"Who Has the Best Fold? Apple's Entry Completes the Foldable Lineup... The Decisive Factors"

Fierce Competition in Foldable Phone Market Among Korea, the U.S., and China

Apple's Entry Set to Drive Foldable Shipments Up 37% Next Year

iPhone Duo Priced at 3.29 Million Won—Can It Overcome the Price Barrier?

Apple has unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the 'iPhone Duo,' officially entering the foldable phone market that Samsung Electronics has dominated. With new releases from Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and now Apple, the foldable phone market has become a fierce battleground among Korea, the United States, and China. The key question is whether Apple, as a latecomer, can overcome the high price barrier, attract existing iPhone users to upgrade, and change the market landscape currently centered on Samsung.

Apple's First Foldable 'iPhone Duo' Yonhap News

On September 9 (local time), Apple held its new product launch event in Cupertino, California, and introduced the iPhone Duo. Featuring a horizontally-opening passport-style design, the device offers a 7.6-inch internal screen and a 5.4-inch external display. Apple explained that it used a custom hinge, consistent screen ratios across dual displays, and a new titanium body to deliver an iPad-like experience in a pocket-sized device.

The iPhone Duo puts significant effort into reducing the crease in the center of the screen, a common drawback in foldable phones. By implementing a supporting structure beneath the display to control pressure when folding and using a special nano-texture finish, Apple has minimized the visibility of the crease. The iOS interface has been redesigned to match the fold-and-unfold form factor: key controls are placed on the side when the device is open, and content avoids the folded area when closed.

Initial hands-on reviews have been favorable regarding the screen’s quality. The U.S. tech outlet The Verge noted it was difficult to feel any crease with a finger, and the internal display effectively suppressed glare. Bloomberg commented, "The Duo is designed to feel sturdier, and the crease down the center when open has been further minimized," while also highlighting that "the software interface takes advantage of the new hardware characteristics, combining the two displays seamlessly during use."

Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold8 stands out for its portability due to its lightweight design. It features a 7.6-inch internal and 5.5-inch external display, similar in size to Apple's and Xiaomi's offerings, yet it weighs 201g and is 9.7 mm thick—thinner and lighter than the iPhone Duo's 254g and 11.3 mm. Samsung emphasizes that the Z Fold8 is the lightest model in the history of the Z Fold series.

Chinese competitors, which launched their new models ahead of Apple, are focusing on larger screens and better battery performance. Huawei’s Mate XT2, unveiled on September 7, is a tri-fold device with a screen that reaches 10.2 inches when fully opened, making it larger than the 7-inch displays from Samsung and Apple. Its inward-folding dual screens provide a privacy display that narrows the viewing angle so that people nearby cannot easily see the screen.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold comes with a passport-style design similar to Samsung and Apple and packs a 6000mAh battery. Unlike Samsung and Apple, which do not have separate telephoto cameras, Xiaomi collaborates with Leica to offer a 200-megapixel main camera and 50-megapixel ultra-wide and telephoto cameras.

"Global Cumulative Foldable Phone Shipments to Reach 100 Million Units by the End of This Year"

Market analysts expect interest in foldable phones to rise with Apple’s entry. Market research firm Counterpoint Research forecasts that global foldable phone shipments will increase by 37% year-on-year by 2027 following the launch of the iPhone Duo. Market share predictions stand at Samsung Electronics with 32%, Apple at 25%, and Huawei at 24%. While Apple is set to secure the second-highest market share in its first year, analysts believe Samsung will maintain its advantage in product maturity, distribution network, and user experience.

The crucial factor is price. The iPhone Duo starts at 3.29 million won domestically, with the 2TB model surpassing 5 million won. This is 1 million won higher than the Z Fold8, which starts at 2.27 million won. Even the relatively more affordable Xiaomi 18 Fold starts at 10,999 yuan (about 2.2 million won).

Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at market research firm Forrester, stated, "Apple’s launch strategy for foldables is a typical approach in which the company only enters after resolving product issues and confirming market potential. The question remains whether demand for foldable smartphones, which are still a niche segment, will expand."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.