The trend of foldable screen mobile phones has changed: clamshell panels plummeted by 62% year-on-year, while large foldable panels increased by 35%

Abstract:

On September 11, the latest folding screen display panel shipments and technology report released by Counterpoint Research showed that global folding screen smartphone panel shipments fell by 13% year-on-year in the first half of 2026. The report pointed out that the decline was mainly concentrated in clamshell panels, while shipments of large folding panels continued to grow. Second-quarter shipments increased 85% sequentially, but were still 16% lower than the second quarter of 2025, indicating that the recovery is not yet fully underway.

In terms of product form,

Shipments of large folding panels increased by 35% year-on-year in the first half of the year, and their share rose from 50% to 78%, an increase of approximately 28 percentage points; shipments of clamshell panels fell by 62% year-on-year, and their share dropped to 21%, a decrease of approximately 27 percentage points.

By the second quarter, large folding panels accounted for nearly 80% of shipments, and the market continued to shift toward book-style folding products.

In terms of suppliers, Samsung Display’s second-quarter shipments increased by 6% year-on-year, and its share increased by 13.5 percentage points to 66%; BOE’s second-quarter shipments fell by 41% year-on-year, and its share fell by about 9 percentage points to 22%. Throughout the first half of the year, Samsung Display shipments increased by 10% year-on-year, while BOE's shipments fell by 31% year-on-year. According to the report, the pace of new product releases by leading smartphone brands is still the main variable affecting the performance of panel suppliers.

In terms of full-year forecast,

Folding screen smartphone panel shipments are expected to increase by 23% in 2026 compared with 2025. Shipments in the second half of the year are expected to increase by 53% from the first half and 71% from the second half of 2025, and account for 61% of the full-year total. The largest increase in the 2026 forecast comes from Apple, which is expected to contribute 27% of full-year shipments, all concentrated in the second half of the year. Samsung's shipments are expected to increase by 8% year-on-year, with a share of 33%, continuing to rank first among brands; Huawei's shipments are expected to decrease by 6%, with a share of 25%. Apple, Samsung and Huawei together will account for 86% of shipments.

In terms of form,

In 2026, the shipment volume of large folding panels is expected to increase by 107% year-on-year, and the share will increase by approximately 33 percentage points to 81%; the shipment volume of clamshell panels is expected to decrease by 59% year-on-year, and the share will decrease by approximately 33 percentage points to 16%;

Multi-folding panel shipments are expected to increase by 14% year-on-year, but the share will still remain at around 3%. Therefore, the rebound in 2026 will focus on book-style large folding products.

In the long term, it is expected that folding screen smartphone panel shipments will grow by 74% from 2026 to 2030, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate of approximately 15%. Among them, shipments of large folding panels are expected to grow by 79%, with their share rising from 81% to 84%; shipments of multi-folding panels are expected to grow by 179%, with their share rising from 2.8% to 4.5%; shipments of clamshell panels are expected to grow by 27%, but their share will drop by about 4 percentage points to 12%. Based on shipments formed only in the second half of 2026, Apple's shipments are expected to increase by 167% by 2030, and its brand share will increase by about 15 percentage points to 42%; Samsung's shipments are expected to increase by 27%, but its share will drop to 24%; Huawei's shipments are expected to increase by 3%, and its share will drop to 15%. The combined share of the three major brands is expected to fall by about 5 percentage points to 81%.

The report believes that data in the first half of 2026 further confirms that the focus of shipments is shifting from clamshell panels to large folding panels. The launch of new products from Apple and Samsung is expected to drive shipments upward, allowing the market to resume growth in 2026, with an increase of 23%.