Apple’s first foldable iPhone is litterally failing in the hands of consumers who paid up to $3,599 for it, and the company set to profit most is its arch rival Samsung.

Overseas, Samsung executives are openly trumpeting the windfall, but Australia, Samsung management is refusing to release a single sales figure as they have done in the past.

Reports of the iPhone Duo physically breaking down are now piling up worldwide, just weeks after launch.

It is a painful debut for a device Apple spent years hyping, and a problem Samsung knows well: its own first foldable in 2019 was so troubled it was branded the “Samsung Lemon” by ChannelNews.

Seven years on, the roles have reversed. Samsung’s foldables are now regarded as the benchmark, so much so that Apple turned to Samsung for key components inside the Duo, including the OLED display and memory.

Samsung sales surge on the back of Apple’s launch

ChannelNews can reveal that Samsung’s European foldable sales are up 45%, while weekly searches for Samsung foldables surged a record 460% following the iPhone Duo launch.

In South Korea, Samsung foldable sales are up 10%, with a 260% jump since the iPhone Duo arrived.

The timing of the European search spike, which coincided directly with Apple’s announcement, points to Apple’s marketing machine driving buyers straight to Samsung. The Korean figures suggest that attention is now converting into purchases.

The European 45% figure compares two new Samsung models against one previous-generation model and includes sales made before Apple’s unveiling, when pre-launch hype around foldables was already building.

Samsung Australia stays silent

While Samsung executives in the US, Europe and South Korea openly discuss sales growth by model, Samsung Australia’s communications management refuses to disclose sales numbers for any of the company’s smartphones.

The silence raises serious questions about transparency at a time when Australian consumers are weighing an $800 decision between two flagship foldables.

ChannelNews has asked Samsung Australia for three numbers:

Galaxy Z Fold 8 unit sales for September and October
The percentage of Fold 8 buyers switching from Apple
Whether retailers are seeing a sustained increase in foldable enquiries

Samsung Australia’s communications team appears more focused on influencers and paid promoters than on giving the market hard numbers.

The $800 price gap

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 sells for around $2,699 in Australia, while the iPhone Duo starts at $3,499, a gap of $800. Australian retailers report significantly stronger interest in foldables since Apple’s entry.

Local research firm Telsyte predicted Apple’s arrival would be the single biggest catalyst for foldable adoption, finding that one third of iPhone owners would consider a foldable iPhone, rising to 46% among recent Pro-model owners.

Analysts say that creates a ready-made pool of buyers who want the format but won’t pay Apple’s premium, or who are now wary of Apple’s build quality.

Market growth flat despite the hype

TrendForce’s 2026 foldable market forecast, made before the Duo’s quality problems emerged, was:

Brand Units Share
Samsung 7.1 million 35.1%
Apple 5.0 million 24.8%
Huawei 5.0 million 24.8%
Other brands 3.1 million 15.3%

TrendForce also warns total foldable shipments will rise just 0.5% in 2026, meaning Apple’s entry is shifting attention rather than expanding the market. With the Duo now under a cloud, Apple’s 5 million unit forecast looks optimistic.

Samsung wins either way

Even when consumers do buy the Duo, Samsung gets paid. Apple is rumoured to be paying around $250 per foldable panel, a significant premium over standard smartphone screens. If Apple reaches 5 million units in its first year, that would deliver roughly $1.25 billion to Samsung Display from panel sales alone.

Apple may have legitimised the foldable category, but it is Samsung that is positioned to profit from it, whether Australian consumers are allowed to see the numbers or not.