Apple cuts foldable iPhone numbers, but still might outsell Samsung

Ben Schoon | Apr 8 2026 - 6:30 am PT

According to a new report, Apple is cutting back on expected shipments for its upcoming foldable iPhone, but that number still might beat Samsung’s own projections for Galaxy foldables.

The Elec reports that Samsung Display will be the sole source of foldable display panels for the upcoming foldable iPhone, which Apple may end up calling the “iPhone Ultra” per recent rumors. Apple’s deal with Samsung Display is set to last at least three years, the report notes. The exclusivity, apparently, comes down to Samsung needing “justification” for supplying key components to what will be direction competition to the company’s own Galaxy foldables. Apple, on its part, accepted the terms given the lack of alternative suppliers – BOE’s panels are supposedly not up to Apple’s standard, while LG

More interesting in the report, though, is that Apple has apparently dropped initial shipment expectations for the foldable iPhone from 10 million to just three million for “this year.” That’s a steep drop, but still a huge number in the context of the foldable market.

Last year, it was reported that Samsung was aiming for shipment numbers on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 of around 2.4 million units, at least based on the initial forecast. Strong reception to the Fold 7 has likely pushed that number up, but it’s still important to recognize that Samsung, on its seventh generation, expected to sell fewer book-style foldables than Apple on its very first generation.

Advertisement - scroll for more content

Samsung won’t be turning over its crown right away, though, as the Galaxy Z Flip series accounts for another 2.3 million units, again citing those projections for the 2025 releases.

The report brings out that the foldable market as a whole shipped around 20 million units in 2025.

As our sister site 9to5Mac has covered in the past few days, there were rumors that Apple could end up delaying its first foldable into 2027 due to manufacturing delays, but other sources (Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, namely) say that Apple is still on track for a September 2026 debut.