Samsung launches immediate counter-campaign against iPhone Duo

Samsung has wasted no time responding to Apple's arrival in foldable smartphones. The company has launched an international promotional campaign highlighting its years of experience in the category and comparing Apple's $1,999 iPhone Duo with Samsung's own Galaxy Z Fold 8, which starts around $1,899. Samsung introduced its first Galaxy Fold in 2019 and now has eight generations of folding hardware behind it, giving the company a strong argument around maturity and refinement.

Apple, however, brings enormous brand power and could rapidly expand awareness of the entire category. Counterpoint analysts cited by Reuters expect Apple to capture a meaningful share of foldable sales, even as Samsung remains one of the category leaders. The interesting irony is that Apple's arrival may ultimately help Samsung by convincing more mainstream consumers that foldables are no longer experimental.

The competition is shifting from proving the hardware works to demonstrating whose ecosystem and software make the larger screen genuinely useful.