Apple (AAPL) has entered the foldable smartphone market, pitting one of the world’s largest technology companies against Samsung in a category Samsung has spent years developing.
The $1,999 iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable iPhone. It has Apple’s A20 Pro chip, a 7.6-inch inner display, and a 5.4-inch outer display. The device is pocketable when closed and designed for multitasking, gaming, and productivity, according to Apple.
Apple will begin taking preorders Oct. 16, with the iPhone Duo scheduled to become available Oct. 23.
Samsung, meanwhile, has already invested years in trying to make foldables a real premium phone category. Its Galaxy Z Fold8 begins at $1,899.99, just $100 less than Apple’s new entrant.
This raises an obvious competitive question: can Apple take meaningful share from Samsung?
But there’s a darker side to this story.
Apple is entering Samsung’s foldable-phone territory while relying on Samsung’s supply chain for part of the device.
Samsung Display is supplying foldable screens for Apple’s iPhone Duo, so the two companies are competing for the consumer while also remaining tied through the hardware supply chain, Reuters reports.
Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo takes aim at Samsung’s advantage
Apple is a second mover in the area but it is bringing the huge iPhone ecosystem with it.
The iPhone Duo has the biggest Apple iPhone display ever, at 7.6 inches inside. It has a 5.4-inch outside display when folded. Apple is also highlighting software capabilities created expressly for the foldable form size, including multitasking between applications and a revamped iOS 27 experience.
- Starting price: $1,999
- Inner display: 7.6 inches
- Outer display: 5.4 inches
- Chip: A20 Pro
- Preorders: Oct. 16
- Availability: Oct. 23
The A20 Pro CPU is constructed on a 2-nanometer technology and has a new thermal-management mechanism to maintain performance in gaming, multitasking, and artificial intelligence tasks, Apple said.
Related: Jim Cramer sends strong signal to Apple stock investors
That lets Apple market the Duo as more than a folding iPhone. The Duo aims to incorporate the foldable form factor into the iPhone experience. The pricing shows that Apple is targeting the premium market. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at $1,899.99, while the Duo costs $1,999.
Samsung has a head start Apple cannot instantly replicate
Experience is Samsung’s strongest edge.
After entering the foldable-phone market in 2019, the business has refined its hardware, software, and manufacturing methods across multiple generations.
Samsung is promoting its expertise, manufacturing size, and distribution network as Apple joins the market, according to Reuters.
Samsung is also expanding its Galaxy ecosystem software.
Samsung launched One UI 9 on Sept. 16 for the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra. The upgrade includes Galaxy AI technologies for tailored support, device management, and security alarms.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 itself starts at $1,899.99 and is available with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options. Samsung is also advertising trade-in and carrier incentives that can lower the effective cost.
That Samsung need not defend its Fold8 stance alone. The foldable hides a wider Galaxy smartphone lineup.
Apple’s challenge is to persuade existing iPhone users that a $1,999 foldable is sufficiently advanced to justify the premium.
Apple’s biggest threat to Samsung could also help it
This scenario is where the smartphone rivalry becomes more complicated.
Apple needs Samsung.
Samsung Display is reportedly delivering foldable displays for the iPhone Duo. So Samsung is part of the hardware supply chain that’s powering Apple’s largest new smartphone category.
It creates two independent firms, with entirely different motivations.
Samsung’s smartphone business wants to offer Galaxy phones. Regardless of whose branding is on the completed phone, Samsung’s display division will gain from growing demand for foldable displays.
For Apple, the deal provides access to a component Samsung has spent years perfecting.
That makes the competitive narrative for investors a little more complicated than Apple vs. Samsung.
Apple might steal users from Samsung in the premium smartphone space, and Samsung can play in the supply chain that supports Apple’s development.
The foldable market is about to get a much bigger test
Apple’s entrance might alter the economics of the foldable market since it has something Samsung and other early entrants didn’t have at the same scale: the existing worldwide iPhone consumer base.
Foldables have remained a relatively small part of the broader smartphone market despite years of development.
So Apple’s move is a test case for the whole category.
If the Duo takes off with customers, Samsung will be battling to preserve its existing turf against a corporation with massive brand awareness and a fully connected hardware and software ecosystem.
Samsung’s expertise might still provide them a significant edge in a small premium segment if adoption stays restricted.
Either way, Apple’s arrival affects the competitive environment.
What investors should watch
The first key signs will be iPhone Duo preorder demand, customer reaction to the $1,999 pricing, and Samsung’s ability to retain distinction in its Fold portfolio.
And the other challenge for Samsung investors: how much of the foldable market can Samsung’s display business acquire as Apple grows it?
That’s the strange twist this rivalry has taken.
Apple is taking against Samsung’s foldable phones but might also be helping to generate greater demand for the innovation Samsung provides.
Related: Samsung is shutting down two apps it once bragged about
