{"id":682177,"date":"2026-06-03T16:50:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/682177\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T16:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:50:13","slug":"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","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/682177\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We are welcoming others to join this category, which we created\u2019: Samsung has already told us how it feels about the rumored iPhone Ultra \u2014 and the Galaxy Z Fold-maker clearly doesn\u2019t fear Apple\u2019s long-awaited foldable debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026 will be the year foldable phones sink or swim. Samsung<\/a> has been chipping away at the category for several years now \u2014 its latest book-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 7<\/a>, is the best foldable phone<\/a> money can buy \u2014 but these niche, expensive devices still represent less than 3%<\/a> of the global smartphone market.<\/p>\n

Could that be about to change? Apple<\/a> is strongly rumored to be launching its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra, in September, and I\u2019ve been itching to ask Samsung for its thoughts on whether Apple\u2019s entry into the foldable market will boost or threaten its own success.<\/p>\n

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Given that the iPhone Ultra doesn\u2019t exist yet, and that Samsung rarely acknowledges its competitors by name, I\u2019ve been waiting to broach the subject with the Korean tech giant \u2014 but in my preparation for this year\u2019s Galaxy Unpacked event, I stumbled across a revealing 2025 interview<\/a> in which Samsung addresses the potential implications of a foldable iPhone head-on.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s how the President and COO of the company\u2019s Mobile eXperience (MX) division, Won-joon Choi, responded to questions posed by Bloomberg\u2019s Shery Ahn about growing competition in the foldable market:<\/p>\n

Shery Ahn: How does Samsung think about competition? Because you have so many Chinese makers coming out with foldables with good cameras.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

SA: Even if Apple comes out with a foldable next year, which is what people are saying, how do you keep that edge?<\/p>\n

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Samsung Welcomes Competition in Foldable Phones – YouTube
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Now, for obvious reasons, Samsung isn\u2019t going to publicly admit that it\u2019s fearful of Apple\u2019s entry into a market that it\u2019s dominated for years, but I do think Choi was being more honest than diplomatic in his response.<\/p>\n

The emergence of improbably thin and lightweight foldables like the Honor Magic V3<\/a> and Oppo Find N5<\/a> 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<\/a> won\u2019t be market-leading any longer once the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrives later this year.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

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\"Oppo\n<\/p>\n

The Oppo Find N5 (left), Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (center), and Honor Magic V5 (right) (Image credit: Alex Walker-Todd)<\/p>\n

Choi\u2019s assertion that \u201ccompetition with other companies will bring more benefits to consumers\u201d has already proven itself to be true, then; and if Apple delivers something unique with the iPhone Ultra \u2014 whether that\u2019s a hardware- or software-related innovation \u2014 you can bet that the likes of Samsung, Honor, and Oppo will endeavor to replicate that innovation in their own future products.<\/p>\n

As for whether \u201chaving another global company join this category\u201d is \u201cgood for the industry,\u201d Choi will likely be proven right about that, too.<\/p>\n

Counterpoint Research<\/a> predicts that global foldable smartphone shipments will grow 20% in 2026 following Apple\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n

Of course, Samsung won\u2019t want consumers to forget that it stuck by and popularized foldable phones when other companies wouldn\u2019t \u2014 just as it pioneered the large-screen phones we\u2019ve all become accustomed to using today.<\/p>\n

But Choi\u2019s addendum \u2014 \u201cwe are welcoming others to join this category, which we created back in 2019\u201d \u2014 suggests Samsung won’t simply share the foldable stage with Apple without reminding buyers of its heritage in this long-existing market.<\/p>\n

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