Huawei has once again secured the top position in the global foldable smartphone market during the second quarter of 2026, widening the gap over Samsung. According to the latest market report, Huawei captured 48% of global foldable smartphone shipments between April and June 2026, while Samsung followed far behind with a 15% market share. Motorola ranked third with 13%, Honor claimed 12%, and the remaining brands shared the rest of the market.
Huawei’s strong performance was driven by the popularity of the Mate X7, Pura X, and the newly launched Pura X Max, particularly in China, which remains the world’s largest foldable smartphone market. Samsung continues to struggle in China, where its smartphone business has a very limited presence, making it difficult to compete with domestic brands in the foldable segment.
Despite losing the top position, Samsung still recorded healthy year over year growth. The company’s foldable shipments increased by 25% compared to the same period last year, showing that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 performed better than their predecessors. Huawei also achieved 4% annual growth, while Honor became the fastest growing foldable brand with an impressive 82% increase in shipments. Honor’s rapid expansion was largely fueled by the success of the Magic V6, which attracted buyers with its slim design and premium features. Meanwhile, Motorola experienced a 28% decline in foldable shipments, mainly because the Razr 70 series launched with prices that many consumers considered too high.
Although global foldable smartphone shipments fell by 2% year over year to around 3.4 million units in the second quarter, the category still outperformed the broader smartphone market, which declined by 8% during the same period. Industry analysts expect foldable sales to rebound strongly in the third quarter following the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8.
Samsung is widely expected to regain the number one position temporarily after these launches. However, analysts believe Huawei will remain a major competitor, and Apple’s anticipated foldable iPhone Ultra could significantly reshape the market. Several research firms predict Apple could become the world’s largest foldable smartphone vendor in 2027, helping the foldable market grow by nearly 38% even as overall smartphone sales continue to decline.
