Galaxy Z Fold 8
Galaxy Z Fold 8

NEW YORK — Apple's long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone market arrives Friday, setting up a head-to-head battle with Samsung, which has dominated the category for years.

The iPhone Duo, Apple's first folding phone, starts at $1,999 and has already sold out through the holiday season on Apple's website. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, launched this summer, starts at $1,899.99 and is the company's lightest book-style foldable to date.

On paper, the two devices are remarkably similar. Both open like a book to reveal a 7.6-inch inner display, both use a wider "passport-style" shape and both target buyers willing to pay a premium for a phone that doubles as a small tablet. But they differ in important ways, from weight and durability to cameras, software and price.

Here is how the two phones compare, along with the main pros and cons of each.

Price and availability

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for 256 gigabytes of storage, rising to $3,199 for 2 terabytes. Across the storage tiers both phones offer, the Duo costs $100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 8, according to comparisons by Technology.org.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899.99 and tops out at 1 terabyte of storage.

Availability may be the biggest practical difference right now. Samsung's phone has been on sale since August and is widely available. The iPhone Duo, by contrast, sold out within minutes when preorders opened Oct. 16. Within about 30 minutes, all configurations on Apple's U.S. online store showed estimated shipping dates of Jan. 25, 2027.

Apple described demand as "nothing short of extraordinary" in a statement to the Financial Times. Some Apple retail employees have also been told to warn customers that there will likely be no stock available for walk-in purchases on launch day, according to MacRumors.

Advantage: Galaxy Z Fold 8, for price and immediate availability.

Design and weight

Weight is one of the clearest differences between the two phones.

The iPhone Duo weighs 254 grams, or about 8.96 ounces, making it the heaviest iPhone Apple has ever sold. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 weighs 201 grams, or about 7.09 ounces, which makes it the lightest Z Fold Samsung has produced. That 53-gram difference is noticeable in a pocket or during extended one-handed use.

The Samsung phone is also thinner. When folded, the Duo measures 11.3 millimeters thick, compared with 9.7 millimeters for the Fold 8. Unfolded, the Duo is 5.2 millimeters thick, while the Fold 8 is 4.5 millimeters.

Apple has built the Duo with a grade 5 titanium frame and a precision-engineered hinge. It comes in two colors, star white and night sky. Samsung offers the Fold 8 in white, gray, green and purple.

Both phones include fingerprint scanners built into their power buttons.

Advantage: Galaxy Z Fold 8, for a lighter and slimmer design.

Displays

Both phones feature 7.6-inch inner displays with adaptive refresh rates of up to 120 hertz and peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits.

On the outside, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a slightly larger 5.5-inch cover screen, compared with 5.4 inches on the iPhone Duo. In everyday use, the difference is minor.

The more meaningful distinction is how each company handles the screen surface. Apple uses a matte nano-texture coating on the Duo's display, designed to reduce glare and minimize the visibility of the crease, a common complaint about foldable phones. Samsung uses Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back of the Fold 8.

Apple has expressed confidence in its approach to the crease. When asked whether the crease would become more visible over time, as often happens with other foldables, Apple hardware engineering vice president Tom Marieb told TechRadar, "hold us accountable," according to MacRumors.

The Fold 8 also includes a hole-punch selfie camera in its inner display, while Apple uses an under-display camera, which keeps the inner screen uninterrupted.

Advantage: iPhone Duo, for its anti-glare coating and uninterrupted inner display, though both screens are excellent.

Durability

Durability is one area where Apple holds a clear edge.

The iPhone Duo carries an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, which Apple says covers submersion to depths of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes. That makes it the toughest book-style foldable on paper.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has an IP48 rating. It offers similar water resistance but much more limited protection against dust and small particles, which can be a concern for devices with hinges.

Advantage: iPhone Duo.

Performance

The iPhone Duo is powered by Apple's A20 Pro chip, the same high-end processor used in the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, a customized version of Qualcomm's flagship chip.

Both are among the fastest mobile processors available, and either phone should handle demanding tasks, games and multitasking with ease.

Samsung offers the Fold 8 with 12 or 16 gigabytes of memory, depending on configuration. Apple does not typically publicize memory figures, but the Duo is reported to include 12 gigabytes.

Both phones include vapor chamber cooling systems to manage heat during heavy use.

Advantage: Roughly even.

Storage

The iPhone Duo is available with up to 2 terabytes of storage, double the maximum offered on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. That could appeal to users who shoot large amounts of high-resolution video or store big files locally.

Advantage: iPhone Duo, for maximum capacity.

Cameras

Both phones use a dual rear camera setup, and neither standard model includes a telephoto lens for optical zoom.

The iPhone Duo features a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 50-megapixel main camera and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, giving it a slight resolution advantage on paper.

For selfies, the Duo includes a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera in its outer display, along with an under-display camera inside. The Fold 8 has 10-megapixel selfie cameras on both its cover screen and inner display.

Camera performance depends heavily on image processing, so real-world comparisons from full reviews will be important. Apple's photography and video processing has generally been well regarded, while Samsung's cameras are known for vivid colors and versatile features.

Buyers who want a telephoto lens may need to look at Samsung's more expensive Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra or Apple's non-folding iPhone 18 Pro models.

Advantage: Roughly even, with a slight resolution edge for Samsung.

Battery and charging

Apple does not publish battery capacities, but says the iPhone Duo can deliver up to 31 hours of video playback using the inner display and up to 44 hours using the outer display.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 4,800 mAh battery.

Tom's Guide reported that the iPhone Duo supports faster wired charging than the Fold 8, at up to 60 watts compared with 45 watts, and faster wireless charging, at 25 watts compared with 20 watts.

Real-world battery life will depend on how often users rely on the larger inner display, which consumes more power.

Advantage: iPhone Duo, for charging speeds, pending full battery testing.

Software and multitasking

Software may be the deciding factor for many buyers.

The iPhone Duo runs iOS 27, with features designed to take advantage of the larger folding display. It integrates tightly with other Apple devices such as Mac computers, iPads, AirPods and Apple Watch.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs Android with Samsung's One UI software. Samsung has spent years refining software for foldables, and that experience shows.

The Fold 8 can run three apps on screen at once, compared with two on the iPhone Duo, according to Tom's Guide. Samsung also offers a desktop mode that allows the phone to function more like a computer when connected to a monitor.

Apple has also said a stylus for the Duo will arrive later, while Samsung's foldables have offered pen support in past generations.

Advantage: Galaxy Z Fold 8, for more advanced multitasking.

Ecosystem

For many buyers, the choice may come down to which ecosystem they already use.

For iPhone owners who want a foldable and do not want to leave Apple's ecosystem, the Duo is the only option. Switching to Android can mean losing access to iMessage features, FaceTime, Apple apps and seamless integration with other Apple devices.

Likewise, Android users invested in Google and Samsung services may find the Fold 8 a more natural fit.

Trade-offs within Apple's lineup

The iPhone Duo also involves trade-offs compared with Apple's traditional flagship phones. MacRumors identified nearly 40 compromises compared with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, spanning camera capabilities, everyday usability and ownership costs.

At equivalent storage capacities, the Duo costs $800 more than the iPhone 18 Pro and $700 more than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, according to MacRumors.

Buyers considering the Duo must decide whether the folding screen is worth giving up features such as a telephoto camera and accepting a heavier device.

iPhone Duo: Pros

  • IP68 water and dust resistance, the strongest on paper among book-style foldables.
  • Matte nano-texture display that reduces glare and crease visibility.
  • Uninterrupted inner display with an under-display camera.
  • Up to 2 terabytes of storage.
  • Fast charging, according to early comparisons.
  • Seamless integration with Apple's ecosystem.

iPhone Duo: Cons

  • Heaviest iPhone ever at 254 grams.
  • Thicker than the Fold 8.
  • $100 more expensive than the Fold 8 at each comparable tier.
  • No telephoto lens.
  • Limited multitasking compared with Samsung.
  • Extremely limited availability, with online orders shipping in late January.

Galaxy Z Fold 8: Pros

  • Lightest Z Fold ever at 201 grams.
  • Thinner design.
  • Lower starting price.
  • Advanced multitasking with three apps on screen and a desktop mode.
  • Widely available now.
  • Slightly higher camera resolution.

Galaxy Z Fold 8: Cons

  • IP48 rating offers weaker dust protection.
  • Hole-punch camera interrupts the inner display.
  • Maximum storage of 1 terabyte.
  • No telephoto lens on the standard model.

The verdict

The iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8 are closely matched in many areas, including display size, performance and overall design. The right choice depends largely on priorities.

The iPhone Duo stands out for durability, its anti-glare display and integration with Apple's ecosystem, making it the obvious choice for longtime iPhone users eager to try a foldable.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers a lighter, thinner design, a lower price, more mature multitasking software and immediate availability, making it a strong choice for Android users and buyers who want a foldable now.

Full reviews of the iPhone Duo are expected around its Oct. 23 launch, which should provide clearer answers on real-world battery life, camera quality and durability.

Competition in the foldable market is expected to intensify as Apple's entry draws more attention to the category, potentially pushing both companies to improve their devices and lower prices in future generations.