Samsung's Foldable Lead Is Shrinking Fast — samsung foldable…

For five years, Samsung owned the foldable phone market the way Apple once owned the smartphone. It launched the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip lines, absorbed the early jokes about creases and cracked screens, and kept iterating. By 2023, Samsung was selling roughly 80% of all foldables worldwide, according to Counterpoint Research. That number is now slipping, and the reason isn't complicated: everyone else showed up. The most dangerous challenger isn't another Android brand. It's Apple. Apple hasn't shipped a foldable yet, but the rumor mill has been grinding for years. Supply chain reports and analyst notes now point toward a foldable iPhone arriving as early as 2026, possibly a book-style device that opens like a paperback. Morgan Stanley analysts have estimated Apple could sell tens of millions of units in its first year if it enters. That's the scenario Samsung has quietly feared since the original Galaxy Fold. But Apple isn't the only problem. Samsung's Android rivals are eating into its share right now. Google's Pixel Fold proved that a foldable could feel like a normal phone that happens to open. Motorola, which practically invented the modern flip phone, has pushed its Razr line aggressively, and it's priced to undercut Samsung. OnePlus entered with the Open, a device reviewers praised for feeling less bulky than the Z Fold. Honor and Huawei dominate in China, and Huawei actually overtook Samsung in global foldable shipments in early 2024, per Counterpoint. So what happened to Samsung's moat? Three things. First, the hardware gap closed. The hinge was the hard part. Once suppliers like Amphenol and others started selling hinge assemblies to anyone with a purchase order, the engineering advantage evaporated. A foldable in 2025 is not a miracle. It's a component. Second, price. Samsung's Z Fold 6 starts around $1,899. Google's Pixel Fold came in at $1,799. Motorola's Razr starts under $700 on sale. Samsung has been charging a premium for being first, and shoppers are noticing they no longer have to pay it. Third, and this is the one that matters for your wallet, Apple's entrance will change the pricing conversation entirely. When Apple launches a category, it typically sets a high anchor and then the rest of the market clusters around it. If a foldable iPhone lands at $2,000 or more, Samsung suddenly looks like the affordable option. If Apple prices it lower, Samsung has a real problem. Either way, the era of one company defining the category is ending. What should you actually do about it? If you're in the market for a foldable right now, patience is worth money. Foldable resale values drop faster than standard phones because durability concerns linger. Buying a one-generation-old model, or waiting for the next cycle, routinely saves $400 to $600. If you're on a carrier payment plan, check the trade-in terms carefully. Foldables often get lower trade-in credits than iPhones, which quietly raises your real cost. If you're not in a hurry, 2026 could be the most competitive foldable year yet. More brands, more price points, and Apple forcing everyone to sharpen their pitch. The bottom line: Samsung didn't lose the foldable race. It just stopped being the only runner. Competition usually means better phones and lower prices, and that's a good thing for anyone who's been waiting for foldables to become normal. Our take: Samsung deserves credit for dragging a weird, fragile concept into the mainstream. But loyalty to a brand isn't a financial strategy. When Apple, Google, and Motorola are all fighting for the same pocket, the smart move is to let them fight and buy when the price drops.