“Samsung with the foldable is able to actually optimize for innovation,” noted Canalys analyst Runar Bjorhovde. That culture is now being reflected in quantifiable market shakeout. In the second quarter of 2025, Samsung’s U.S. smartphone share rose from 23% to 31%, while Apple’s fell from 56% to 49%, Canalys data shows. The boom is supported by a mix of engineering progress in foldables, a multifaceted portfolio of products, and deep AI capability integration domains where Apple is merely starting to re-position.
At the forefront of Samsung’s charge are its new foldable flagships, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. The Fold 7’s engineering upgrades are significant: a new Armor Flex hinge that is 27% thinner and 43% lighter, Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the cover screen, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the rear. The phone comes equipped with an 8-inch 120Hz AMOLED internal screen with 2,600 nits peak brightness and a 6.5-inch external display, both powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. While the flexible OLED internal display is still vulnerable to fingernail scratches and burn-in on extended heat exposure, durability tests reveal the hinge no longer admits dust ingress by grinding or seizing a common failure mechanism in generation-one foldables.
Samsung’s public longevity story has been supplemented by viral stress tests. A stream of a Z Fold 7 being bent 200,000 times attracted over 15 million YouTube views, and external torture tests have submerged the device in water for a night, buried it in sand and fluids, and dropped and scratched it without apocalypse. The phone comes with an IP48 rating, with defense against particles greater than 1mm and submersion in water, although the ultra-soft internal screen continues to be the weak point. Samsung offers one complimentary internal screen protector replacement in the initial year; after that, replacements are $19.99, while complete panel exchanges are $589.
Hardware, though, is just half the story. Samsung’s foldables are now heavily integrated with Google’s Gemini AI platform, providing multimodal capabilities that Apple’s Siri and Apple Intelligence are yet to catch up with. On the Z Fold 7, Google’s Circle to Search with AI Mode can recognize and scan on-screen objects, provide AI Overviews, and keep split-screen context going enabling, say, a product search to be paired alongside the original material. Gemini Live reaches the camera, guiding users through activity from crafting DIY projects to styling glasses, and converges with Samsung’s own Calendar, Reminder, and Notes applications. Galaxy Watch8 brings Gemini capabilities to the wrist, allowing natural language queries and cross-device management of tasks.
This AI layer is supplemented by Samsung’s KEEP (Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection), app-specific on-device encrypted storage for protected behavioral data a design decision intended to meet privacy requirements in the AI age. By keeping AI-related user data on the device, Samsung is framing its foldables as both productivity devices and private personal devices, a two-pronged appeal for enterprise and high-end customers.
Samsung’s pricing model also expands its addressable market. The Z series and Galaxy range from $650 to $2,400, with the fresh Flip 7 FE at $899 as an entry point for the foldable segment. This range differs from Apple’s $829–$1,599, all within the slab-style factor that has been visually unchanged since 2017. Analysts point out that a lot of Samsung’s Q2 U.S. gain was low-end sales, but high-end foldables are gaining on their predecessors Fold 7 preorders increased 25% year-over-year, and initial sales were close to 50% higher.
Apple will make its entry into the foldable segment in September 2026 with a model that is set to begin at $1,999, along with a slimmer “Air” version this year. The firm’s strategy holding out for technologies to be ready before embracing them is echoed in its 2014 jump to bigger screens with the iPhone 6. But meanwhile, Samsung is using its form factor advantage to create an innovation halo, backed by AI features Apple won’t replicate until its next-gen Siri in 2026.
Trade policy is an underlying current in this rivalry. Tariffs have upset delivery plans, and whereas Apple has prevailed through commitments to U.S. manufacture, Samsung’s Vietnam- and India-based manufacturing risks increased costs if suggested U.S. tariffs on completed electronics take effect. These steps would undermine Samsung’s price competitiveness, especially in premium markets where Apple’s brand loyalty is rooted.
Worldwide, foldables are still a niche 17.2 million units shipped in 2024, split half and half in China but they hold disproportionate value in the ultra-high-end segment. Samsung’s test is to grow foldables beyond early adopters without sacrificing their premium positioning. Engineering progress in hinge design, AI-powered user experiences, and security architecture indicates the company is placing bets the next smartphone competition will not only be on hardware specifications, but on where form factor and intelligence intersect.
