Even Apple Finally Folds... Samsung on High Alert as Its Dominance Is Threatened

Apple Expected to Launch Foldable iPhone in Second Half of Next Year
A Threat to Samsung... Smartphone Market Share Likely to Decline

Apple, which had previously been skeptical about 'foldable smartphones,' now appears poised to launch a 'foldable iPhone.' This is expected to pose a significant threat to Samsung, which has been leading the global foldable phone market.

On May 2, foreign media outlets reported that Apple is accelerating development with the goal of releasing a foldable iPhone in the second half of 2026.

Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to come in two types: a clamshell model that folds horizontally like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series, and a model with a large display. On April 15 (local time), the US IT media outlet MacRumors, citing IT tipster Instant Digital, reported that the price of Apple's first foldable iPhone will be between $2,100 and $2,300 (approximately 3 million to 3.28 million KRW).

Foldable iPhone Rendering Image [Image Source=MacRumors Capture]

The foldable iPhone will feature a flexible OLED panel instead of an LCD (liquid crystal display). This panel uses a plastic substrate instead of glass, allowing it to bend flexibly and protecting the emissive layer. After the launch of the foldable iPhone, Apple is expected to sequentially adopt flexible OLED panels in new MacBook and iPad models by 2028.

Samsung Display is considered the top candidate to supply the initial batch of panels for the foldable iPhone. Samsung Display supplied OLED panels to Samsung Electronics, which launched the world's first foldable smartphone in 2019.

However, while Samsung Display is expected to benefit, there are predictions that Samsung Electronics will not be able to avoid a decline in its smartphone market share.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple ranked first in global smartphone sales (based on final consumer purchases) in the first quarter of this year, surpassing Samsung. This is the first time since the survey began in 2015.

Although Samsung pioneered the market by launching the world's first foldable phone, its market share has been declining due to aggressive competition from Chinese companies such as Xiaomi, Motorola, and Honor. If the iPhone enters the market, it is expected that Samsung's share of the foldable phone market could decline even further.