4:3 inner screen that opens more like a small tablet than the tall, narrow Folds that came before it. The new shape appears to be the main reason buyers picked it up: SAG credits the phone with double-digit shipment growth for Samsung in South Korea and Europe, two of its strongest foldable markets.

Rivals faded as Samsung surged

Huawei held on to second place with 14% of the market, but lost four percentage points from a year earlier. SAG points to weak demand in China, Huawei's primary market, and to an odd bit of self-inflicted damage: the unusual, non-folding Huawei Pura X View has been cannibalising sales of the Pura X and Pura X Max, the phones that kicked off the wide-foldable trend.

Lenovo and Motorola were the exception among the challengers, gaining two percentage points as the Razr 70 series reached new regions. Every other brand saw its share decline significantly, SAG said.

It is worth remembering what the quarter did not include. Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, only started shipping on 23 October, after the quarter had closed, so it does not appear in these figures at all.

Apple looms over 2027

SAG has trimmed its forecast for the full 2026 foldable market, blaming slower-than-expected production of the iPhone Duo and softer demand in China. But the firm is far more upbeat about next year: it expects global foldable shipments to grow by 55% in 2027, with Apple taking around 40% of the market once its production line is running properly.

Wide foldables such as the Galaxy Z Fold8 and the iPhone Duo are expected to make up roughly two-thirds of the foldable market next year, according to SAG. High retail prices remain the main brake on wider adoption, but the shape of the market is clearly changing — and for now, Samsung is further ahead than it has been in years.

For a closer look at Samsung's wider foldable line-up, see our Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra review.

Sources

• GSMArena — Analysts: Samsung held two-thirds of the global foldable market in Q3, thanks to the Z Fold8
• PhoneArena — The Galaxy Z Fold 8 helps Samsung reach new foldable market heights, but Apple's supremacy is near
• Neowin — Analyst: Samsung remains king of foldables, holds 69% of foldable market
• Hi-Tech.ua — Galaxy Fold8 Secures Record Market Share for Samsung