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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Apple’s much-anticipated folding phone – the iPhone Duo – is now seeing its first reviews, with the official launch date finally arriving.
That’s a series of comparisons with the other folding phone seen at the moment, the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Both have a similar passport-style design, but there are many differences.
Looking to close the gap, there is now an app for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that mimics one of the features that Apple devices offer – tent mode.
This comes with the help of an app called Foldy (via 9to5Google ) which aims to give you the same kind of standby functions that Apple is known for. For whatever reason, Samsung doesn’t really go in for this kind of standby functionality, but Apple seems to think you’ll use your phone as a bedside clock.
That’s what Foldy offers: customizable screens, so you can stand your phone next to you and show different details at a glance.
Is that a copy? Not really: Samsung has dominated the folding phone segment since 2019, with only Huawei really offering any competition. During that time, the Korean company refined the hardware, expanded screens, reduced wrinkles and optimized Android usage on these phones.
Apple had the advantage of learning from its rivals before coming in with a fresh take. It was to be expected that Samsung would develop its own folding devices in response, even if it is the developer community that got there first.
There are a few takeaways in early comparisons of these devices: Apple’s keyboard is much more compact, giving more screen space for typing than Samsung typically does. However, Apple’s persistent controls on the right side mean apps can’t be as wide as Samsung offers.
Samsung’s device remains thinner and lighter, but Apple’s hinge allows for more precise positioning.
Then you have the display that divides opinion. The matte finish works wonders for cutting out reflections and ensuring daylight visibility, but it’s less contrast-rich and can look a bit softer compared to Samsung’s display when exposed to direct light.
In short, there is enough difference here for everyone to get the experience they want. What I do hope, though, is that some of the optimization the app developers are doing for iPhone Duo will also benefit the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – especially with that fancy Netflix app.