Samsung is finally facing serious competition in the foldable phone market, or at least it would have if Apple hadn't pushed back the iPhone Duo's shipping dates.
That's a story for another time, but delays aside, Apple has indeed joined the foldable phone segment in 2026 after years of sitting on the fence. Samsung is no longer alone, but what does the foldable market leader think about the current situation?
Well, at least one Samsung executive views competition as a springboard for future foldable innovations. In a recent interview, President of Samsung Malaysia, Charles Kim, welcomed the new player(s) with open arms.
As more major technology brands enter the foldables scene, the sentiment should not be apprehension. In fact, for Samsung, which introduced its first Galaxy Fold in 2019, I see it as a sign that an idea we had early on is becoming increasingly relevant to the wider mobile industry.
Although foldable phones used to be a niche category, Mr. Charles Kim says the market is already seeing a drastic change this year. As more brands join the foldable phone category, they raise awareness and foster competition.
Making a foldable phone is a massive engineering challenge — one that Samsung has so far spearheaded with success. However, Charles Kim also believes that “competition is exactly what I consider essential to push us to learn and improve with every generation of the Z series.”
According to Samsung, more people are beginning to understand not only what foldable technology is but why they might want a foldable phone. The market is now transitioning from “does a phone fold?” to “why do I need a foldable?“
Samsung and Apple need one another
The current market shift toward foldable phones can be attributed to two major factors. One is that Apple has finally joined the market, and the other is that Samsung has offered more foldable phone options in 2026.
Samsung's lineup this year consists of the Galaxy Z Flip 8, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Each device has a unique form factor that befits different types of users.
Customers are now beginning to realize more and more that regular phones will never offer the flexibility you'll find in a foldable. And although change can be intimidating, it's also the only way to grow.
As Mr. Kim puts it, people used to be astounded by touchscreens in the numeric keypad era. Now, more people are becoming increasingly comfortable with the notion that smartphones don't have to look the same as they did for over a decade. Foldable phones open possibilities regular phones cannot.
In the end, Samsung seems to be happy that Apple has finally joined the cutting edge and believes that consumers will benefit from the competition. The company promised it will continue to invest, listen, learn, and innovate, “not because competition has arrived, but because competition gives the entire industry a reason to push further.”
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