Apple has spent years watching Samsung refine the book-style foldable. But with its first attempt at a foldable, it has managed to one-up the South Korean tech giant. The newly announced iPhone Duo supports MagSafe wireless charging, giving Apple’s first foldable the familiar magnetic snap that has been standard on conventional iPhones for years.
MagSafe has been one of those small but meaningful advantages on iPhones. Now, Apple claims that its foldable can reach 50% charge wirelessly in around 30 minutes with a compatible MagSafe or Qi2 charger. Meanwhile, Samsung is still working on Qi2 charging, with a not-so-attractive implementation.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 supports 20W wireless charging and is Qi2-ready, but Samsung confirms that it does not contain built-in magnets for magnetic charging. To get magnetic alignment, you need to add a compatible case containing the magnets yourself. The Fold 8’s wireless charging coil sits unusually low on the device, and Samsung says users need to carefully align that area with the center of a conventional charging pad. All of the hassle is non-existent with MagSafe.
We thought Samsung might finally address this problem before the Fold 8 launched. Dummy units leaked earlier this year appeared to show magnetic rings, suggesting native Qi2 support might finally arrive. It didn’t.
The iPhone Duo has a complex dual-battery layout, a titanium frame, and Apple’s new precision hinge, yet the company still found room for MagSafe compatibility. Apple has also built a magnetic accessory ecosystem around the phone, with even its Duo cases and Folio with Kickstand using magnets that are designed to work with MagSafe and Qi2 25W chargers.
The Duo itself starts at $1,999, compared with $1,899 for the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8, so neither device qualifies as a bargain. Samsung still has some charging advantages, including Wireless PowerShare and 45W wired charging on the Fold 8. But when it comes to attaching a charger, battery pack, stand, or wallet without buying a special case first, Apple got something right on generation one that Samsung is still dancing around eight generations into the Fold era.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.
For years, Samsung’s Galaxy A phones have been some of the easiest recommendations for anyone who wants to go the Android route without paying flagship prices. But that part of the lineup could soon become harder to find at a good price.
According to South Korea’s Electronic Times, Samsung is cutting Galaxy A production by about 20% in the fourth quarter compared to its original plans. Component orders have reportedly dropped by a similar amount, which could mean roughly 10 million fewer phones over the year. Samsung is also said to be considering another production cut of more than 10% next year.