Key Points
- Apple foldable iPhone could cost over ₹2.4 lakh at average selling price
- IDC forecasts Apple to capture 40 per cent of foldable market by 2027
- Global foldable phones remain under 3 per cent of total smartphone shipments
Apple’s first foldable iPhone could carry an average selling price exceeding $2,550, approximately ₹2.4 lakh, and capture roughly 40 per cent of the global foldable smartphone market by 2027, according to a forecast from International Data Corporation released this week.
IDC said Apple could ship more than 17 million foldable iPhones by 2027, generating more than $45.7 billion in value and accounting for more than half the total value of the foldable phone category. The projection positions Apple to rapidly overtake Samsung and Huawei, the current leaders in foldable devices.
The forecast comes days before Apple’s next product event, scheduled for 9 September at 10.30pm IST. Apple has confirmed an event titled ‘Surprise and shine’ but has not officially announced a foldable iPhone, its price or the widely reported ‘iPhone Ultra’ name.
The $2,550 figure represents average selling price, effectively the average revenue generated per device across different storage configurations. Higher-capacity versions typically lift the average considerably above the entry-level price.
Apple foldable iPhone pricing projections
TrendForce offered a more specific estimate on 3 September. The market research firm expects Apple’s first foldable, which it tentatively calls the ‘iPhone 18 Fold’, to start between $2,099 and $2,299 in the United States, approximately ₹1.98 lakh to ₹2.17 lakh at current exchange rates. High-storage configurations could exceed $3,000, roughly ₹2.83 lakh.
TrendForce stressed that its numbers are forecasts based on current market and supply chain information, with final pricing subject to Apple’s announcement.
If these projections prove accurate, Apple’s foldable would become its most expensive iPhone by a wide margin. The current iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 in the US, while a 2TB model sells for $1,999. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 currently starts at $1,899.99, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra starts at $2,099.99. Samsung lists higher-storage Fold8 Ultra configurations at as much as $2,699.99 before promotional discounts.
For Indian consumers, Apple’s foldable would likely carry a price tag exceeding ₹2.5 lakh after accounting for import duties and taxes, placing it firmly in the ultra-premium segment alongside luxury watches and entry-level automobiles.
Market remains niche
Despite years of development by Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, Honor and others, foldable phones remain a small part of the overall smartphone business. Omdia estimates that manufacturers shipped 18.2 million foldable smartphones worldwide in 2025.
The market had a difficult first half of 2026, with shipments falling 21.6 per cent year over year to 5.1 million devices. Book-style foldables, devices that open into a tablet-sized screen, accounted for 69 per cent of shipments during the period. Huawei and Samsung together controlled about 75 per cent of that segment.
Omdia expects a recovery, forecasting more than 22 million foldable shipments in 2026 and 36 million by 2028. Even over the longer term, however, it expects foldables to remain a premium niche. Its forecast of 45 million units in 2030 would still represent less than 3 per cent of global smartphone shipments.
Counterpoint Research forecast in July that worldwide foldable shipments would rise 21 per cent in 2026. It expects Samsung to remain the largest vendor with 32 per cent of shipments, followed by Apple at 25 per cent and Huawei at 24 per cent.
IDC senior research director Nabila Popal said Apple’s arrival had changed the trajectory of the category, adding that IDC believes foldable shipments would otherwise have declined at a double-digit rate. The research company expects foldable shipments overall to increase 12.6 per cent in 2026 to 22.9 million units and rise another 18 per cent to roughly 27 million in 2027.
Rising component costs
Apple’s expected foldable launch arrives during an unusual period for the wider smartphone industry. IDC forecasts global smartphone shipments will fall 16.7 per cent in 2026 to just over 1 billion units, which would be the steepest annual contraction it has recorded.
Yet the market’s total value is expected to increase 6.3 per cent to $613 billion because handset prices are rising sharply. IDC projects the worldwide smartphone average selling price will climb 27.6 per cent this year to $581.
A major reason is the continuing shortage and rising cost of NAND and DRAM memory, the storage and processing memory chips used in smartphones. IDC says those component costs have risen more than 300 per cent year over year, putting particularly heavy pressure on manufacturers of inexpensive Android phones.
By the numbers
- $2,550
- IDC projected average selling price for Apple foldable
- 40%
- Apple's projected foldable market share by 2027
- 17 million
- Foldable iPhones Apple could ship by 2027
TrendForce has identified the same pressure in Apple’s supply chain. It estimates that memory costs for a 256GB iPhone Pro model in the third quarter of 2026 are nearly 400 per cent higher than a year earlier. It expects Apple to absorb some of those additional costs rather than pass all of them on to buyers, but nevertheless forecasts price increases across this year’s premium iPhone lineup.
Expected specifications
The specifications remain unofficial, but industry research points toward a book-style device designed to function as a conventional smartphone when closed and provide a substantially larger display when unfolded.
TrendForce expects Apple’s first foldable to use its new 2-nanometre A20 Pro processor, a next-generation chip manufactured using the most advanced production techniques currently available. The research firm says Apple has made hardware trade-offs to keep the device relatively thin.
TrendForce expects a dual-camera system rather than the more elaborate camera arrangement found on some flagship phones, along with a capacitive fingerprint sensor instead of Apple’s usual Face ID authentication system. It also identifies reducing the visible display crease as one of the device’s principal engineering features.
Cost remains a central challenge for foldables. Omdia says their flexible displays, complex hinge mechanisms and specialised glass keep manufacturing costs high, while buyers also face higher repair costs and compromises elsewhere in the hardware. These factors have helped keep foldables concentrated in the premium market rather than turning them into mainstream replacements for conventional smartphones.
TrendForce cautions against assuming an immediate surge in sales. It expects limited initial production and a relatively late shipment schedule for Apple’s first foldable, meaning its effect on overall foldable penetration may take time to materialise. The research firm estimates foldables will represent only around 2 per cent of the global smartphone market this year.
Your Questions, Answered
How much will Apple's foldable iPhone cost?
IDC forecasts an average selling price exceeding $2,550, approximately ₹2.4 lakh. TrendForce estimates a starting price between $2,099 and $2,299, with high-storage versions potentially exceeding $3,000.
When will Apple announce the foldable iPhone?
Apple has confirmed an event for 9 September 2026 at 10.30pm IST. However, the company has not officially confirmed a foldable iPhone announcement for this event.
What market share could Apple capture in foldables?
IDC forecasts Apple could capture roughly 40 per cent of the global foldable smartphone market by 2027, shipping more than 17 million devices and generating over $45.7 billion in value.
Why are foldable phones so expensive?
Flexible displays, complex hinge mechanisms and specialised glass keep manufacturing costs high. Rising memory chip costs have added further pressure, with NAND and DRAM prices increasing over 300 per cent year over year according to IDC.
