Apple has not shipped a foldable iPhone yet, but the outlines of its first attempt are already reshaping the competitive map. As the iPhone Fold concept hardens into a concrete product plan, Samsung appears to be adjusting its own foldable roadmap in ways that echo Apple’s rumored blueprint while trying to stay a step ahead.
I see two intertwined stories emerging: Apple is finally committing to a book-style foldable that leans on Samsung technology, and Samsung is simultaneously testing designs and features that look tailored to blunt that debut. The result is a rare moment when the long-time foldable leader is not just setting the agenda, but also reacting to what its biggest customer and fiercest rival is preparing.
Apple’s foldable iPhone blueprint is coming into focus
The broad strokes of Apple’s first foldable iPhone are no longer speculative sketches. Reporting points to a device internally labeled V68 that is planned for the iPhone 18 generation, with a launch window around September 2026 and positioning alongside an iPhone 18 Pro as part of a wider hardware refresh that also includes M5 Macs and other upgrades on the company’s roadmap. That timing would put the foldable iPhone into a mature category that Samsung has dominated for years, but it would also give Apple a chance to redefine expectations for premium foldables rather than chasing early adopters.
Crucially, the V68 is described as a book-style device that opens along a vertical hinge and is wider than it is tall when unfolded, a layout that prioritizes tablet-like productivity over clamshell nostalgia. That shape aligns with a broader plan that stretches into 2027, when Apple is said to be lining up an all-screen iPhone with an under-display camera and a design that looks like a single slab of glass, suggesting the foldable is a bridge between today’s slabs and that future vision. The same roadmap that details the foldable iPhone in September 2026 also outlines how Apple wants to push on-device processing and display technology, reinforcing that this is not a side project but a central pillar of its next-generation hardware strategy, as laid out in the product roadmap and the longer term all‑screen plan.
A book-style design that mirrors Samsung’s own playbook
Apple’s decision to go with a book-style foldable rather than a flip-style clamshell is not happening in a vacuum. The device is expected to open like a book, similar in concept to the Galaxy Z Fold line and other large-format foldables such as the Pixel Fold, which have defined the category’s high end. One analysis notes that it is unclear what Apple will ultimately call the device, but it should open like a book in a way that will feel familiar to anyone who has handled a Galaxy Z Fold 7 or a Pixel Fold, a direct acknowledgment that Apple is entering a space Samsung and Google have already shaped, as highlighted in a comparison of book‑style designs.
At the same time, Apple’s rumored proportions and internal display size suggest a more compact, passport-like footprint that still unfolds into a generous canvas. Reports describe the inner screen as a 7.7-inc panel, a very specific figure that hints at a careful balance between portability and productivity, and one that would sit between smaller foldables and full-size tablets. That 7.7-inc inner display, paired with a cover screen tuned for one-handed use, would give Apple room to differentiate its ergonomics even while adopting the same fundamental book-style architecture that Samsung pioneered, as detailed in the screen size leak.
Samsung’s passport-style concept looks suspiciously familiar
Samsung, for its part, is not standing still while Apple finalizes that blueprint. The company has been surveying a passport-style foldable phone concept that folds vertically like a book but in a more compact, travel-document form factor, a design that closely resembles what Apple is reportedly considering for its own foldable iPhone. Internal research has focused on how users might handle a device that is shorter and wider than the current Galaxy Z Fold series, with the survey work explicitly framed around a passport-style foldable phone concept that could influence future products, as described in Samsung’s own survey of a passport‑style design.
The timing and shape of that concept are striking. Apple’s rumored 7.7-inc inner display and wider-than-tall unfolded orientation line up neatly with a passport-style footprint, and Samsung’s exploration of similar dimensions suggests it is preparing to meet Apple on that exact turf. Rather than simply iterating on the tall, narrow Galaxy Z Fold silhouette, Samsung appears to be testing a layout that could feel instantly familiar to future iPhone Fold owners, effectively mirroring the ergonomics Apple is said to favor while trying to keep its own devices one generation ahead in refinement.
Shared DNA: Samsung Display panels inside Apple’s first Fold
Behind the industrial design, the most direct link between the two rivals is the screen itself. The rumour mill has already leaked the display specifications of the foldable iPhone, potentially called the iPhone Fol, and those reports point to Samsung Display as the primary supplier of the flexible OLED panels. In other words, the same company that has spent years perfecting foldable screens for its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip lines is now expected to provide the core component that will make Apple’s first foldable possible, according to leaks that describe Apple turning to Samsung as the main display supplier for its first foldable phone, including the device that may carry the iPhone Fol name, as outlined in the panel sourcing report.
This is not just a supply-chain footnote, it is a strategic feedback loop. Apple’s requirements for durability, crease visibility, and color accuracy will inevitably influence how Samsung Display tunes its panels, and those same advances can flow back into future Galaxy devices. At the same time, Apple’s reliance on Samsung Display underscores how far Samsung Electronics Co has pushed foldable technology, to the point where even its fiercest competitor is effectively endorsing its panels as the best option for a first-generation iPhone Fold. That dynamic sits alongside Samsung’s broader push to diversify revenue beyond semiconductors, where Samsung Electronics Co is investing in AI and foldable tech as key growth drivers, a strategy that has been detailed in coverage of how Beyond semiconductors, Samsung Electronics Co is leaning on foldables.
Apple’s rumored breakthrough features raise the bar
Hardware specs alone will not define the iPhone Fold’s impact. Apple is reportedly planning at least three breakthrough features for its first foldable, including camera and hinge innovations that aim to make it the first truly compromise-free foldable on the market. One report highlights that Apple’s first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and to introduce a 48 megapixel camera system that brings its latest imaging tech into the foldable form factor, with the figure 48 cited as a key spec in the discussion of how Apple wants to avoid the trade-offs that have plagued earlier foldables, as detailed in the breakdown of three breakthrough features and the 48 megapixel camera.
Looking further ahead, Apple is also said to be developing an industry-first 24-megapixel under-screen camera for the inner display of a future all-screen iPhone, a technology that could easily migrate into later generations of its foldable line. That under-display camera is part of a broader plan to make the device look like a single slab of glass when unfolded, eliminating notches and punch holes that break immersion. The same roadmap that describes this 24-megapixel under-screen camera also frames it as a stepping stone toward a 2027 iPhone that hides all sensors beneath the display, reinforcing that Apple sees the foldable not as a one-off experiment but as a platform for rolling out its most ambitious display and camera technologies, as laid out in the roadmap for an all‑screen device.
Samsung’s Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 aim to stay ahead of Apple’s first try
While Apple prepares its first foldable, Samsung is already lining up the next wave of Galaxy hardware that will greet it. Commentary around the Samsung Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 describes them as the company’s biggest changes ever for its foldable line, with upgrades that include new hinge designs, thinner bodies, and camera improvements that are framed as firsts for Samsung’s foldables. In one analysis, the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are presented as a generational leap that finally brings what enthusiasts have been asking for since the original Galaxy Z Fold, with Samsung positioning these devices as the culmination of years of iteration just as Apple arrives with its first attempt, a dynamic captured in coverage of how Samsung is about to make their biggest changes ever with the ZFold 8 and Z Flip 8.
That timing matters because it means Apple will not be competing against today’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, but against a more refined Z Fold 8 and a companion Z Flip 8 that could address many of the pain points Apple is counting on. Samsung’s strategy appears to be to raise the baseline for foldable hardware so that when the iPhone Fold arrives, it is measured against a new standard rather than the compromises of earlier generations. In practice, that could translate into a race over hinge durability, crease visibility, and camera parity, with Samsung trying to ensure that its eighth-generation devices feel like the mature, battle-tested option next to Apple’s first-generation experiment.
Leaks and YouTube chatter are already framing the rivalry
Long before either device ships, YouTube creators and leakers are shaping how mainstream buyers think about the coming clash. One video aimed at shoppers who are tempted to upgrade now advises viewers not to buy a new iPhone yet and instead consider a Samsung Galaxy Zfold if they want a foldable experience today, precisely because Apple does not yet offer what they might want in a foldable. That framing, which name-checks both Samsung Galaxy and Zfold while urging patience for Apple’s eventual entry, shows how enthusiast voices are already positioning Samsung as the current practical choice and Apple as the looming disruptor, as seen in the advice to maybe pick up a Samsung Galaxy Zfold because Apple just doesn’t offer what you might want.
Other creators are drilling into the rumored feature sets on both sides. In one Gregles TV Daily segment, the host contrasts the iPhone Fold with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and a Galaxy Z TriFold concept, while also touching on Galaxy S26 Ultra leaked colors in silver, black, and purple, using those details to paint a picture of Samsung’s broader premium lineup that will surround its foldables. Another Greg video, introduced with the greeting from Greg’s TV Daily, focuses on how the iPhone Fold is looking based off the latest leaks and highlights a new feature that is described as a first for foldables, underscoring the sense that Apple is not just copying Samsung but trying to leapfrog it in specific areas. Together, these discussions, including the breakdowns on Gregles TV Daily comparing iPhone Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7 with Ultra context and the analysis where Greg from Daily says iPhone Fold is looking based off the latest leaks and calls out a new Fold feature, are priming audiences to see the rivalry as a head-to-head duel rather than a one-sided Samsung showcase.
Did Apple “fold” to pressure, and is Samsung now copying back?
There is an irony in how the competitive dynamics have flipped. One report argues that Apple may have folded to the pressure of creating a foldable phone with Samsung tech instead of relying solely on its own homegrown designs, suggesting that the company felt compelled to respond to years of Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip momentum. That same analysis points out that Apple is expected to launch its first foldable phone in 2026 and that Samsung’s technology is central to making it happen, framing the move as a concession that the market for foldables is too important to ignore, as described in the piece that says Apple may have folded to the pressure of creating a foldable phone with Samsung tech.At the same time, other coverage flips the script and suggests that Samsung might already be copying Apple’s design choices for its own future foldables. One analysis notes that Apple is widely expected to launch its first foldable iPhone next year as part of the revamped iPhone 18 series and that rumor has it the device will adopt a compact, passport-like form factor similar to the Oppo Find N, a layout that Samsung is now exploring through its own surveys. The suggestion is that Samsung, which once set the template with the original Galaxy Z Fold, is now watching Apple’s blueprint closely and adjusting its own concepts to ensure it can match or preempt whatever Apple brings to market, a dynamic captured in the argument that Apple is widely expected to launch its first foldable iPhone next year as part of the revamped iPhone 18 series and rumor suggests Samsung might copy the design.
Consumers will be choosing between ecosystems, not just hinges
For buyers, the looming choice will not just be about which hinge creaks less or which crease is harder to see. It will be a decision between two deeply entrenched ecosystems that are both racing to make foldables feel like mainstream devices rather than tech demos. On the Apple side, the iPhone Fold is expected to slot into the iPhone 18 family with tight integration across iCloud, iMessage, and macOS, while also benefiting from the same A-series silicon and camera pipelines that power the iPhone 18 Pro. On the Samsung side, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 will sit alongside devices like the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with features such as S Pen support, DeX desktop mode, and deep hooks into Google’s Android and productivity apps, all of which have been highlighted in discussions that touch on Ultra branding and foldable positioning, including the Gregles TV Daily segment that mentions Galaxy S26 Ultra alongside foldables.
Pricing and availability will also be shaped by how each company positions these devices within their broader product catalogs. Apple’s foldable will likely sit at the very top of its iPhone range, above standard and Pro models, while Samsung can lean on a wider spread of foldables and slabs to cover different price tiers. That dynamic is already visible in the way online listings and product searches surface multiple foldable and non-foldable options from Samsung and others, with shopping portals showcasing a variety of product configurations and SKUs that hint at how crowded the premium segment has become, as seen in generic product search results and alternative product listings that surface competing devices.
The foldable endgame: convergence or leapfrog?
Looking at the trajectories, I see a pattern of convergence rather than pure leapfrogging. Apple is adopting a book-style, passport-like foldable that looks a lot like the devices Samsung and others have been refining, while Samsung is experimenting with designs and features that respond directly to Apple’s rumored choices. Both are leaning on Samsung Display’s panel expertise, both are pushing toward under-screen cameras and all-screen aesthetics, and both are trying to convince buyers that foldables can finally replace their primary phones rather than sit as niche experiments.
The open question is whether Apple’s late entry, backed by tight ecosystem integration and a focus on breakthrough features like the 48 megapixel camera and future 24-megapixel under-screen tech, will reset expectations in a way that forces Samsung to rethink its own roadmap yet again. For now, the evidence suggests a feedback loop in which Apple may have folded to the pressure of entering the foldable race with Samsung tech, and Samsung is already mirroring elements of Apple’s blueprint in its passport-style concepts and next-generation Z Fold and Z Flip plans. As both companies move closer to their respective launches, the foldable market is starting to look less like a one-sided experiment and more like the next front in a long-running rivalry that will define what our phones look like for the rest of the decade.
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