Flip Telephones Are Reigniting the Smartphone Wars, Led by Samsung

A brand new wave of flippable and foldable telephones is shaking up the US smartphone market, lengthy dominated by Apple’s iPhone.

The iPhone stays king, however flip telephones are spurring innovation and gaining momentum with customers.

“There is quite a bit of buzz around this,” Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee advised Business Insider. Still, he stated foldables stay area of interest, representing 1% to 2% of the smartphone market.

Companies together with Samsung, Motorola, and Google have ventured into foldable or flippable smartphones — Samsung with the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, Motorola with its Razr flip telephones, and Google with its Pixel Fold fashions.

In July, Samsung’s newest foldable and flippable fashions, the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7, hit a milestone. The firm stated whole preorders for each fashions had been up 25% in comparison with earlier generations.

That momentum displays broader beneficial properties. Research agency Canalys estimated that Samsung’s smartphone shipments to the US surged 38% 12 months over 12 months through the second quarter, whereas Google’s shipments grew 13%, and Motorola’s edged up 2%.

Apple’s smartphone shipments, against this, outpaced opponents by quantity however fell 11% 12 months over 12 months, in response to the Canalys report. The firm front-loaded shipments earlier within the 12 months, forward of looming tariffs.

One big participant stays lacking from the versatile telephone race: Apple. Analysts say its potential entry may remodel the class.

A July analyst notice from J.P. Morgan predicted Apple will launch a book-style foldable telephone as a part of its iPhone 18 lineup in September 2026, primarily based on the analysts’ provide chain checks. The analysts anticipate the value to be round $1,999 — matching the beginning worth of Samsung’s Fold7.

“If Apple offers a foldable, it will unlock much greater levels of adoption in the US market,” Chatterjee stated.

For now, Apple can afford to attend.

The iPhone continues to dominate international gross sales. In the primary quarter of 2025, 5 of the ten best-selling smartphones on the planet had been iPhones, market analysis agency Counterpoint Research discovered.

And historical past suggests Apple does not have to rush into the flip telephone recreation to win. The widespread Apple Watch wasn’t the primary smartwatch available on the market, nevertheless it nonetheless leads the smartwatch market with 20% of world shipments within the first quarter, in response to Counterpoint Research.

“Apple will wait and see and won’t be afraid to be a follower in the foldable market if it detects an opportunity,” Chatterjee advised Business Insider.