Samsung's ads worldwide criticize Apple's cracking iPhone Duo screens, drawing on seven years of foldable-phone experience.
For South Korea, Apple's hardware stumble validates the billions Samsung Display and Samsung Electronics have invested in flexible screens since 2019. The marketing offensive signals that Seoul's tech giant intends to keep its homegrown advantage as Cupertino finally enters the foldable arena.
Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, reached stores in late October 2026 after years of anticipation, with a $1,999 price tag. A separate report placed its debut in September. In the days after buying one, some owners reported a crunch or pop as they opened the phone, followed by cracks or bright lines of dead pixels along the crease.
The internet called the display problem 'Crackgate'. Reports emerged from the US, Australia, Canada and elsewhere. Apple acknowledged "an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units" and is replacing them under AppleCare. The company insists only a handful are affected.
In a teardown video, YouTube creator JerryRigEverything identified possible stress points in the first-generation hinge. He said a pointed hinge component may press too hard against the ultra-thin glass in some phones as they fold and unfold.
Owners are advised to take care with the $2,000 iPhone Duo, especially to keep dirt away from it. Nearly a week after release, reviews have been mixed. Tech reviewer MKBHD noted that many people have genuinely never seen a foldable smartphone before.
Global marketing offensive
In Canada, Malaysia, Australia and other markets, Samsung posted ads that deliberately echo the iPhone Duo's crack patterns. The campaigns show a glowing horizontal streak cutting across everyday scenes.
Samsung Canada opened the campaign with an Instagram post of wallpapers depicting pixel defects at the screen's centre. The post reminded users that foldable smartphones are nothing new for the company. In a video shared by Samsung Malaysia, a Galaxy Z Fold 8 appeared to develop a broken screen after six folds. The damage was only a wallpaper.
Samsung Australia mocked the durability woes, asking "how life sounds when your screen doesn't break when opening your phone". Samsung Saudi Arabia similarly placed the Duo crack on a Galaxy Z Fold 8 before revealing the wallpaper trick.
In an Instagram ad for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung stated that "folding is nothing new to us" and that "we know a thing or eight". The company urged consumers to "Switch to Galaxy Z Fold8". In another video ad, 'Slice', an apple was chopped into pieces. One piece then rolled by Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold models, which cover the years 2019 to 2026.
Memes of varying creativity about the iPhone Duo are circulating on social media. Honor and other competitors are adding to the conversation with their own posts, mainly on Instagram and X.
Hardware and pricing advantage
Samsung has shipped foldables since the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is generation eight. Debuting in July, Samsung's $1,900 passport-style Z Fold 8 has a similar shape to the iPhone Duo.
With Flex Titanium, a new display technology, and silicon-carbon batteries that hold more charge, Samsung made the Galaxy Z Fold 8 lighter and slimmer than the iPhone Duo.
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Samsung Display still supplies much of the ultra-thin glass and flexible OLEDs the global industry relies on, including to Apple's competitors. Samsung has spent years optimizing its One UI 9.0 software overlay for foldable phones. The Duo, meanwhile, runs Apple's iOS 27.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and wide Galaxy Z Fold8 retain the standard punch-hole design introduced on last year's Galaxy Z Fold7. Apple fitted the Duo's inner screen with a 4MP under-display camera. Samsung used that camera design for four generations, from the Galaxy Z Fold3 in 2021 through the Galaxy Z Fold6.
Sales and search momentum
Samsung announced in late October that sales of its Galaxy Z Fold 8 series were up 45% during the first nine weeks on the market compared with the 2025 predecessor.
An unconfirmed tipster on X claims Samsung is developing the Galaxy Z Fold 9 as a direct competitor to the iPhone Duo. The tipster said the device targets 3.9mm unfolded thickness and an under-display camera, with major internal changes and minimal changes to overall design. Earlier in October, the same tipster said the Galaxy Z Fold 9 was already in development, targeting 7.9mm folded. The current wide Galaxy Z Fold8 is 4.5mm thick when unfolded and 9.7mm when folded.
It's also unknown whether the iPhone Duo will get a second generation or remain a one-and-done product, or whether Apple will release a series of different Duos at varying price points. Whether the rumored Galaxy Z Fold9 thickness figures and under-display camera claims are accurate remains unconfirmed, as they rely on a single tipster.
