Apple says ‘Fold’ and competitors ask ‘how wide?’

Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone at an event tomorrow, a move that industry observers say could reshape the foldable smartphone market in the United States and abroad. The release comes seven years after Samsung introduced its Galaxy Fold, and it will reportedly debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models, while the standard iPhone 18 may be delayed until early next year. The foldable iPhone is said to be short, squat, and wide, roughly the size and shape of a passport.

That passport-like design is notable because Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi have all released similar foldables in recent months, with Oppo and Honor reportedly developing comparable devices. Huawei’s Pura X Max launched in April, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 followed in July, and Xiaomi’s 18 Fold arrived just before Apple’s event. The timing has led to questions about whether Android manufacturers copied Apple’s plans, and there is reason to believe Apple influenced the trend, as the company has reportedly worked on a foldable iPhone since at least 2017.

Apple’s supply chain, built under former CEO Tim Cook, moves slowly, and industry rivals likely learned of Apple’s design intentions well before any public announcement. Samsung is reportedly the manufacturer of the foldable display panel inside the new iPhone, which would have given it early insight into Apple’s approach. This is not the first time Apple has driven imitation, as last year’s iPhone Air prompted thin-phone rivals like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge and devices from Honor, Huawei, and Tecno, and the MacBook Neo inspired cheaper colorful laptops from Lenovo, Dell, and Acer.

Android makers have largely stuck to the Flip and Fold formats that Samsung established over the past seven years, with little sign of major change until now. Early foldables from Oppo and Google were actually closer to the new wide shape but less extreme, and both companies abandoned those designs to conform to Samsung’s norms. The main shift in direction appears tied to Apple’s imminent entry into the market.

Foldables remain a niche category, making up only 1.6 percent of all smartphone sales in 2025, according to Counterpoint. The same report projects shipments will grow by 20 percent this year, with Apple expected to claim a 28 percent share within months of launch. Apple’s arrival could push foldables closer to the mainstream, and Android manufacturers are positioning themselves to benefit from that shift.

For Apple, tomorrow’s launch also marks the first major hardware release under new CEO John Ternus, who previously led the company’s hardware engineering division. Ternus faces the challenge of maintaining Apple’s influence across marketing, supply chain, and services, ensuring the company can continue to reshape entire product categories simply by entering them. The foldable iPhone launch will serve as an early test of his leadership in that role.

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