The response to iPhone Duo preorders suggests some iPhone owners had been following Samsung’s foldable innovations and wanted a folding screen on an iPhone, while remaining in Apple’s ecosystem.
iPhone Duo preorders and shipping delays
According to Mark Gurman, Apple opened iPhone Duo preorders despite knowing it would struggle to make enough phones. Within half an hour, estimated shipping dates had slipped to around January 2027 in many markets. For someone who waited years for a foldable iPhone, that means another few months of waiting.
Why liking a Galaxy Fold doesn’t mean switching
Someone can like the Galaxy Z Fold’s big screen and still prefer using an iPhone; they may even have tried a Fold in a store and enjoyed it. But buying a Galaxy device involves more than a bending screen: it means moving to Android, learning how a Galaxy phone works, and possibly replacing accessories such as an Apple Watch. Some people will make that change, while others will stay with Apple and wait for the same feature.
What Samsung’s improvements mean
Samsung spent eight generations showing what phones with folding screens can do, putting foldable devices in stores, ads, and people’s hands. By the time Apple announced the iPhone Duo, many buyers already knew why they might want one. Apple is now offering the folding screen they wanted, with Apple’s software and brand. Samsung should keep these buyers in mind as it works on its next foldables and other designs, such as rollable phones; better Galaxy devices could give some of them a reason to reconsider switching.
