Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo, prompted a public jab from Samsung’s U.S. account, which described the product as "leftovers," according to BlockBeats. The exchange drew attention, but the report argues the more meaningful shift is happening elsewhere: competition in foldable phones is no longer centered only on Apple and Samsung. The figures cited in the report show the iPhone Duo at 5.2 mm unfolded, weighing 254 grams, with a crease depth of about 150 microns. Against that, OPPO’s Find N5 is listed at about 101 microns, Huawei’s Mate X6 at about 5 microns through its Xuanwu waterdrop hinge, and Honor’s Magic V6 at 4 mm unfolded. Form factor competition has also widened. Apple’s first device uses a conventional inward-folding book-style design, while Huawei has already released a tri-fold model. Honor and Xiaomi are also working on vertical clamshell foldables. The report says Chinese vendors continue to compete on hinges, hover support, thinness, weight, and durability. Samsung remains the global foldable leader, the report says, but Chinese manufacturers are catching up quickly as technology iterates and prices move lower.

Apple unveiled its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, on Sept. 9, with a starting price of $1,999, preorders set for Oct. 16, and retail sales beginning Oct. 23. Goldman Sachs estimated first-year shipments at 14 million units in a base case and 35 million in a bullish case, but the potential upside for suppliers is not evenly distributed. The biggest direct beneficiary, according to the report, is Shin Zu Shing because the hinge is a new component that does not exist in standard iPhone models. The hinge is described as one of the hardest parts to manufacture in a foldable phone. It contains about 100 components and uses materials including liquid metal alloy, titanium, and stainless steel. Media reports citing supply-chain sources said a joint venture between Shin Zu Shing and Foxconn subsidiary FII secured about 65% of orders, while Amphenol took the remaining 35%. By contrast, suppliers already present across the broader iPhone lineup, such as TSMC and Foxconn, may see only incremental gains. Samsung Display is supplying foldable OLED panels under an exclusive three-year deal, leaving Taiwanese panel makers out of that segment entirely. The report also noted that shipment forecasts vary sharply, from 6 million to 35 million units, making precise profit estimates difficult at this stage.

Goldman Sachs said in a Sept. 9 research note, cited by Chaoxiang Research and reported by TechFlow, that Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5. The note said the iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, while the starting prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max were each lifted by $100 to $1,199 and $1,299. Goldman Sachs also said AT&T and T-Mobile are offering trade-in subsidies of up to $1,200, which could reduce the effective out-of-pocket cost of an iPhone 18 Pro to zero under eligible plans. The bank said a more premium product mix could support higher iPhone average selling prices and partly offset cost pressure. It kept a Buy rating on Apple with a $360 price target based on 37x forward earnings, while listing weaker consumer demand, supply-chain disruptions, tougher competition, and regulatory pressure as key risks.

Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone on Sept. 10, and Goldman Sachs said both the phone’s pricing strategy and product design came in above expectations. The bank said the device could help Apple reach the mass market and provide a notable boost to the supply chain. Goldman Sachs maintained its shipment forecast for the foldable iPhone at 14 million units in its 2026 base case and 35 million units in an optimistic case. The new iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch inner display when unfolded, the largest screen ever on an iPhone, and a 5.4-inch outer display when folded, with an area equal to 90% of the iPhone 18 Pro screen. Both displays support ProMotion, always-on display, and up to 3,000 nits of outdoor brightness. The device uses a dual-battery design and supports up to 44 hours of video playback on the outer display. It comes in Star White and Midnight Sky, with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage options. U.S. pricing starts at $1,999. Pre-orders begin on Oct. 16, with sales starting on Oct. 23. China and more than 70 other countries and regions will be among the first markets.

Apple’s Sept. 9 launch event introduced its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and AirPods 5. Even with a new hardware category on stage, BiyaPay data showed AAPL closed at $315.34, down 0.28% on the day. The muted stock reaction pointed to a gap between product excitement and what investors still want to see. The market focus has shifted beyond whether Apple can launch something new. Attention is now on whether the foldable form factor can open a fresh replacement cycle, whether Apple Intelligence and Siri AI can become real user behavior rather than keynote language, and whether Tens can build investor confidence in a more product-led Apple after succeeding Tim Cook. Apple said the iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch inner display, a 5.4-inch outer screen, an A20 Pro chip and multitasking support, with pricing starting at $1,999. Preorders begin on Oct. 16 and sales start on Oct. 23. The company also said Siri AI will launch in beta with iOS 27, with a focus on personal context, on-screen awareness, cross-app actions, privacy and on-device processing. For investors, the next test now moves to preorder numbers, launch demand, supply-chain output and future earnings results.

U.S. stocks fell for a third straight session as rising oil prices, weak long-end Treasury sentiment and pressure on rate-sensitive equities drove trading. Brent crude settled at $101.21 a barrel and WTI at $96.05 after the U.S.-Iran conflict escalated, while CTA positioning in both contracts jumped sharply, according to Bridgeton Research Group under Kpler. The U.S. Treasury raised its long-bond buyback cap to $6 billion, below market expectations of $7 billion to $10 billion, and the bond market sold off anyway. A $39 billion 10-year Treasury auction cleared at a record 4.834% with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.71, pushing the 10-year yield to about 4.85% and the 30-year above 5.30%. In equities, storage, optical communications and AI-linked names outperformed. Meta rose after unveiling its personal AI agent Muse, while Apple slipped after introducing the foldable iPhone Duo. Investors are now watching the European Central Bank decision, U.S. August PPI data and a $22 billion 30-year Treasury auction.

Samsung told CNBC that the Galaxy Z Fold8 series, launched in July, drew iOS switchers at 1.6 times the rate seen by the previous Fold7 and Flip7 generation worldwide. The disclosure came one day after Apple unveiled its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. Samsung, which launched the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, is positioning that lead against a new rival that only entered the category this week. The company also shared a U.S. figure: 30% of Galaxy Z Flip8 buyers came from competing brands, and most of them were first-time foldable buyers. Samsung said buyer profiles differ across models. Fold8 customers focused on the thinner design and the inner display’s utility for multitasking and watching content, while Fold8 Ultra buyers were drawn by the larger screen and workspace because it removed the need to carry a separate tablet. Samsung has also updated Smart Switch. iPhone users can now transfer data wirelessly to a Galaxy device by scanning a QR code, without first installing the Smart Switch app on iPhone. Separately, Counterpoint Research said in July that Samsung is expected to lead the global foldable market this year with 32% share, followed by Apple at 25%, while Huawei remains strong in China.

Apple’s Sept. 9 product event introduced the company’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999, while also lifting the starting prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to $1,199 and $1,299. In a daily market note, MSX argued that the launch matters less as a unit-volume story and more as a move to expand Apple’s average selling price and deepen its position in the ultra-premium segment. The report pointed to Apple’s continued reliance on the iPhone, which generated $54.252 billion in revenue last quarter, up 22% year over year and accounting for about 49.6% of total revenue. MSX also reviewed Apple’s stock performance around major iPhone launches. Across the past 16 events, the stock rose five times and fell 11 times on the day, with an average return of about -0.7%. Over the following 60 trading days, however, the shares rose 12 times on average, posting a mean gain of about 4.2%. The firm said investors will be watching whether Duo can extend Apple’s current hardware growth cycle through a richer product mix, while also feeding higher-margin services such as iCloud, the App Store, AppleCare, payments, advertising, and subscriptions. In that view, Duo is not just a new device. It is a test of whether Apple can turn a niche, high-end form factor into a broader ecosystem entry point.