As Apple prepares to make a splash, a brief history of foldable phones

Apple is preparing to make a significant impact on the smartphone industry with its upcoming foldable device. The launch of this innovative product, set to occur at Apple's headquarters, represents a major evolution for the company's flagship offering, which generates around half of its revenue. Since the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007, foldable phones have struggled to gain traction in the market, with their share remaining in the single digits.

This is largely due to trade-offs such as subpar camera performance, shorter battery life, and an unappealing crease that appears when the device is unfolded. However, analysts believe that Apple, known for its ability to capitalize on rivals' mistakes, will benefit from advancements in supply chain and technology that have made foldables more durable and less prone to the crease issue.

A timeline of foldable phone developments shows that interest in the format began in 2018, with Chinese display maker Royole introducing the first foldable device, the FlexPai, which featured a 7.8-inch screen. Samsung followed suit with the Galaxy Fold in 2019, but faced numerous reliability issues and had to recall sample devices.

Other notable attempts include Motorola's Razr revival, Huawei's Mate X, and Microsoft's Surface Duo, all of which faced their own challenges. Google entered the market in 2023 with the Pixel Fold, and Samsung and its Chinese rivals continued to refine the technology. In 2024, Huawei launched the first tri-fold foldable, and Samsung also released a multi-folding smartphone.

Samsung currently holds a dominant position in the global foldable phone market, with a share of around 40%, followed by Huawei at 30%. Analysts expect Apple's entry into this market to significantly accelerate its growth, with IDC projecting a nearly 30% increase in foldable phone shipments this year, outperforming the expected decline of nearly 1.4% in non-foldable smartphone sales.

Despite still being a small portion of the overall smartphone market, foldables have the potential to grow substantially, according to Tarun Pathak, a research director at Counterpoint.