Samsung has launched a coordinated marketing campaign targeting Apple following the launch of the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first folding smartphone, released last week with a starting price of $3,499. The campaign, which has taken a humorous and at times critical tone across various markets, underscores Samsung’s established presence in the folding phone segment and highlights the growing competition in this niche.
Samsung first entered the folding smartphone market in 2019 and advanced the technology in 2023 with the introduction of a trifold phone, although a global component shortage has slowed its broader rollout. In contrast, Apple’s entry into the folding phone arena marks a significant move in a market segment that currently represents approximately 2 percent of global smartphone sales but is expanding rapidly.
Samsung’s social media activities featured playful jabs at Apple’s new model. Samsung Belgium congratulated Apple for “finally joining the party,” while the Canadian subsidiary shared an Instagram Reel promoting Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 paired with a pop culture audio clip. In New Zealand, Samsung even claimed that Apple’s former CEO Tim Cook had switched to a Galaxy phone, running full-page advertisements quoting, “Best phone I’ve ever had,” though these statements came from a Samsung-created actor rather than Cook himself. Samsung Australia opted for a less confrontational approach, displaying large 3D models of its folding phones with the slogan “Made for you. And You. And You.” near Apple retail locations.
On the U.S. social media platform X, Samsung posted more direct critiques during Apple’s keynote, including comments referring to the iPhone Duo as “reheating leftovers” and likening Apple’s launch to a “Sims sequel.” These efforts reflect Samsung’s intent to reinforce its brand dominance in the foldable phone sector.
Industry analysts note that the folding phone market is forecast to grow significantly. Mordor Intelligence estimates the segment’s value at $38.7 billion currently, expected to reach $110.2 billion by 2031. The growth rate of folding phones is outpacing traditional smartphones, with a projected surge of 30 percent this year compared to 6 percent for conventional devices. Market research firm International Data Corporation predicts Apple will secure 34 percent of the folding phone market within the first year of the Duo’s release, signaling strong competition ahead.
Both Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Apple’s iPhone Duo offer compact designs and premium features but differ in several technical aspects. The iPhone Duo carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, tested for immersion up to six meters for 30 minutes, while Samsung’s Fold 8 and Ultra models have an IP48 rating, protecting only against larger dust particles and submersion up to 1.5 meters. The Fold 8 features a 4:3 screen aspect ratio, which covers about 56 percent of the display area during widescreen video playback, whereas Apple’s model has a wider aspect ratio that fills approximately 77 percent of the screen.
Apple has also focused on optimizing the Duo’s operating system to allow seamless use of both the outer and inner screens without rearranging apps, differentiating it from other foldable phones that treat the displays separately. John Ternus, Apple’s chief executive, emphasized that the company designed the Duo to provide a larger, more intuitive display experience reminiscent of using an iPad, referring to prior foldable designs as awkward combinations of two phones.
This latest development highlights increasing innovation and rivalry within the premium smartphone market as both companies vie for dominance in the emerging folding category.