Apple and Huawei to Launch Foldable Phones Amid Shrinking Smartphone Market

< article >

Apple and Huawei Technologies are preparing to launch competing foldable smartphones in early September 2026, arriving at a critical moment for a global smartphone market projected by researchers to contract by 17 per cent this year amid soaring component costs and a persistent memory supply crunch, according to reports from the South China Morning Post and industry coverage. Just two days later on September 9, 2026, Apple will host its annual product showcase event where the company is widely expected to debut its first-ever foldable iPhone. The Apple event will also mark the keynote debut of incoming Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, according to the same reports.

Market Pressures and IDC Projections for Foldable Smartphones

The near-simultaneous releases arrive as the broader hardware market faces severe financial headwinds driven by a memory component crunch that has pushed device prices higher and compressed supply chain margins. According to Nabila Popal, Senior Research Director at market research firm IDC, Apple’s entry into the foldables category has fundamentally altered its trajectory at a time when consumer demand was cooling.

Apple’s entry into the foldable market has done more than reignite growth in a category that was losing momentum. It has fundamentally altered the market’s trajectory.

This expansion places immediate competitive pressure on established market leaders Huawei and Samsung Electronics, which have dominated global foldable shipments for years.

Competitive Dynamics in the Premium Segment

For Huawei, the launch of the Mate XT 2 represents an aggressive push to consolidate its lead in trifold technology before Apple enters the market and reshapes buyer expectations. Samsung faces a simultaneous squeeze from both rivals as overall market volumes shrink under macroeconomic pressures. According to industry analysts, how aggressively Apple and Huawei price their new foldable devices against rising component costs will dictate their ability to capture market share during an ongoing industry down cycle.

< /article >