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Apple is preparing to challenge Samsung Electronics in one of the few smartphone segments that is still growing, entering foldables seven years behind its Korean rival, The Korea Herald reported on Thursday. Apple's ability to catch up may hinge on pricing as it prepares to unveil its first foldable iPhone.
Apple has scheduled a special event at its California headquarters for Sept. 9. Industry watchers expect the company to unveil its first foldable iPhone, widely dubbed the iPhone Ultra, alongside its iPhone 18 Pro lineup. Apple has not confirmed the device, its specifications or its price. The foldable is expected to have passport-like proportions, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, with an inner screen approaching the size of an iPad mini and a conventional smartphone display on the outside. Samsung has refined its foldable hardware and software since launching its first model in 2019. Its Galaxy Z Fold8 has a 7.6-inch display, while the Fold8 Ultra features an 8-inch screen and a 200-megapixel main camera. Samsung is betting on that experience and its Galaxy AI services. Apple, meanwhile, is expected to lean on tight integration across the iPhone, iPad and its broader software ecosystem. The rivalry comes as the overall smartphone market contracts. International Data Corp. expects global shipments to fall 16.7 percent this year to just over 1 billion units, the steepest annual decline on record, as higher memory and component costs raise prices. Foldables are bucking the trend. IDC forecasts shipments to rise 12.6 percent to 22.9 million units, with Apple's entry expected to accelerate growth. An unverified leak said to have come from the internal network of Telcel, Mexico's largest mobile carrier, listed a 512-gigabyte foldable iPhone at 50,599 Mexican pesos ($2,963). That would be 5.4 percent below the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra's launch price in Mexico. Apple and Telcel have not confirmed the information. Analyst estimates are much higher. The Korea Herald reported that TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects a US starting price of between $2,299 and $2,499, while IDC puts its average selling price above $2,550. Samsung has also raised prices. In Korea, the 512GB Galaxy Z Flip8 costs 1.94 million won ($1,400), up 11.4 percent from its predecessor, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra rose 7.5 percent to 2.8303 million won ($2,040). The Korea Herald quoted an industry source as saying, "Apple is the challenger, so consumers will be particularly sensitive to any price gap with Samsung." The source added that "competitive pricing and a polished first-generation product will be key." IDC expects Apple to ship more than 10 million foldable iPhones in their first year, capturing 31 percent of the market. Its share could reach roughly 40 percent in 2027, suggesting Samsung's long head start may not guarantee continued dominance. The launch could therefore reshape competition in the foldable segment, particularly if Apple manages to combine its ecosystem advantage with pricing that makes its first-generation device competitive against Samsung's increasingly established lineup. (ANI)
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