Apple joins foldable market in earnest after 7 years
Gap with Samsung in tech, price seen as key challenge
'Foldable know-how cannot be caught up with overnight'
Apple's entry into the foldable phone market in earnest, seven years after launching its first smartphone, is set to intensify competition with Samsung Electronics, the market's "first mover."
Following the strong launch of the Galaxy Z Fold8, Apple appears to be countering with its iPhone Duo. However, the technology gap with Samsung Electronics — which has led the foldable market for years — along with price competitiveness, works against Apple.
Industry observers expect Samsung Electronics to hold onto its firm grip on the foldable phone market for now.
A challenger to the Galaxy Z Fold8? Closing the technology and price gap remains Apple's challenge. On Wednesday (local time), new Apple CEO John Turners unveiled the iPhone Duo at Apple Park, the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California. It is the first foldable phone Apple has introduced since launching its first iPhone in 2007.
Apple trails Samsung Electronics in AI, and now, in the foldable phone market as well. Although Apple adopted a "passport-style" form factor similar to the Galaxy Z Fold8, it remains closer to a fast follower than a technology leader.
The iPhone Duo is heavier and thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold8. It weighs 254 grams and measures 5.2 millimeters at its thickest point along the side, compared with the Galaxy Z Fold8's mere 201 grams and 4.5 millimeters.
The iPhone Duo's screen measures 5.2 inches when folded and 7.6 inches when unfolded — similar to the Galaxy Z Fold8 — but Apple has fallen short of its rival in slimming down the hardware.
Still, the iPhone Duo carries a higher price tag, coming in roughly 1 million won ($746) more expensive than the Galaxy Z Fold8.
The iPhone Duo's 256-gigabyte model is priced at $1,999, compared with 2.28 million won for the equivalent Galaxy Z Fold8 model in South Korea. The iPhone Duo also presents a higher barrier to entry than the Galaxy Z Fold8's US launch price of roughly $1,900, excluding value-added tax.
"There are expectations that the iPhone Duo could become a challenger to the Galaxy Z Fold8, but Apple has only just entered the foldable phone market," an industry official said. "Narrowing the gap in technology and price competitiveness is Apple's challenge."
Despite Apple's aggressive entry into the market, many in the industry expect Samsung Electronics to retain the top spot in the foldable phone market.
Even accounting for Apple's loyal iPhone customer base worldwide and demand for the passport-style form factor, industry observers say Apple is unlikely to catch up with Samsung Electronics anytime soon.
Since unveiling the Galaxy Z Fold8 in July, Samsung Electronics has repeatedly broken its own smartphone sales records. It surpassed last year's combined Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7 pre-orders of about 1.04 million units over a seven-day period. It also topped the 2019 Galaxy Note10's previous record of 1.38 million units sold over 11 days, the best-selling record among Galaxy smartphones.
In practice, according to Counterpoint Research's weekly smartphone sales tracker, the Galaxy Z8 series outsold the Galaxy Z7 series by more than 8 percent within two weeks of its official launch on Aug. 7. The Galaxy Z Fold8 alone accounted for 57 percent of total sales, driving the strong performance.
Samsung Electronics is projected to lead the global foldable phone market this year with a 38 percent share, followed by Apple at 25 percent and Huawei at 22 percent.
Roh Tae-moon, president of Samsung Electronics' Device Experience Division, addressed Apple's entry into the foldable phone market at the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 press conference held in London in July. "Samsung will continue to lead the foldable phone market," he said, and went on to say, "The technology and understanding of customers we have built over the seven years since introducing the first foldable smartphone cannot be caught up with overnight."
ko@heraldcorp.com
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