Samsung took 69% of the world's foldable phone shipments between July and September 2026, its highest share since 2023, according to estimates from research firm Smart Analytics Global (SAG). In SAG's assessment, the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung's first wide foldable, supported the quarter. The Fold8 lists at RM7,299 on Samsung Malaysia's own store. when we checked on 13 November. SAG's figures are its own shipment estimates, not sales numbers reported by the phone makers.
Quick facts
Contents
- The market: global foldable shipments fell 2% year on year to just over 7.5 million units in the third quarter, by SAG's estimate.
- Samsung: an estimated 69% share, with shipments up 13% year on year.
- Huawei: about 14%, down 4 percentage points. Lenovo-Motorola stayed third and gained about 2 points.
- Malaysian price: the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold8 lists at RM7,299 on Samsung's Malaysian store, on 13 November.
What SAG says drove the quarter
In SAG's view, Samsung's quarter was supported by the Fold8 launch and by double-digit shipment growth in South Korea and Europe. It puts Huawei's slide down to soft demand in China, higher premium prices and its own Pura X View drawing buyers away from the Pura X and Pura X Max.
SAG's figures cover July to September, and the iPhone Duo had not gone on sale by then: Apple Malaysia's newsroom says pre-orders only began on 16 October, after the quarter had closed.
We have had our hands on the Fold8. Here is our hands-on video:
What the two wide foldables cost in Malaysia
On 13 November, Samsung's Malaysian store listed the Galaxy Z Fold8 at RM7,299 for 256GB, RM8,099 for 512GB and RM9,699 for 1TB. Card and bank promotions change often, so check the final price at checkout. Apple's Malaysian store lists the iPhone Duo at RM9,499 for 256GB, RM10,499 for 512GB, RM12,499 for 1TB and RM15,499 for 2TB.
At 256GB that puts the Duo RM2,200 above the Fold8's list price, the gap we measured on 31 October.
What SAG expects next
In the same report, SAG says it has lowered its 2026 foldable forecast, pointing in its own assessment to a slower iPhone Duo production ramp and weaker demand in China.
For 2027 SAG forecasts foldable shipments up about 55%, with Apple taking more than 40% of them and wide foldables such as the Fold8 and the Duo making up about two-thirds of the market. SAG also says high retail prices will remain a key barrier to mass-market adoption.
For Malaysian buyers weighing the Duo, we have also covered when Apple expects to deliver online orders.
