Quick summary
Motorola warmly welcomed Apple to the folding phone space while also teasing its next device
In a social video, we see a quick timeline of Motorola foldable phones, with a secret foldable at the end.
Motorola could be the next brand to release a wider folding phone, looking to quickly shift its strategy from flip to fold.
It launched its first book-type folding phone in 2026, the Motorola Razr Fold, after first entering the folding phone market in 2019 with the rebirth of its iconic Razr line.
But when Apple just announced the iPhone Duo, its £2,000 folding phone, Motorola didn’t miss the chance to point out that it has been in the folding phone game for a long time, and highlight its “next move”.
Published on social channels, the brand ran with the tagline “New in their hands. Iconic in ours”, leading with the V3 Razr from 2004, before jumping to the 2019 version and then through iterations of the flip phone to the 2026 Razr Fold.
That feeling when you hang up, and your Razr says everything you didn’t do. 😏 Some are just discovering it. We’ve been making it even better. Just wait for our next move. 👀 #Razr pic.twitter.com/61hqJCytpnSeptember 9, 2026
At that point, something interesting happens, as a silhouette of a device appears, which is a folding style, but shorter, looking like an obvious tease for Motorola’s next folding phone.
With Apple joining the folding phone market, it is likely that everyone in the folding phone segment will adopt the format.
Samsung launched its wider folding phone in July 2026 – the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – while Huawei was there a little earlier with the Pura X, and Xiaomi also enters the fray with the Xiaomi 18 Fold.
Motorola, which just made the transition to a larger folding device, doesn’t want to be left behind.
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(Image credit: Motorola)
Samsung currently dominates the global market for folding phones with a 40% share, according to recent Counterpoint research. Huawei – thanks to its profile in China – took 30% of the share in 2025, Motorola, Honor and Google all had a piece of the pie.
It is expected that Apple’s entry into the folding phone market will not only lead a lot of attention to folding phones, but will reinforce the advantages of a wider device, instead of the larger formats that open with an almost square display.
With expansion expected across the segment, brands want to make sure they have an iPhone Duo alternative to take advantage of the wave of enthusiasm that is likely to come.
It is not clear when Motorola might launch this new phone. Typical launch windows – like Lenovo Innovation World which just took place in Berlin – have passed. It is likely then that Motorola will cast its eye on CES 2027.
In 2026, Motorola showed the new Signature and Fold models in Las Vegas, before releasing them a few months later.