The iPhone Duo is apparently so scary that it got the Android president talking

It's been two whole weeks since the iPhone Duo, Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone, got unveiled. It's not yet available, as the launch date is set for October 23. That's probably because of production line issues and timetables or—that's my reading—Apple wants to create an extra layer of buzz and hype.

The iPhone Duo obviously exists, yet nobody has used it; lucky reviewers got a quick hands-on with the thing for several minutes and that was it. Samsung is obviously feeling threatened by the iPhone Duo, or at least the team who runs Samsung's social media accounts.

There was this tweet by Samsung, stating, "Let us know when you're done reheating our leftovers" and if I were at Cupertino, I'd actually laugh out loud and not just blow air out my nose.

Now, Sameer Samat, president of Android Ecosystem at Google is also talking about the iPhone Duo.

Sameer's take on the Duo

In a recent interview, Samat acknowledged the obvious: Apple may have just entered the foldable phone party, but Android has been hosting it for years. He said it's good to see more people recognizing the potential of foldables, while noting that Android has traditionally been the place where new smartphone form factors arrive first.

As you know, Samsung, Google and several Chinese manufacturers have spent years figuring out what flies and what doesn't fly with foldables.

Samat is also a Fold 8 user himself. He says the device has become a genuine productivity tool for him, often allowing him to get work started on the Fold before moving to his laptop.

Apple is serious about it

Apple's late arrival doesn't mean it will be an outcast, though. Counterpoint Research expects Apple to capture roughly 25% of the foldable smartphone market during its first year, with that share potentially reaching 40% by the end of 2027.

Samat believes Apple's arrival will bring more attention to foldables as a category rather than simply taking customers away from existing Android devices. In other words, Apple might be late to the party, but bringing millions of its users along could make the party considerably bigger.

The iOS experience

There is one area where Apple could potentially have an advantage from day one: apps. Apple has been making a point of showing developers how to adapt their software to the larger foldable screen and it specifically highlighted apps such as Slack and Netflix during its launch event.

That matters because Android still has plenty of apps that aren't properly optimized for foldable displays. Some simply stretch a phone interface across the larger screen, while others don't make particularly good use of the extra space. Samat acknowledged that there is still work to do, although he pointed out that Google has been trying to make the development process easier and that many developers are already on board.

TikTok is OK, though

TikTok is a good example of what a properly optimized foldable app can look like. On the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the outer display provides a more conventional viewing experience, while the inner screen can show the video feed alongside comments. Google's own apps, including Gmail and YouTube, have also been adapted for foldable screens.

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