Apple’s iPhone Duo appears to be helping sell Samsung’s foldable phones. Samsung said Oct. 22 that combined sales of its Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra rose 45% across Europe in the nine weeks after their Aug. 7 launch, compared with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 over the same stretch last year.
Samsung never mentions Apple in its announcement. It doesn’t have to. Google searches for Samsung foldables across major European markets jumped 460% during the week of Sept. 6 to 12, the same week Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo on Sept. 9.
Is the iPhone Duo boosting Samsung foldable sales?
The evidence is circumstantial, but it lines up. Samsung says searches for its foldables in September rose more than 260% compared with August. The company also said last month that U.S. preorders for the Galaxy Z8 series were running 30% ahead of last year, and third party reports say Samsung is ramping up production of the wider Z Fold 8.
Here is the part most coverage skips. The iPhone Duo did not reach customers until Oct. 23. That left about six weeks between Apple’s announcement and the first sale. Shoppers who suddenly wanted a wide foldable had exactly one place to get one, and it was a Samsung store.
Apple rarely invents a category. It makes people pay attention to one. Samsung had the product on shelves when the attention arrived.
Which Samsung foldables are selling?
The Fold models are carrying the story. Samsung shared no numbers for the Z Flip 8, and it previously said its larger foldables account for about 80% of its foldable sales. Apple did not release a flip style phone, which may explain why Samsung’s flip is not part of the celebration.
The wider Z Fold 8 looks closer to the iPhone Duo than earlier Fold models did. Its main screen handles video, reading and apps in portrait mode better than the squarer screens of past foldables. Samsung did not break out sales between the Fold 8 and the Fold 8 Ultra.
How does Samsung win either way?
Samsung may profit even when shoppers choose Apple. Ars Technica reports that the iPhone Duo relies on many of the same parts as other foldables, including Samsung displays. A Fold 8 sale pays. An iPhone Duo sale may pay Samsung too.
What about the iPhone Duo cracked screen reports?
The Duo’s launch week came with a warning sign. One owner in Australia said their phone’s inner display split along the fold after roughly six hours and fewer than 20 openings. Similar photos have surfaced on Reddit and the MacRumors forums.
Context matters here. The number of known cases remains small, with no evidence yet of a widespread defect. Reviewers who ran the Duo through thousands of folds did not report cracking. Apple has not publicly addressed the reports.
The repair math may still shape buying decisions. Android Authority reports that replacing the Duo’s inner screen costs $999 without AppleCare+, compared with $419 for a Galaxy Z Fold 8. Launch buyers have a two week return window and a one year warranty.
Are foldable phones worth the price now?
The price gap is shrinking. The iPhone Duo costs $1,999, and Samsung’s Z Fold 8 starts at $1,900, with some retailers already offering discounts. After recent price hikes, top flat phones from Samsung, Google and Apple sit only a few hundred dollars below their folding siblings.
Foldables spent seven years as a experiment. It took Apple joining the game for the rest of the market to care, and Samsung is the one counting the receipts.
