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Apple is widely expected to launch its first foldable iPhone next year as part of the revamped iPhone 18 series. Rumors say only the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Fold will be unveiled next September, with the base iPhone 18 arriving in spring 2027. Reports also claim Apple has been able to eliminate or significantly reduce the creasing effect that appears in the middle of the screen on many foldables.
Importantly, Apple supposedly won’t replicate the design Samsung has been using for the Galaxy Z Fold line since the first model. The iPhone Fold will be a book-type foldable like Samsung’s flagship, but it will feature a different aspect ratio. The foldable iPhone should be wider and shorter than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. The main benefit of using such a design concerns the tablet experience. The foldable iPhone will look more like an iPad rather than a rectangle. When folded, the iPhone Fold might be easier to use with one hand.
Apple wouldn’t be the first foldable phone maker to challenge Samsung with a Fold-like design, assuming the rumors are accurate. For example, Oppo did it a few years ago with the Oppo Find N, seen below. Huawei earlier this year released the Pura X, which could very well turn out to feature a design similar to the first foldable iPhone. But this time, Samsung appears to be paying attention. According to SammyGuru, Samsung showcased a new design in a recent survey that suggests the phone maker is working on something similar to Apple’s foldable.
How can Samsung copy a foldable iPhone that doesn’t exist?
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SammyGuru notes that Samsung is already developing a mysterious new foldable for 2026. The company may be creating a Fan Edition version of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for next summer before the iPhone Fold arrives. It’s unclear whether the foldable concept Samsung showed in the survey is that mysterious device. That device is wider and shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold handsets. It’s squarer in shape when folded and becomes a tablet similar to the iPad when unfolded. If this really is a new phone, Samsung may be trying to get ahead of Apple.
Let’s remember a few key developments this year. First, Samsung just revealed the Galaxy Z TriFold foldable. It looks like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 when folded but unfolds into a proper 10-inch tablet, which features new software experiences customized for a large screen. An iPhone Fold design turning into an iPad-mini-like device would allow Apple to take advantage of tablet-specific experiences already built into iPadOS 26.
Second, Samsung has already tried preempting Apple this year. The company launched the ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge in May, several months before Apple unveiled the iPhone Air, to ensure it could compete against the latter. Samsung’s gamble seemingly didn’t pay off. Samsung reportedly decided to cancel the Galaxy S26 Edge following poor sales of the first model.
Third, Samsung is rumored to have downgraded the Galaxy S26 to ensure it can hit the same $799 price point as the standard iPhone 17. Finally, Samsung Display is supposedly the only supplier of foldable iPhone displays, which gives Samsung some knowledge about Apple’s display design plans. It’s going to be an interesting battle of the foldables in 2026.
