Apple's iPhone Duo
Apple's iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 and lands 23 October, weighing 254g versus the lighter 201g Galaxy Z Fold 8 theapplehub & SamMobiles/X

Samsung fired first. Hours before Apple revealed its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, on 9 September, the Korean firm posted a 'Welcome to Foldables' video mocking its rival's late arrival. The bravado masks a real threat to Samsung's crown.

A Welcome With an Edge

Samsung's 35-second clip never named Apple but called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 the 'world's lightest fold', and it ran only hours before Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' keynote. Once the iPhone Duo went official, Samsung's US social accounts turned sharper, branding the phone 'reheating our leftovers' and 'so far, so same'.

The timing was not subtle. Samsung has sold folding phones since 2019 and spent seven years building the category almost alone. It has reason for confidence too, as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has become its best-selling foldable since its July launch. Yet that head start is exactly what Apple now threatens to erase.

The Forecast Samsung Fears

Behind the jokes sits a number that should worry Seoul. Counterpoint Research expects Apple to take about 25% of the global foldable market this year, reaching second place behind Samsung in a single quarter of sales. In 2027, with a full year on shelves, Counterpoint forecasts Apple will more than double its shipments and claim 40%, passing Samsung's current 38% share.

That shift would end Samsung's reign after seven years at the top. Counterpoint also expects cumulative foldable shipments to pass 100 million units by the end of 2026, with the market growing another 37% next year. Foldables still make up only about 2% of all smartphones sold, leaving room for a newcomer to climb quickly. Supply, not demand, is what analysts say will cap Apple's early run.

Weight Is the Battleground

Samsung's attack centres on one figure. The iPhone Duo weighs 254 grams (8.96 oz), over 50 grams heavier than the 201-gram (7.09 oz) Galaxy Z Fold 8. Hee-Cheul Moon, a Samsung research lead, told Wired the rivalry was 'absolutely welcome' before adding that 'the key to providing the highest customer value in this market is all about the weight of the device'.

Apple appears to have traded grams for toughness. The Duo carries an IP68 rating for dust and water, a grade 5 titanium frame, and a hinge engineered over years to hide the crease that has long troubled folding screens. It pairs a 7.6-inch (19.304 cm) inner screen with a 5.4-inch (13.716 cm) cover display, runs the A20 Pro chip, and is the first iPhone to support the Apple Pencil. Priced from $1,999 (£1476.37), it reaches US buyers on 23 October, with pre-orders from 16 October.

A Rivalry Built on Mockery

Samsung has needled Apple for years, from 2017 ads ridiculing the iPhone X notch to later campaigns teasing Apple's absence from folding phones. This time the jokes carry weight. For American shoppers, Apple's arrival means more choice, faster innovation, and pressure on prices in a category that still costs roughly three times a standard phone.

The welcome video reads less like a victory lap and more like a company watching the clock. If Counterpoint is right, Samsung's foldable crown could slip within a year, and no amount of sharp advertising will slow it.

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