Samsung all but confirms iPhone Duo boosts Galaxy Z8 sales

Are foldables cool now?

Samsung launched its first foldable phone in 2019 and was the only company to seriously pursue the form factor for several years. These early devices were bulky and more interesting as engineering feats than things you’d want to carry around all day, but little by little, foldable hardware got better and better until Apple could finally release the product it wanted. The iPhone Duo isn’t an island: It relies on many of the same components as other foldable phones, including Samsung’s displays.

Apple’s hype train is unstoppable, so increased interest in foldables was probably inevitable. Samsung expanded its foldable lineup with the non-Ultra model just in time, likely due to leaks about Apple’s device. But the wider form factor isn’t just a gimmick: it solves several annoying problems with foldable phones. The main screen is better for watching videos with less wasted space. It’s also better to read documents and use unoptimized apps (many of which are on the Play Store) in portrait orientation compared to square foldable screens. This is a positive change for foldable phones, and we’ll likely see it replicated by other OEMs in the coming months.

Either way, the foldable price is definitely not cool. It’s hard to justify spending $2,000 on a phone, but at the same time, all devices are getting more and more expensive. With recent price hikes, high-end flat phones from Samsung, Google and Apple are only a few hundred dollars behind their foldable options. Prices for foldable products have also increased, but not to the same extent. Apple even managed to come up with an unusually competitive (for a foldable) price of $2,000 for the iPhone Duo. Samsung’s big foldable is a little cheaper at $1,900, and it’s been discounted at a few retailers since its launch.