<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Apple will begin taking preorders Oct. 16, with the iPhone Duo scheduled to become available Oct. 23.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
This raises an obvious competitive question: can Apple take meaningful share from Samsung?<\/p>\n
But there’s a darker side to this story.<\/p>\n
Apple is entering Samsung’s foldable-phone territory while relying on Samsung’s supply chain for part of the device.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo takes aim at Samsung’s advantage<\/p>\n
Apple is a second mover in the area but it is bringing the huge iPhone ecosystem with it.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Starting price: $1,999<\/p>\n
Inner display: 7.6 inches<\/p>\n
Outer display: 5.4 inches<\/p>\n
Chip: A20 Pro<\/p>\n
Preorders: Oct. 16<\/p>\n
Availability: Oct. 23<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Related: Jim Cramer sends strong signal to Apple stock investors<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Samsung has a head start Apple cannot instantly replicate<\/p>\n
Experience is Samsung’s strongest edge.<\/p>\n
After entering the foldable-phone market in 2019, the business has refined its hardware, software, and manufacturing methods across multiple generations.<\/p>\n
Samsung is promoting its expertise, manufacturing size, and distribution network as Apple joins the market, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n
Samsung is also expanding its Galaxy ecosystem software.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
That Samsung need not defend its Fold8 stance alone. The foldable hides a wider Galaxy smartphone lineup.<\/p>\n
Apple’s challenge is to persuade existing iPhone users that a $1,999 foldable is sufficiently advanced to justify the premium.<\/p>\n
Apple’s biggest threat to Samsung could also help it<\/p>\n
This scenario is where the smartphone rivalry becomes more complicated.<\/p>\n
Apple needs Samsung.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It creates two independent firms, with entirely different motivations.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For Apple, the deal provides access to a component Samsung has spent years perfecting.<\/p>\n
That makes the competitive narrative for investors a little more complicated than Apple vs. Samsung.<\/p>\n
Apple might steal users from Samsung in the premium smartphone space, and Samsung can play in the supply chain that supports Apple’s development.<\/p>\n
Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Duo creates a strange problem for Samsung<\/p>\n
TIMOTHY A. CLARY \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
The foldable market is about to get a much bigger test<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Foldables have remained a relatively small part of the broader smartphone market despite years of development.<\/p>\n
So Apple’s move is a test case for the whole category.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Samsung’s expertise might still provide them a significant edge in a small premium segment if adoption stays restricted.<\/p>\n
Either way, Apple’s arrival affects the competitive environment.<\/p>\n
What investors should watch<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
And the other challenge for Samsung investors: how much of the foldable market can Samsung’s display business acquire as Apple grows it?<\/p>\n
That’s the strange twist this rivalry has taken.<\/p>\n
Apple is taking against Samsung’s foldable phones but might also be helping to generate greater demand for the innovation Samsung provides.<\/p>\n
Related: Samsung is shutting down two apps it once bragged about<\/p>\n
#Apple039s #foldable #iPhone #creates #strange #twist #Samsung<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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