"iPhone WHAT?": Duolingo Responds to the Unveiling of Apple's First Foldable Smartphone

"It's called the iPhone WHAT???" — that's the post the language-learning app Duolingo shared on the social media platform X during the unveiling of Apple's first foldable smartphone. It dubbed it the iPhone Duo.

This was followed by a series of "panicked" joke posts that quickly spread across the internet. In the end, the Duolingo team found a silver lining in the new feature: “Now you have more screen space to do your lessons.”

Samsung, which was one of the first companies to launch a foldable smartphone—introducing the Galaxy Fold in 2019—also responded to the ironic posts. "I'm so sorry, Duolingo. They copied us, too," the tech giant's social media team lamented on social network X.

Samsung’s account commented on Apple’s live online presentation in a rather sarcastic tone. Even before it began, it took a jab at its competitor: “Making us wait? Fine. In the meantime, we’ll fold ours into thirds.” “This seems very familiar. Is this a sequel to The Sims?..” reads another post. And here’s how the company reacted to the demonstration of a mode in which a folded iPhone Duo can be used as a desk clock: “Just not a bedside clock. It’s like Groundhog Day.”

Samsung hopes to capitalize on the renewed surge of interest in foldable smartphones and attract buyers while Apple’s device is still entering the market, according to CNBC. According to a forecast by Counterpoint Research, the South Korean giant will maintain its leadership in the global foldable smartphone market this year with a 32% share. However, the balance of power may shift after the launch of the Duo: Apple is expected to capture 25% of the market.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor