Samsung accepts a market share from Apple in the US, folding telephone inertia

In 2014, Apple And Samsung has dumped it to exclude the US smartphone market. Samsung was selling devices with large screens, and iPhone fans required an answer.

It took an Apple for some time, but the company finally released the iPhone 6, tearing up with previous iterations and providing users with a large screen option. IPhone won.

But more than a decade later, the latest sales data and shipment on smartphone have signaled that the battle with Apple-Samsung has returned. And once again everything is for the screen.

In the second quarter, Samsung shipments rose to the United States, with its market share increased from 23% to 31% compared to the previous period, according to data from ChannelsS Apple’s market share in the quarter decreased to 49% of 56%.

Apple remains at the top of the US smartphone market, taking the bigger part of new smartphone sales in the United States that it is often second in the world, but the latest fiches point to Apple turbulence for the first time in a decade.

This is one of the reasons why investors have sent Apple shares by 7.5% this year, more than all technology companies Megacap other than companies other than TeslaS Meanwhile, Samsung’s shares were about 35% in 2025.

Apple reported a 13% increase in iPhone sales during the year in July profitS

In July, Samsung has introduced a pair of innovative new phones that have folding screens. One model, Z Fold 7, can effectively turn into a tablet, while Z Flip looks like an old school flip phone with modern smartphone features. They were added to the Samsung phones catalog, launched this spring under its Galaxy brand, including a slim and lightweight phone called the Galaxy S25 Edge.

Devices also get a lot of grip on social media, especially around endurance tests.

One user publishes live that shows him that he bends Z folding 7 over 200,000 times in a row. The video is haircut and widely shared on social media, with a version of the video accumulating more than 15 million views on YouTube.

Samsung’s first -class devices, including Z Fold 7, were mentioned over 50,000 times in social media, and 83% of these references were positive or neutral, according to Sprout Social, a social media analysis company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59jmn0shaj0

Market share numbers are not just the result of consumer preferences. Much of the displacement of shipment data in the quarter in June, analysts said, can be attributed to tariffs that cause “interruption” in the industry, as smartphone manufacturers use different strategies to minimize their business impact.

But Samsung’s profits also reflect the company’s ability to offer a much broader range of products at different prices than Apple. This includes low -end phones that represent a large part of US improvement in the United States, as well as high -end devices that cost more than each iPhone.

The galaxy of Samsung Galaxy and Z Phone “extends from $ 650 to $ 2,400. This is a huge period of devices,” said Canalys Runar Bjorhovde analyst. “There is an idea that you can target people at any price point and you can meet them anywhere.”

The iPhone almost looked the same from 2017 – a rectangular piece of glass with a touch screen in the front and several cameras on the back. Nowadays, the company offers a series of four plates ranging from $ 829 to $ 1599. Samsung and others begin to exceed the so -called form of candy and experiment with new form factors.

Apple is expected to start doing the same – starting with a potential start next month on a smaller iPhone, which will compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Edge.

“Apple is clearly betting that its 5.5 -million -mm air model will raise its wealth, as testing implies a strong desire for the new form factor,” writes Loop Capital manager John Donovan in May.

JPMorgan Chase Samik Chatterjee’s analyst wrote In a report last month This Apple can release a folding phone next year to compete with Samsung’s Z Fold.

“Investor Focus has already headed for Fall’s launch in 2026, with Apple expected to release its first folding iPhone as part of the iPhone 18 in September 2026,” Chatterjee wrote.

Trying new forms of factors offers Apple the ability to sell higher prices devices, according to Bjorhovde.

Apple’s most expensive phone, iPhone 16 Pro maxIt currently starts at $ 1,199 for 256 GB of memory and can reach $ 1599 for a 1TB version. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which was announced last week, starts at $ 1.999 for $ 256GB and goes to $ 2419 for the 1TB version.

Chatterjee said he thinks Apple’s version on a folding phone can start at $ 1.999.

Samsung’s first folding phone was released in 2019, but went on a rock start. The initial startup was delayed after reviewers – including CNBC “I found that the early devices would break on their folding fold.

But Samsung says this time is different and that folding phones are finally ready to go in a basic flow, especially in terms of durability.

“There really is no longer compromise on possessing a folding device,” says Drew Blearchy, Vice President of Mobile Product Management at Samsung Electronics America.

The South Korean company does not provide sales number, but Blackard said the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the most version, has 25% more pre -orders than any previous Samsung folding phone and that sales are ahead of the predecessor of the device from Nearly 50%S

“Samsung with the folding man is able to actually optimize for innovation,” said BjorhovdeS “Try to be ahead, show that something is different and it has a certain effect of halo. “

According to Counterpoint Research, a company that evaluates smartphone sales for customers, Samsung sales increased by 16% in the quarter in June, thanks to the demand for high -end devices, including Slim S25 Edge.

The rise of artificial intelligence is also a forerunction of new consumer electronics form factors that one day could replace the iPhone.

Openai in May acquired The launch of former Apple Design Guru Jony Ive for $ 6.5 billion. Starting plans to develop the next generation of hardware and other startup AIs launched pinspendants and glasses which rely on consumers’ voice to control the devices.

Samsung devices as well as other Android phones, get access to Google’s Gemini who are considered one of the best AI models along with Openai Chatgpt. Gemini has several features that users cannot get with Siri and Apple Intelligence.

Blackard said folding phones with their bigger displays are very suitable for AI. The Google Search Circle that allows the user to simply round something on the screen they would like to learn more about is an example, Blackard said.

On Samsung’s folding phone, he said, users can still see the original screen with the content they have been touring, as well as another screen with additional information.

“It is much more productive to go back -behind,” Bleard said.

Investors are worried that AI delay AI on Apple, including its next Siri generation, which is now due to go out next year, may start injuring sales. But many analysts say This Loyalty and Apple brand lock will give him a period of years before the iPhone customers start defects for competitors.

Chatterjee told CNBC that Apple’s strategy with devices is to wait while the technology is ready for the main stream before hugging it. This time may be now for folding devices.

Apple “never tried to be the first on the market,” Callie said. “It’s about a vigilant, seeing technology mature, knowing that there are no big obstacles to this technology and then move on.”