Foldables are finally taking off and Apple is set to swoop in and take credit.
“Android did it first” is a refrain as old as time, or at least time since the early 2000s, but in this case, it’s true.
This week Apple showed off its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. Despite how many firsts it might achieve for Apple, nearly everything about it is familiar to anyone who follows Android foldables.
But the Duo has come along at just the right time.
Samsung finds a winning form
The day before Apple’s event, Samsung released some stats about its latest foldables, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. US sales for them are 30% higher than they were for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. In Europe, the story is even stronger; the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are selling 50% more than the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
“One month after launch, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8, and Z Flip 8 are showing how Samsung’s Galaxy Z series lineup is changing foldable preferences in the US,” Samsung wrote.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 in particular has been the phone to finally convince the foldable curious. Its squat shape has proven to be the winner when it comes to what’s been missing in foldables.
Doubling the standard slab has been the standard for foldables, and while it certainly increases screen space, there is nothing appealing about it. When the phone is closed, it’s a too-thick version of most everything else on the market, and when it’s open, it’s not quite a tablet.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8, Huawei Pura X View, and an upcoming Motorola Razr have all taken a wider view, quite literally. It’s one the world has responded to.
Credit where credit’s due
Samsung not only knows what it has on its hands, but it wants everyone to know that it has led the pack when it comes to the rising popularity of what had been a niche form factor for phones.
On the same day that Apple showed its iPhone Duo, Samsung released a “Welcome to Foldables” campaign that stretches across screens in Times Square in New York, Piccadilly Circus and Outernet in London, Shibuya Station in Tokyo, and COEX K-POP LIVE and KT Square in Seoul.
Combined with a post on X during the Apple event that said, “Let us know when you’re done reheating our leftovers” and a video of Tim Cook (not that Tim Cook but a lookalike in a very Apple-esque setting) reviewing his new Galaxy Z Fold 8, the message is clear that no matter how Apple tries to position itself, it’s following in the footsteps of Samsung.
Apple sets up a new narrative
But Apple has had plenty of time not just to develop the Duo, but to work on how to combat its secondary status.
In an interview with Tom’s Hardware and TechRadar, Apple CEO John Ternus and Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak downplayed the success of Samsung and other Android makers of wide foldables.
Ternus did not name names, but when talking about other foldables, he criticized their “cheap-feeling plastic surfaces. “ And Joswiak referred to “a lot of coincidental instances of people finding that an interesting aspect ratio.”
While it remains to be seen if sales of the iPhone Duo will coast on those of the phones that have come before it or boost the category further, this tactic before the Duo even goes on sale later next month is setting Apple up to take credit for the successes foldables have finally achieved.