Samsung spent years telling anyone who would listen that foldables were the future, and for a while it was basically talking to itself.
The Galaxy Z Fold and Flip lines had the category nearly to themselves, which let Samsung set the price, the pace, and the rules.
Samsung's share of global foldable shipments has slipped as rivals flood the zone.
Huawei has pushed hard in China and beyond, Motorola's Razr line has found a real niche with budget-conscious buyers, and Google keeps iterating on the Pixel Fold.
What was once a one-company show is now a crowded shelf.
The company has been rumored for years to be working on a folding iPhone, and the chatter has shifted from "maybe someday" to "which year." Supply-chain leaks suggest Apple is prototyping multiple designs, including a book-style fold that could land as early as 2026.
Apple rarely enters a category first, but when it does, it tends to redefine what buyers expect.
That matters because Apple's playbook isn't about beating Samsung on specs.
A folding iPhone that runs the same apps, syncs with the same watch, and slides into the same iCloud life would make the hardware almost secondary.
Samsung's advantage has always been being early, not being sticky.
Samsung's countermove is price and polish.
The Z Flip's lower entry point keeps casual buyers interested, and each generation trims the crease and beefs up the hinge.
But the company faces a familiar problem: incremental upgrades don't generate the buzz that a first-of-its-kind Apple product does.
Ask anyone who watched the smartwatch wars.
For American buyers, the practical question is timing.
If you want a foldable right now, Samsung and Google are the realistic options, and both are solid.
If you're the type who waits for the dust to settle, the next two years could bring real competition, better durability, and lower prices.
Patience has rarely been rewarded this directly in consumer tech. **The bottom line:** Samsung built the foldable market, but building it doesn't mean keeping it.
Apple's slow walk toward a folding iPhone is the biggest threat Samsung has faced in this category, and it's coming whether Samsung likes it or not.
Final Thoughts
The next foldable you buy might be the last one where loyalty to a single brand is the deciding factor.