Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Apple's iPhone Duo Could Push Foldables Into Mainstream Phone Sales
Foldable phones are smartphones that open into a larger screen.
Right now, they make up only a small part of phone sales.
Analyst Mark Gurman thinks they could become more popular than regular smartphones within 10 years.
He believes Apple’s iPhone Duo could help make that happen.
The Duo has special features for watching videos, playing games, taking pictures, and using FaceTime.
It costs $1,999, which makes it too expensive for many people.
Gurman expects more companies to build foldable phones and compete with one another.
More production and competition could eventually lower prices.
Other analysts are much less confident about how quickly foldables will grow.
Analyst Mark Gurman predicts foldable phones could become the majority of new phone sales within 10 years.
Foldables currently represent about 2% of global smartphone shipments, according to Gurman.
Gurman says Apple’s iPhone Duo could accelerate adoption through features for video, gaming, photography, FaceTime, and StandBy.
The Duo’s $1,999 price and similarly expensive competitors remain major barriers to wider adoption.
Other forecasts are more cautious, keeping foldables below 3% of global smartphone sales through 2026.
- Who
- Apple, analyst Mark Gurman, and competing smartphone manufacturers are central to the forecast.
- What
- Mark Gurman predicts foldable phones could become the majority of new phone sales within a decade, with Apple’s iPhone Duo helping drive adoption.
- When
- The forecast was published in Mark Gurman’s September 13 Power On newsletter; the projected shift is expected within the next 10 years.
- Where
- The forecast concerns the global smartphone market.
- Why
- Gurman says larger screens, specialized foldable features, increased competition, higher production volumes, and eventual cost reductions could drive adoption.
Bullish Forecast
Cautious Outlook
Potential market shift
Bullish Forecast
Mark Gurman believes foldables could follow a trajectory similar to smartphones after the original iPhone and become the majority of new phone sales within a decade.
Cautious Outlook
Other analyst projections cited in the article keep foldables below 3% of global smartphone sales through 2026, indicating a much slower near-term expansion.
Apple’s industry impact
Bullish Forecast
Gurman argues that the iPhone Duo could encourage Android manufacturers to invest more in foldable hardware and software, increasing competition and lowering costs over time.
Cautious Outlook
The Duo and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 remain well above typical flagship pricing, and there is currently no major competitor focused on affordability.
Duo demand
Bullish Forecast
Goldman Sachs reportedly models 14 million Duo units in 2026, with a bullish scenario reaching 35 million, while Gurman cites strong social-media interest.
Cautious Outlook
TrendForce’s estimate is more conservative at about 5 million Duo units in 2026, and the article notes that Gurman’s forecast is his own market reading rather than inside information from Apple.
- Current foldable share
- About 2% of global smartphone shipments.
- Ten-year forecast
- Mark Gurman predicts foldables could become the majority of new phone sales within 10 years.
- iPhone Duo price
- $1,999.
- iPhone Duo inner display
- 7.6 inches.
- Closest named rival
- Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 is described as being in a similar price bracket.
- Other 2026 forecasts
- Goldman Sachs reportedly projects 14 million Duo units in its base case and up to 35 million in a bullish scenario; TrendForce estimates about 5 million.
- Broader analyst outlook
- Most other projections keep foldables below 3% of global smartphone sales through 2026.