Samsung braces for Apple’s new foldable iPhone

UNDER PRESSURE: Samsung taunted Apple with sarcastic posts on X during its launch, saying ‘reheating our leftovers,’ and ‘so far, so same’

Samsung Electronics Co launched a publicity campaign for its foldable phones, touting its hardware advantage and its early entry into the segment as it seeks to fend off a major challenge from Apple Inc.

Apple on Wednesday unveiled the Duo, a folding US$1,999 iPhone aimed at shaking up a category long dominated by Samsung and Chinese companies such as Huawei Technologies Co (華為), whose devices have struggled to move beyond a niche audience.

Apple adopted the passport-shaped design that Samsung Electronics unveiled less than two months ago with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, priced at US$1,899 and powered by Alphabet Inc’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI).

The new foldable iPhone Duo is on display during Apple’s event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, on Wednesday.

Photo: Reuters

“Apple’s pricing was one of the most impressive parts. Keeping the iPhone Duo just under the US$2,000 mark, at US$1,999, and only about US$100 above the Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks like a pretty bold move by Apple,” Counterpoint Research associate director Liz Lee said.

“We expect that Apple will really change the competitive landscape in foldables, and Samsung will see the most visible share pressure. But Samsung also has scale, years of experience and strong global distribution,” she said.

Counterpoint expects Apple to hold a 25 percent market share in the global foldable smartphone market this year, catching up with Samsung, which is expected to capture a 38 percent share, and ahead of Huawei at 22 percent.

Samsung put up billboard advertisements in major cities including Seoul, Tokyo and London, with slogans such as “Welcome to Foldables” and “The World’s Lightest Fold,” highlighting the thin and light design of its devices.

The company also detailed its long-running efforts to reduce the weight of its foldable phones in a post on its Web site on Wednesday.

Responding to Apple’s launch on Wednesday, Samsung launched a flurry of sarcastic posts on X, mocking what it portrayed as a lack of meaningful innovation through taunts such as “reheating our leftovers” and “So far, so same.”

At the launch event in the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple’s newly appointed chief executive officer John Ternus criticized existing foldables as being “like two phones awkwardly stuck together.”

Samsung launched the first mass-market foldable phones in 2019, after initial setbacks as reviewers reported broken screens and other display issues, forcing a delayed rollout.

Since then, the South Korean company has launched eight generations of foldable phones, as it faces growing competition from Chinese rivals such as Huawei.

Apple is leveraging the supply chain Samsung has built for foldable phones, including foldable screens made by Samsung’s own unit, Samsung Display Co.

“Apple is good at getting its timing right and entering the market when a product reaches a certain level of maturity,” CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood said.