iPhone Duo is expected to ship 5 million units this year:

According to a recent industry report by TrendForce, Apple’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, is expected to ship 5 million units in 2026, capturing 24.8% of the foldable phone market and directly entering the second tier of the industry, breaking the long-standing monopoly of Android brands in the foldable phone market.

This new device features a book-style inward-folding structure, with a built-in 7.6-inch large screen and a 5.4-inch external screen. The two screens can be seamlessly connected, balancing large-screen multitasking with everyday portability.

The organization believes that its hardware specifications and overall durability have been refined over a long period of time, which is enough to change the product competition logic of foldable phones.

In 2026, the global shipment of foldable phones will only reach 20.2 million units, a slight increase of only 0.5% compared to 2025. Industry growth has basically stagnated, and the continuous rise in component costs has made it difficult for most Android manufacturers to increase shipments. The overall market has entered a stage of competition for existing market share.

If we exclude the incremental growth brought by Apple’s iPhone Duo, the total shipments of other Android brands for the year were only 15.2 million units, a year-on-year decline of more than 20%. Most brands could only maintain their existing shipment volume and it was difficult to achieve new breakthroughs.

Samsung maintained its leading position in the industry, shipping 7.1 million units throughout the year, with a stable market share of 35.1%. Huawei followed closely behind with 5 million units shipped, also reaching a share of 24.8%, on par with Apple. The three brands divided the vast majority of the foldable phone market share, and the survival space for small and medium-sized manufacturers continued to be squeezed.

The technological competition in foldable phones has shifted from a competition of single hardware components like hinges to a comprehensive contest of integrated unibody structures. Thinness, lightweight design, minimizing creases, and extending lifespan have become the core objectives of each company’s research and development.

Manufacturers who want to improve screen creases cannot rely solely on hinge structure or single material optimization. They must coordinate the design of ultra-thin flexible glass (UTG), optically transparent adhesive (OCA), OLED display module, and body support structure. By precisely matching material modulus, board thickness, and stacking position, the stress generated in the bending area can be dispersed, thereby reducing the deformation problem caused by repeated screen folding from the root.

The iPhone Duo made a brand-new attempt in screen stacking solution. The inner screen uses a OLED display architecture composed of ten layers of ultra-thin materials, combined with a nano-texture surface treatment process, which greatly reduces screen reflection and weakens the visual abruptness caused by creases, significantly improving the overall durability of the device.