We are welcoming others to join this category, which we created: Samsung has already told us how it feels about the rumored iPhone Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold-maker clearly doesnt fear Apples long-awaited foldable debut

Date:
Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:46:31 +0000

Description:
In an interview with Bloomberg, Samsung's head of mobile shared his thoughts on Apple's imminent entry into the foldable market.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter 2026 will be the year foldable phones sink or swim. Samsung has been chipping away at the category for several years now and its latest book-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 , is the best foldable phone money can buy but these niche, expensive devices still represent less than 3% of the global smartphone market.

Could that be about to change? Apple is strongly rumored to be launching its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra, in September, and Ive been itching
to ask Samsung for its thoughts on whether Apples entry into the foldable market will boost or threaten its own success. Given that the iPhone Ultra doesnt exist yet, and that Samsung rarely acknowledges its competitors by name, Ive been waiting to broach the subject with the Korean tech giant but in my preparation for this years Galaxy Unpacked event, I stumbled across a revealing 2025 interview in which Samsung addresses the potential
implications of a foldable iPhone head-on. Latest Videos From Watch full
video here:

Heres how the President and COO of the companys Mobile eXperience (MX) division, Won-joon Choi, responded to questions posed by Bloombergs Shery Ahn about growing competition in the foldable market:

Shery Ahn: How does Samsung think about competition? Because you have so
many Chinese makers coming out with foldables with good cameras. You may like New Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide dummy unit shows off its 'insane thinness' New survey suggests the foldable iPhone Ultra could be a surprise hit
Huawei's new foldable looks similar to the rumored iPhone Ultra but Apple could still have a secret display weapon

Won-joon Choi: You know, rather than focusing on the competition, I think we have been focusing on our consumers. What is the experience that we can bring to consumers, and how complete are those experiences? I think healthy competition with other companies will bring more innovations, and then bring more benefits to consumers. So we are welcoming others to join this category, which we created back in 2019.

SA: Even if Apple comes out with a foldable next year, which is what people are saying, how do you keep that edge? Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

WC: We've been doing this for many years, and we have accumulated a lot of technologies and know-how. Having another global company join this category,
I think it's good for the industry, and also, it's going to be great for consumers. Samsung Welcomes Competition in Foldable Phones - YouTube Watch On Now, for obvious reasons, Samsung isnt going to publicly admit that its fearful of Apples entry into a market that its dominated for years, but I do think Choi was being more honest than diplomatic in his response.

The emergence of improbably thin and lightweight foldables like the Honor Magic V3 and Oppo Find N5 forced Samsung to step up its game with the Galaxy
Z Fold 7, and I expect that the market-leading IP68 durability rating of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold wont be market-leading any longer once the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrives later this year. What to read next Latest iPhone Fold leaks cover mass production and a near-invisible crease Forget the iPhone Fold the biggest moment in iPhone history just happened Samsung Galaxy Wide Fold and Z Fold 8 designs appear in One UI 9 code The Oppo Find N5 (left), Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 7 (center), and Honor Magic V5 (right) (Image credit: Alex Walker-Todd) Chois assertion that competition with other companies will bring more benefits to consumers has already proven itself to be true, then; and if Apple delivers something unique with the iPhone Ultra whether thats a hardware- or software-related innovation you can bet that the likes of Samsung, Honor, and Oppo will endeavor to replicate that innovation in their own future products.

As for whether having another global company join this category is good for the industry, Choi will likely be proven right about that, too.

Counterpoint Research predicts that global foldable smartphone shipments
will grow 20% in 2026 following Apples entry into the category, and I suspect that this rise will be driven by existing iPhone users upgrading to a
foldable iPhone, rather than existing Galaxy Z Fold users switching to a foldable iPhone. The market will expand, but I don't think Apple will eat Samsung's lunch (existing foldable-averse Android users aren't going to be convinced by an iOS-powered foldable, that's for sure).

Of course, Samsung wont want consumers to forget that it stuck by and popularized foldable phones when other companies wouldnt just as it
pioneered the large-screen phones weve all become accustomed to using today.

But Chois addendum we are welcoming others to join this category, which we created back in 2019 suggests Samsung won't simply share the foldable stage with Apple without reminding buyers of its heritage in this long-existing market. Today's best foldable phone deals Contract Deals Sim Free Honor Magic V5 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 49.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 48.50 /mth View at
Vodafone Ltd See all prices Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 45.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Motorola Moto Watch Matte Silver + Siver Band * Motorola moto buds 2 Plus * Motorola Sound Flow Bluetooth Speaker (Pantone Carbon) * Motorola MotoTag 2 (PANTONE Arabesque) Motorola Razr Fold 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 46.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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