Samsung wasted little time welcoming Apple to the foldable-phone market — and it wasn't exactly a warm reception.

After Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, on Sept. 9, Samsung responded with a familiar weapon in the longtime smartphone rivalry: trolling.

“So far, so same,” Samsung wrote on social media, accompanying the jab with the hashtag #ItsTimeToSwitch as Apple introduced a product category Samsung has spent years developing.

The message was unmistakable. Apple may be presenting the iPhone Duo as one of the biggest changes in iPhone history, but Samsung wants consumers to remember that it has been selling folding smartphones since 2019.

Samsung Was Ready Before Apple’s Event

Samsung's response wasn't improvised after seeing Apple's announcement.

Ahead of the event, the company launched a “Welcome to Foldables” campaign highlighting its own Galaxy Z Fold 8 and positioning Samsung as the experienced player in a category Apple was only now entering.

The campaign emphasized the Z Fold 8's design and Samsung's years of experience building folding devices, while effectively inviting Apple customers to consider switching rather than waiting for Apple's first attempt.

Samsung has a considerable head start.

The company released its original Galaxy Fold in 2019, meaning Apple entered the category roughly seven years after Samsung's first commercial foldable.

Samsung has since gone through multiple generations of the technology, refining its hinges, displays, software and overall form factor along the way.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 now represents the eighth generation of that development.

Apple, however, is betting that arriving later doesn't necessarily mean arriving behind.

Apple Finally Enters the Foldable Market

Apple introduced the iPhone Duo as what CEO John Ternus called “the most transformational change to iPhone since the original.”

The device opens to reveal a 7.6-inch inner display, while its 5.4-inch outer screen allows it to function more like a conventional smartphone when closed. Apple says the Duo becomes the thinnest iPhone it has ever made when opened.

The phone is powered by Apple's A20 Pro chip and features a redesigned version of iOS 27 built specifically to take advantage of the folding display.

Apple has also developed new multitasking features for the larger screen and a precision hinge designed to keep the display flat when completely opened.

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 in the United States.

Preorders are scheduled to begin Oct. 16, with the phone arriving in stores Oct. 23.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, by comparison, starts at $1,899, according to Reuters.

That leaves Samsung with another easy marketing angle: its competing foldable starts $100 below Apple's new device.

Samsung and Apple’s Rivalry Enters a New Chapter

The exchange is the latest episode in a smartphone rivalry stretching back more than a decade.

Samsung has repeatedly used Apple's product launches as opportunities to advertise features it introduced earlier, and the iPhone Duo gives the company unusually fertile territory.

This time, Samsung isn't pointing to a missing port or an individual feature.

It's pointing to an entire product category.

Samsung has been building foldable smartphones for years, while Apple is entering the market for the first time.

But Apple's arrival could also validate the category Samsung helped establish.

Reuters reported that analysts expect Apple to quickly take a meaningful share of the foldable market, potentially putting pressure on Samsung's longstanding leadership. Samsung nevertheless retains advantages from years of manufacturing foldables, an established product lineup and broad global distribution.

There is another twist to the rivalry: Apple still relies on Samsung's broader technology ecosystem. Samsung Display is involved in supplying foldable display technology for Apple's new device, according to Reuters.

So while Samsung's smartphone division is publicly trolling Apple for arriving late, another part of the Samsung business stands to benefit from Apple's entry.

For consumers, the result is something the foldable market has largely lacked until now: a direct Apple-versus-Samsung battle.

Apple is pitching the iPhone Duo as a reinvention of its most important product.

Samsung's response is considerably simpler.

Welcome to the party.