Samsung apparently knows Apple's first foldable won't be an iPhone

Samsung is reportedly aware that Apple’s first foldable device won’t be a smartphone. According to The Elec, Samsung’s mobile division recently held a meeting with suppliers, saying that it expects Apple to release its first foldable device in 2024. Per the company, it won’t be an iPhone but a tablet or notebook.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard whispers about a foldable iPad. Analyst firm CCS Insights also recently said that a foldable Apple tablet might come before a foldable iPhone bucking the current trend.

“A folding iPhone will be super high risk for Apple. Firstly, it would have to be incredibly expensive in order to not cannibalize the existing iPhones,” Ben Wood, Chief of Research at CCS Insight, told CNBC in October.

Apple’s foldable phone has been rumored for a while, but the company hasn’t shared any concrete details about its endeavors in the foldable space. Then again, it’s unlike Apple to disclose details of unreleased devices beforehand, especially if they are first-time products.

Meanwhile, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac) believes Apple won’t launch a foldable iPhone till 2025. He also suggested that the device could be an iPad-iPhone hybrid.

Nevertheless, it seems that Samsung is bracing for competition in the foldable market as its archrival prepares to enter the space. The company also reportedly shared that South Korean iPhone users in their 20s and 30s were changing their devices to Samsung’s foldable phones at a rate three to four times higher than before.

Samsung also expects up to 90% of foldable smartphone users to stick with the form factor for their next device as well.