In September 2026, the foldable smartphone market found itself embroiled in intense competition. Within a mere 72 hours, Huawei rolled out the Mate XT2, Xiaomi unveiled the Xiaomi 18 Fold, Apple presented its inaugural foldable iPhone Duo, and Samsung released the Galaxy Z Fold8, all at the same time. Among these offerings, the iPhone Duo, starting at a price of 15,999 yuan, was hyped up by scalpers even before its official release, commanding substantial price premiums on secondhand platforms. Nearly a million pre-orders have catapulted it to the pinnacle of trending searches.

However, foldable smartphones currently constitute only around 2% of the global market, with consumers showing limited enthusiasm for upgrading. Netizens are deeply divided in their opinions. Many argue that the iPhone Duo offers poor value for money, lacking groundbreaking innovation. They also point out issues such as excessive weight, high repair costs, and insufficient durability. At present, global smartphone shipments are projected to decline, yet average selling prices are on the rise. Foldable smartphones, with their intuitive differentiation, have emerged as a pivotal focus for manufacturers striving for a premium market position. Nevertheless, user acceptance remains contingent upon the actual performance of these products.