'Welcome to Foldables': Samsung braces for Apple's foldable iPhone challenge

Samsung is preparing for a potential challenge from Apple in the foldable smartphone market. The South Korean tech giant recently unveiled a public relations campaign to promote its foldable devices, emphasizing its early entry into the segment and hardware advantage. Apple announced the Duo, a folding iPhone priced at $1,999, which is almost identical to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 priced at $1,899.

This move by Apple is seen as a bold attempt to shake up the foldable category, which has been dominated by Samsung and Chinese companies like Huawei. Liz Lee, a market analyst at Counterpoint, expects Apple's entry to significantly impact the competitive landscape in the foldable market. Counterpoint expects Apple to capture a 25% market share, nearly matching Samsung's projected 38% share this year.

Samsung has been leveraging its scale, years of experience, and strong global distribution to counter the new challenge. The company has also been actively reducing the weight of its foldable phones and has spent years resolving display issues. In response to Apple's move, Samsung has taken a sarcastic approach, mocking the lack of meaningful innovation in Apple's product.