Apple's First Foldable Phone Unveiled, Priced 1 Million Won Higher Than Galaxy Fold

[Anchor]

Apple has officially unveiled its very first foldable smartphone. While boasting advanced technology that makes the crease barely visible, its hefty price tag of over 3 million won poses a burden. As Chinese companies flood the market with new products, a three-way competition among South Korea, the United States, and China is heating up in the foldable phone market, which Samsung has led over the past seven years.

Reporter Kwon Ran has the details.

[Reporter]

A passport-sized smartphone that fits snugly in one hand transforms into a tablet PC when unfolded.

This is the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable phone released 19 years after the launch of the original iPhone.

When folded, it measures 13.7 cm, and when unfolded, 19.3 cm, which is similar in size and shape to Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold8 released last July.

More than 100 precision components were used in the hinge, a core part of the foldable phone, and a fingerprint recognition feature was adopted instead of facial recognition to unlock the device.

The iPhone Duo weighs 254g, making it about 50g heavier and thicker than the Fold8.

Priced at 1,999 dollars for the 256GB model, the price is not much different from Samsung in the U.S., but in South Korea, the price difference exceeds 1 million won due to exchange rates and other factors.

Pre-orders are scheduled to begin on October 16, with the official launch set for October 23.

The arrival of the iPhone Duo is considered the biggest variable in the foldable phone market, which has been led by Android manufacturers.

Samsung pioneered the market by releasing its first foldable phone seven years ago and has already introduced up to its eighth generation, while Google entered the market in 2023 and has already released fourth-generation products.

Chinese companies are also pursuing aggressively, with Huawei commercializing trifold phones that fold twice starting two years ago.

Instead, Apple is highlighting its differentiation as a device tailored for the "AI era," targeting its massive user base and iOS ecosystem.

[John Ternus / Apple CEO: Other foldable phones often felt like two phones awkwardly glued together.]

[Shim Woo-jung / Research Fellow, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade: People within the iPhone and Apple ecosystem now have a foldable phone option to choose from, so we expect the market to grow.]

With Apple throwing its hat into the global foldable phone market—expected to exceed 100 million units this year—the battle among Samsung, Apple, and Huawei is projected to intensify.

(Video Editing: Park Choon-bae, Design: Park Taeyoung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.