Although Apple has not yet launched the iPhone Fold, it is estimated that the average price of foldable smartphones in the market will rise by about 18 percent, reaching approximately 1,485 US dollars, or around 50,000 baht.
Market research firm Counterpoint Research projects that the global average selling price of foldable smartphones will reach 1,485 US dollars this year, up 18 percent from 2025 and 29 percent from 2024, respectively.
The key factor Counterpoint believes will drive foldable phone prices higher is Apple's first entry into the foldable smartphone market under the name iPhone Ultra, or possibly iPhone Fold according to some reports.
Counterpoint points out that the foldable smartphone market is splitting into two directions. The first is the book-style form factor, which is expected to be used by the iPhone Fold. Prices for this type are likely to rise as manufacturers increase screen sizes, strengthen hinges, enlarge batteries, improve cameras, and add more features. This form factor is also gaining a larger share of total market shipments, providing significant upward pressure on the overall average price.
Conversely, clamshell-style foldable smartphones are trending toward price reductions due to more manufacturers entering the market and expanded production capacity, leading this style to compete more closely with traditional premium smartphones in similar price ranges.
An interesting overall market trend is the shipment share of foldable smartphones priced between 1,600 and 2,000 US dollars, which is expected to nearly double from 30 percent in 2025 to 58 percent in 2026. Meanwhile, models priced above 2,000 US dollars are projected to slightly decline from 3 percent to 2 percent.
The iPhone Fold is expected to belong to the high-end foldable smartphone segment, with IDC estimating its price to be between 2,500 and 3,000 US dollars.
Counterpoint states that Apple's entry will further drive the upward trend in average prices by attracting market attention to higher price segments and increasing focus on software continuity, app support, and functionality across all foldable smartphone types, making this category the highest-value segment within the overall smartphone market.
Source:Counterpoint Research