Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo on September 10. Everyone assumed Korean buyers would freeze and wait. They did the opposite.
Samsung’s Sales Went Up, Not Down, in the Week After Apple’s Event
Galaxy Z Fold8 sales in Korea rose roughly 10% in the seven days following the iPhone Duo reveal, compared with the week before. The Chosun reported it first, citing telecom industry sources. The expectation across the industry had been a slump, since people normally hold off on buying anything once a rival launch is close. Instead, buyers who had been sitting on the fence looked at what Apple showed and went and bought the Samsung.
You Cannot Buy an iPhone Duo Yet, and That Matters
Preorders in Korea open on October 16, with the phone on shelves from October 23. The Fold8 is in stores right now. For anyone whose current phone is already dying, a six-week wait is a real reason to stop waiting.
The Price Gap in Korea Is Far Worse Than Anywhere Else
This is the part that changes the whole story. In the US the two phones sit close together, $1,900 for the 256GB Fold8 against $2,000 for the Duo, a 5% difference. Europe stretches that to about 15%, with €2,000 versus €2,300.
Korea is a different situation entirely. The 256GB Fold8 goes for KRW 2.28 million, roughly $1,650. The 256GB iPhone Duo is KRW 3.29 million, around $2,380. That is a 44% premium for the Apple phone, over a million won of difference, in the one market where Samsung is the home brand. Apple is also charging Korean buyers about 20% more than it charges Americans for the same device.
Worth noting the top of the range too: at KRW 5.09 million for the 2TB model, the iPhone Duo is the first phone in Korea to cross the five million won line. Analysts there are openly sceptical that it sells in volume when buyers were already balking at three million won foldables.
Apple’s Phone Is Also Thicker and Heavier
The Duo measures 11.3mm folded and weighs 254g. The Fold8 is 9.7mm and 201g. A 53 gram difference is something you feel in a shirt pocket every day, and portability is the entire selling point of this category. Apple does include Apple Pencil support, which Samsung dropped from this generation to save weight, so the trade runs both ways.
None of this means Apple has a flop on its hands. One market, one week, and Korea has always been Samsung’s stronghold. What it does show is that Apple’s first foldable was not the instant knockout some expected, and in Korea at least, it made the competition look like better value.
