Samsung Called Apple’s Foldable “Reheated Leftovers.” Then Its Own $2,899 Tri-Fold Died in 90 Days.

In the early hours of September 10, 2026, while Apple’s event was still underway, Samsung’s official U.S. X account fired off its first post. It called the iPhone Duo a “Sims sequel.” Then came the second: “So far, so same.” The third was screenshotted most: “Wait until you’ve finished reheating our leftovers.”

Three posts. The rhythm was familiar.

In 2016, Samsung made a point onstage of keeping the 3.5mm headphone jack, a jab at the iPhone 7, which was about to lose it. From 2017 to 2018, Samsung repeatedly mocked the iPhone X’s notch. In 2019, the Galaxy S10 series moved to a hole-punch display. People dug up that history and commented, “You’re like a crazy ex.” Self-righteous when mocking, first in line when copying.

Samsung’s logic this time is “whoever got there first wins.” By that logic, the wide foldable was not Samsung’s first. Huawei explored foldable form factors earlier. If Samsung uses first-mover status to mock Apple, Huawei can use the same ruler on Samsung.

More awkward: Samsung’s own tri-fold.

The Galaxy Z TriFold launched in December 2025 at $2,899. It was discontinued on March 17, 2026. South Korea stopped sales first; global cumulative sales were about 3,000 units. The official reason: a bill of materials near $2,000, rising memory prices, and no buyers. A phone that lost money on every unit. Samsung chose to kill it. Samsung strikes the pose of the foldable kingpin, while its most expensive tri-fold went cold first.

So why does Apple have to push out a foldable?

On short-term financials, it does not pay. Foldables have high BOMs, low yields, and lower gross margins than slab phones. In FY2025, Apple’s product gross margin was 36.8%; services, 75.4%. iPhone revenue was $209.6 billion. Total revenue was $416.2 billion. Half the company. But slab phones have a price ceiling. In the 10,000-to-20,000-yuan range, Apple had nothing. Huawei’s Mate XT 2 starts at 19,999 yuan and tops out at 29,999. People buy it. The iPhone Duo starts at 15,999 yuan in China and tops out at 26,499.

Apple priced it as an anchor, not for volume.

Standard models rise a few hundred; Pro rises a thousand. Next to 15,999, it does not sting as much.

The second calculation: memory. LPDDR5X rose 230% in a year. The procurement price of 12GB+256GB went from $30 to $120. Memory’s share of BOM went from just over 10% to more than 20%. Yu Chengdong said the Mate XT 2 costs 2,000 yuan more than the previous generation, with memory costs as the main driver. Apple’s Pro series rose $100, below expectations. In a cost-inflation cycle, you need a high-end product to absorb it.

The third calculation: Greater China. FY2025 Greater China revenue was $64.4 billion, down 4% year over year. From $72.6 billion to $64.4 billion, an 11% drop. Huawei is taking the high end. Apple needs a product to re-establish an ultra-high-end presence.

The fourth calculation: the new CEO. On September 1, Cook stepped down and Ternus took over. A hardware engineering lifer, mechanical engineering at Penn, joined Apple in 2001, promoted to senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021. His first fall event, with the biggest form-factor change in seven years.

The fifth calculation: the window. In 2025, global foldable shipments were 19.8 million units, a 1.6% penetration rate. Counterpoint forecasts Apple at 6 million units in year one, $2,500 each, $15 billion in revenue. Against iPhone’s $209.6 billion, a rounding error. And lower gross margin. In 2025, Apple bought back $90.7 billion, paid $15.4 billion in dividends, with 15 billion shares outstanding. EPS growth relies on buybacks. If gross margin is diluted, analysts will ask.

So it is normal for Apple not to ship a foldable. It is also normal that it did. New CEO, memory inflation, and Greater China decline collided.

The foldable works as a pricing move: raise prices directly and get cursed; put a 15,999-yuan foldable on the shelf and redefine how expensive an iPhone can be. Standard up a few hundred, Pro up a thousand, and it looks reasonable. Apple built the iPhone Duo as a price anchor, a brand standard-bearer, a claim on the ultra-high-end, not as a volume product.

Samsung’s posts stay on the X timeline. Apple’s foldable sits in the display case, priced at 15,999. Next quarter’s earnings will show who is reheating whose leftovers. Samsung’s TriFold discontinuation notice is still on its website; Apple’s iPhone Duo launches in October. The two events are half a year apart. In the foldable rice bowl, the first to pick it up does not necessarily eat the longest.