Why the iPhone Duo could be beneficial for Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8

Apple’s iPhone Duo is far from the first foldable phone, but it could upset the foldable market in all-new ways. Why the iPhone Duo could be beneficial for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. Big Tech Apple Why the iPhone Duo could be beneficial for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 How Apple’s entry into the foldable market could boost its biggest rival.

Although it won’t hit stores until next month, the announcement alone was enough to get the smartphone world talking. And while Apple is making its first attempt at the format, others, like Samsung, have been doing this for some time — the original 2019 Galaxy Fold was one of the first mainstream foldable devices. As it turns out, the iPhone Duo announcement might also end up being a positive for competing devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

It’s not as if Samsung is celebrating the Duo, but the hype surrounding it ends up drawing more attention to the foldable category overall. The iPhone Duo has sparked more interest in foldable phones Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images Samsung currently leads the foldable device segment, but that market slice doesn’t even come close to conventional smartphones. IDC estimates that about 20.6 million foldable phones were shipped last year, but that’s only a fraction of the overall smartphone market.

Global smartphone shipments reached 1.25 billion last year, giving an idea of just how niche the foldable phone market still is.