Here's a fun thing about being the first mover in a market: you get to be the king for a while. But then everyone else shows up to the party. According to a new report from Counterpoint Research, that's exactly what's happening in the North American foldable smartphone market. It's growing fast—28% year-over-year in 2025 fast—and while Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SSNLF) is still very much the king, the throne is starting to look a little less comfortable.
The firm says rising competition and the looming, much-anticipated entry of Apple are reshaping the whole industry. More phone makers are jumping in with both clamshell and book-style foldables, and consumers are finally starting to notice and buy them. It's not a niche curiosity anymore; it's becoming a real, competitive battleground.
The King and the Challengers
Let's be clear: Samsung is still the clear leader. It captured 51% of all foldable smartphone shipments in North America last year. That's more than half the pie. It's especially strong in the book-style segment (think the Galaxy Z Fold).
But here's where it gets interesting. That 51% share? It's not as untouchable as it once was. The market has evolved from Samsung's long-standing dominance into what Counterpoint calls a "more competitive, multi-layered landscape." Stronger support from wireless carriers and just having more models available in stores is helping other players get a foot in the door.
The pressure is most acute in the clamshell segment, where Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip is facing a serious challenge from Motorola's Razr. And that challenge is about to get even more direct. Motorola is reportedly preparing to launch its own book-style foldable, the Razr Fold, this summer. If that happens, Samsung will be fighting Motorola head-to-head in both major form factors.
The numbers tell the story of a shifting balance. In 2025, Motorola and Google (under parent company Alphabet) hit record market shares of 44% and 5%, respectively. That's a huge chunk for Motorola and a meaningful foothold for Google. The castle walls are being tested.
The 800-Pound Fruit-Shaped Gorilla in the Room
And then there's Apple. It hasn't even launched a foldable iPhone yet, but it's already the most important player in the room. Counterpoint has previously projected that Apple could capture a staggering 46% of the North American foldable market share in 2026, the year after its expected launch.
Think about that for a second. A company with zero foldable sales today could, in one year, nearly match the market share that Samsung—the pioneer—has spent years building. The firm attributes this potential to Apple's powerful ecosystem and its expertise in large-screen software, something that's crucial for making a book-style foldable useful.
This shadow is so large that it's already changing how rivals are playing the game. Knowing Apple is coming, other manufacturers are reportedly shifting their focus toward larger, book-style foldables and refining their designs. They're trying to build their moats before the flood arrives.
Where Does the Growth Go From Here?
So, what's the outlook? Counterpoint expects the overall foldable market to keep growing, projecting a 20% year-over-year increase in 2026. But the big question isn't *if* the market will grow—it's *who* will get that growth.
Apple's entry is the wild card that will determine how the pie gets sliced. Currently, foldables are still a small slice of the total smartphone world, accounting for just 1.6% of total shipments. But for phone makers, they represent a juicy, higher-margin opportunity compared to the saturated market for standard slab phones. Everyone wants a piece.
The era of one-company rule in foldables is over. We're now in the messy, competitive, and much more interesting phase where everyone is fighting for position, and the biggest fighter hasn't even stepped into the ring yet. Buckle up.
