Samsung is wasting no time responding to Apple’s entry into the foldable smartphone market.
Just one day after Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the $1,999 iPhone Duo, Samsung launched a highly aggressive promotional campaign highlighting its years of experience in foldable phones while mocking Apple’s late arrival to the category.
The confrontation marks a major turning point for the foldable smartphone market. Samsung pioneered the modern mass-market category in 2019 and has now shipped eight generations of foldable devices. Apple, meanwhile, is entering the market with a premium device that closely resembles the book-style form factor Samsung has spent years developing.
Samsung Mocks Apple’s Foldable iPhone
Samsung’s U.S. social-media team responded almost immediately after Apple’s September 9 launch.
The company posted a series of sarcastic messages aimed at the iPhone Duo, including a reference to Apple effectively “reheating” an idea Samsung has already developed.
Another post used the phrase “So far, so same,” suggesting that many of Apple’s foldable features are already familiar to Android users.
Samsung also highlighted the fact that its foldable portfolio has evolved beyond a single design, pointing to its broader experience with multiple foldable formats.
The campaign was clearly designed to reinforce one message: Apple may be new to foldables, but Samsung is not.
Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo Changes the Market
Apple’s entry nevertheless represents a major threat to Samsung.
The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States, making it a direct competitor to Samsung’s premium Galaxy Z Fold lineup.
The device uses a book-style design, with a 5.4-inch outer display that opens into a 7.6-inch internal screen.
Apple has also redesigned iOS around the foldable format, allowing users to take advantage of the larger display for multitasking and other workflows.
Pre-orders are scheduled to begin October 16, with retail availability starting October 23.
The pricing is particularly significant because Apple has entered the category without trying to undercut Samsung.
Instead, Apple is positioning its foldable iPhone as a premium flagship.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Is Apple’s Main Target
Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold 8 makes the rivalry even more direct.
The Fold 8 launched less than two months before Apple’s iPhone Duo and starts at approximately $1,899.
Samsung’s device also uses a passport-like book design, meaning Apple’s decision to adopt a similar form factor creates an unusually direct comparison between the two companies.
Samsung’s Fold 8 also integrates Google’s Gemini AI capabilities, adding another competitive dimension beyond the hardware itself.
For consumers, the decision will increasingly come down to the entire ecosystem rather than just the folding mechanism.
Samsung Has a Seven-Year Head Start
Samsung launched its first mass-market Galaxy Fold in 2019.
The early years were difficult.
Samsung experienced significant durability problems with its initial foldable devices, including display and protective-layer failures that forced the company to delay the original Galaxy Fold rollout.
But Samsung continued investing in the category.
The company has now produced eight generations of foldable smartphones and has accumulated years of experience in hinges, flexible displays, durability and software optimization.
Apple is therefore entering a market that Samsung has already spent years refining.
Apple Could Still Quickly Challenge Samsung
Despite Samsung’s head start, Apple’s arrival could dramatically change the market.
Counterpoint expects Apple to capture roughly 25% of the global foldable smartphone market in 2026, compared with an estimated 38% for Samsung.
Those numbers would be significant because Apple would be entering a category that has remained relatively small compared with conventional smartphones.
Apple’s brand strength could introduce foldables to millions of consumers who have never seriously considered buying one.
That could expand the entire category rather than simply transfer customers from Samsung.
Apple’s Biggest Advantage May Be Its Ecosystem
Samsung has more experience with foldable hardware, but Apple has a powerful ecosystem advantage.
The iPhone is deeply connected with products such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, Macs, iPads and Apple’s growing software ecosystem.
That means existing iPhone users have an obvious reason to consider the Duo if they want a foldable phone without leaving Apple’s ecosystem.
Apple is also known for waiting until a product category has matured before entering it.
The company did not invent the smartphone, smartwatch or tablet, but it has repeatedly entered established categories and reshaped them around its own hardware-software ecosystem.
The same strategy is now being applied to foldables.
Samsung Says It Is Already Ahead
Samsung’s response suggests the company does not intend to let Apple define the foldable category.
The company has been promoting thinner and lighter foldable designs while emphasizing its experience and hardware development.
Its current campaign includes billboards in cities such as Seoul, Tokyo and London with messaging around Samsung’s experience and lightweight foldable devices.
Samsung is effectively reframing Apple’s launch as validation of a market it helped create.
That argument could resonate with existing Galaxy customers.
Samsung Also Has More Foldable Variety
Another advantage for Samsung is product variety.
Apple has launched one foldable form factor with the iPhone Duo.
Samsung has spent years developing both book-style Fold devices and smaller Flip models.
The company has also experimented with more advanced folding concepts, including its tri-fold Galaxy device.
That gives Samsung the ability to address different customer preferences and price points while Apple currently occupies the ultra-premium end of the market.
Samsung’s social-media campaign specifically referenced its ability to “fold three ways,” turning Apple’s arrival into an opportunity to advertise Samsung’s broader foldable portfolio.
Apple Is Also Using Samsung’s Supply Chain
There is an ironic element to the rivalry.
While Samsung is publicly criticizing Apple’s foldable strategy, Samsung Display is part of the supply chain supporting Apple’s foldable ambitions.
Reuters reports that Apple is leveraging the foldable supply chain Samsung helped establish, including foldable displays produced by Samsung’s display business.
That means Samsung can simultaneously be one of Apple’s most important competitors and one of the companies benefiting from Apple’s entry into the category.
This is a familiar dynamic in the smartphone industry, where competitors frequently rely on one another for components.
The Foldable Market Could Finally Go Mainstream
Apple’s arrival may ultimately benefit Samsung as well.
Foldable smartphones have remained a niche category despite years of development.
One major reason is that many consumers still view them as expensive alternatives to conventional phones.
Apple’s marketing power could change that.
A foldable iPhone displayed in Apple Stores around the world could introduce the form factor to consumers who previously ignored Samsung, Google, Motorola and Chinese foldable phones.
If those consumers become interested in foldables, Samsung could gain from the expanding category even while losing some premium customers to Apple.
The Real Competition Will Be More Than Hardware
The coming battle will not be decided purely by screen size or hinge design.
Software will become increasingly important.
Apple is redesigning iOS around the Duo’s larger display, while Samsung has years of experience optimizing One UI for multitasking and foldable screens.
AI will also play a larger role.
Samsung’s Fold 8 uses Google’s Gemini capabilities, while Apple’s foldable strategy is tied to its broader Apple Intelligence ecosystem.
The company that makes the foldable phone feel most useful in everyday life could have the strongest long-term advantage.
Why Apple’s Timing Matters
Apple’s timing may be one of its biggest strategic advantages.
The foldable market has already gone through several generations of experimentation.
The technology is more mature than it was when Samsung launched the original Galaxy Fold.
That allows Apple to enter after competitors have absorbed much of the early engineering risk.
Apple can study what consumers liked and disliked about existing foldables and then attempt to deliver a more polished product.
Analysts quoted by Reuters described Apple’s strategy as entering when the product category had reached a certain level of maturity.
Samsung vs Apple Could Reshape the Foldable Industry
The rivalry could have consequences for the entire smartphone industry.
If the iPhone Duo sells strongly, other premium smartphone manufacturers will face pressure to improve their foldable products.
Samsung could accelerate innovation in thinner displays, stronger hinges and new form factors.
Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi could also respond with more aggressive pricing and hardware innovation.
That could create a much faster cycle of foldable development.
The Bottom Line
Samsung’s aggressive response to Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo is more than a social-media marketing stunt.
It reflects the first serious challenge to Samsung’s long-standing leadership in the foldable smartphone category.
Samsung has the experience, product variety and established foldable ecosystem. Apple has enormous brand power, a massive installed base and the ability to make foldables mainstream.
The result could be a new phase of the smartphone war.
For years, Samsung has effectively been telling consumers that foldables are the future.
Now Apple is telling its own customers the same thing.
The biggest question is no longer whether foldable phones will survive.
It is which company will define what the mainstream foldable smartphone becomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the price of Apple’s first foldable iPhone?
Apple’s iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States for the 256GB model.
What is Samsung saying about Apple’s foldable iPhone?
Samsung has used social-media posts to mock Apple’s late entry into the foldable market, including comments suggesting that Apple is “reheating” technology Samsung has already developed.
When did Samsung launch its first foldable phone?
Samsung launched its first mass-market Galaxy Fold in 2019.
How does the iPhone Duo compare with the Galaxy Z Fold 8?
Both use a book-style folding design. Apple’s iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, while Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at about $1,899.
How big is the iPhone Duo’s display?
The iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch internal display when unfolded.
Could Apple overtake Samsung in foldable phones?
Apple could become a major competitor quickly. Counterpoint estimates Apple could reach about 25% of the foldable market in 2026, compared with roughly 38% for Samsung.
Does Samsung supply components for Apple’s foldable iPhone?
Yes. Samsung Display is part of the foldable display supply chain supporting Apple’s device.
Why is Apple’s foldable iPhone important?
Apple’s entry could significantly expand consumer interest in foldable smartphones and transform the category from a niche premium product into a more mainstream smartphone segment.
