Apple’s first foldable iPhone has finally arrived and it did not take long for other brands to make themselves part of the launch conversation.
On September 9, Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, marking its entry into a category where brands such as Samsung, Motorola and Google have already spent years experimenting with folding screens.
But while Apple was busy positioning the Duo as a new take on the foldable experience, brands on social media were busy putting their own spin on the launch.
Samsung, unsurprisingly, went straight for the competitive angle. Having launched its first Galaxy Fold in 2019, the brand had a seven-year head start in the category. Its social posts took aim at Apple’s late arrival, with lines such as “So far, so same” and, after the Duo was unveiled, “Let us know when you’re done reheating our leftovers.”
Then came Duolingo. Apple’s decision to call its foldable Duo handed the language-learning brand an entirely different opening. Its mascot is also named Duo, allowing the brand to turn Apple’s product naming into a joke of its own.
And that is what makes the social reaction interesting. These brands aren’t simply commenting on a new phone. They are finding different cultural entry points into the same conversation, category leadership, product naming, brand personality and competitive positioning.
Here are some of the brands that folded themselves into Apple’s big launch.
1. Samsung Canada
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2. Duolingo
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3. Motorola
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4. Instamart
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5. CashKaro
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6. Amul
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7. Durex India
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And that’s the real social-media advantage of a major product launch: the brand announcing the product doesn’t necessarily own every conversation that follows.
Apple may have spent years waiting to enter foldables, but within hours of the iPhone Duo launch, other brands had already found ways to make the launch about themselves.
In that sense, the iPhone Duo didn’t just unfold on stage. It unfolded into a ready-made playground for brand banter.
