By Rajwa Quasim
Samsung is taking aim at rival Apple’s entry into the foldable smartphone market with a global advertising campaign and sarcastic memes across social media.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, on Wednesday at a starting price of $1,999 in the U.S.
Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, took a direct shot at existing foldable phones during the announcement, describing rival devices as feeling “like two phones awkwardly stuck together.”
Within hours, Samsung fired back. Samsung Canada, in a post shared on its official Instagram account, showed a foldable Samsung phone alongside the line, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The caption added, “it’s entirely new, and at the same time, remarkably familiar,” taking a jab at Apple’s Duo without specifically naming the company.
Samsung is defending its early lead in a category it entered in 2019. The company’s confidence comes from its long experience in the foldable phone market. Samsung introduced the Galaxy Fold in 2019. Since then, it has released several generations of Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip devices, giving it seven years of experience in the category.
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Competitors such as Google and Motorola have also refined their designs, working to address issues including the weight of foldable phones.
Samsung also took to X with a series of sarcastic posts aimed at Apple’s launch. One post accused Apple of “reheating our leftovers,” while another used the phrase “so far, so same” to suggest that Apple had introduced little meaningful innovation.
Another Samsung Instagram Reel said, “allow us to reintroduce myself … the future unfolded here first.” Motorola U.S. also posted, “new in their hands, iconic in ours.”
Beyond its social media campaign, Samsung has been running large-scale outdoor advertising campaigns in cities including Seoul, Tokyo and London, using phrases such as “Welcome to Foldables” and “The World’s Lightest Fold” to promote its recent Galaxy Z Fold 8.
The Apple iPhone Duo opens horizontally into a 7.6-inch display. It has rounded edges and can also be used vertically. When folded, the phone has a smaller 5.4-inch cover display. Apple described it as its thinnest iPhone when opened.
The Duo has a titanium build and a passport-style design, along with stylus support, a feature Samsung dropped in its latest series. It runs on iOS 27 and is designed to provide a smooth transition between folded and expanded layouts.
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The phone is powered by a 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip and starts with a 256GB base model. Its $1,999 starting price is about $100 more than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a similar passport-style design, with a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main screen. It runs Samsung’s One UI 9 software and includes Galaxy AI features. The company has marketed this generation as its lightest foldable phone.
Counterpoint expects Apple to capture about 25% of the foldable phone market this year following its entry, while Samsung could account for 38%.
Liz Lee, an associate director at market research firm Counterpoint, told Reuters, “Apple’s pricing was one of the most impressive parts. Keeping the iPhone Duo just under the $2,000 mark, at $1,999, and only about $100 above the Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks like a pretty bold move by Apple. We expect that Apple will really change the competitive landscape in foldables, and Samsung will see the most visible share pressure. But Samsung also has scale, years of experience and strong global distribution.”