Why Samsung fans are suddenly more excited about the Galaxy Z Fold 9

The launch of the iPhone Duo has not only given Apple fans their first foldable iPhone. It has also given Samsung fans another reason to look forward to the Galaxy Z Fold 9.

A post on Reddit recently made this point. The poster is more excited about the Fold 9 now that Apple is directly competing with Samsung in the foldable phone market.

They are not alone. We at SamMobile are also more excited to see what Samsung does with its next generation of foldables now that its biggest rival has entered the category.

Samsung has faced competition from Google and several Chinese manufacturers for years. However, nothing compares to competition from Apple.

Before the iPhone Duo, an iPhone user who wanted a foldable phone had to switch to Android. Samsung was one of the most obvious choices, particularly in markets where Chinese foldables are unavailable.

That is no longer the case. Apple users can now buy a foldable without leaving the company's ecosystem, and Samsung has to compete for those customers directly.

The iPhone Duo will also bring considerably more mainstream attention to foldable phones. People will now compare every new Galaxy Z Fold more closely with Apple's foldable.

That could give Samsung an incentive to equip the Galaxy Z Fold 9 with more upgrades than it may otherwise have offered.

For example, Samsung could bring back capabilities that were lost when it introduced the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8. The non-Ultra Fold 8 doesn't support Flex Mode, a long-standing Galaxy Z Fold feature that lets users keep the device partially folded for hands-free functionality.

Fans can also hope for improvements to the cameras, battery, crease, and software experience. None of these upgrades is guaranteed, but Apple entering the market gives Samsung a reason to make its next foldable more special.

There's something important to remember, however. Smartphones are developed long before they are officially announced, and Samsung will not have started planning the Fold 9 only after seeing the iPhone Duo.

Many of the Fold 9's major hardware decisions may already have been finalized. Samsung also knew that Apple was preparing a foldable, so the company may have taken the iPhone Duo into account well before its launch.

The Fold 8 also introduced a new form factor to Samsung's lineup. It could decide that its successor should refine that form factor instead of making massive changes after just one generation.

Samsung could also be saving its most ambitious ideas for the Galaxy Z Fold 10. Samsung may see the Fold 10 as the right time for bigger changes to celebrate a decade of Galaxy foldables.

Apple's arrival doesn't guarantee that the Galaxy Z Fold 9 will be a revolutionary upgrade. It might still end up being a relatively modest successor to the Fold 8.

Even so, the excitement among Samsung fans is understandable. For the first time, the next Galaxy Z Fold will arrive in a market where Apple is an active foldable phone competitor.

Many Galaxy fans have no interest in buying the iPhone Duo. But if its existence encourages Samsung to improve the Fold 9, they will still benefit from Apple's entry into the market.