Renowned insider Ice Universe has claimed that with the release of the iPhone Fold, the market will shift to a new form factor of foldable smartphones, and the design Samsung has promoted for several years will begin to lose popularity.

He also released new images based on leaked diagrams, showing how the iPhone Fold should look. The iPhone Fold will mark the beginning of an era of wide foldable screens. What does this mean for Samsung? As soon as Apple launches this trend, many of its followers will alter their strategies to adopt designs with wide foldable screens. For Apple, this will be a victory, while for Samsung, it will be a severe blow to their pride, considering they have long regarded themselves as market leaders in foldable devices. Yet Apple will effortlessly change the game’s rules.
Previously, images of mock-ups of new foldable smartphones from Apple and Samsung appeared online, and the similarity between them was surprisingly strong. At CES 2026, Samsung unveiled a foldable display with no visible crease. Ice Universe was the first to accurately predict the trend towards waterfall screens in smartphones, the notch in the iPhone X, the new design of the iPhone 14, and the 200-megapixel Samsung image sensor. He gets exclusive information from sources in the South Korean giant’s R&D department.
The upcoming iPhone Fold is expected to integrate innovative features, potentially including a high refresh rate display, enhanced hinge mechanisms, and extended battery life, which are pivotal in the competitive foldable smartphone market. According to recent speculation, the iPhone Fold might also support Apple’s ecosystem, offering seamless integration with other devices.
Price comparisons in USD reveal that Apple’s foldable devices may position themselves in the premium price segment initially, potentially surpassing Samsung’s comparable models depending on features and specifications. Industry experts are keenly observing how this development could disrupt Samsung’s longstanding dominance in the segment, predicting a strategic pivot in marketing and product development within the sector.
As we look forward to 2026, industry analysts project a surge in foldable technology’s adoption across global markets, with both Apple and Samsung expected to continually innovate, possibly incorporating new materials and enhanced durability standards to appeal to a larger audience.