You probably have read about it already: Apple is expected to announce its first foldable iPhone in September, a product that has been rumored for years. And Samsung, the company that leads the foldable market today, started this journey more than seven years ago.I still remember it like it happened yesterday. Samsung teased its first foldable phone at its own developer conference, and a few months later, it officially announced the Galaxy Fold alongside the Galaxy S10 series. That moment on stage was stunning. It felt like Samsung had found a brand-new form factor for the smartphone, and looking back, that's exactly what happened. Foldables are here to stay.Samsung's foldables have been getting better for seven yearsEvery year since, Samsung has followed up with new foldables and improved the product step by step: a smaller footprint, a better crease, stronger durability, thinner designs, etc.. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is just 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.2mm unfolded. The rumored Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to go even further, down to just 4.1mm unfolded. To put that in perspective, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is 7.9mm thick and the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 8.75mm.Now Apple is finally joining the category, and that says more about Samsung than about Apple. It shows there's room for foldables and that form-factor innovation in smartphones is still alive. It's also not the first time Samsung has shown the market the way. Samsung made big phones normal, and the industry, Apple included, followed. Samsung believed in a vision, stuck with it, and it brought real change.Why I'm glad Apple is joining the foldable segmentAs a foldable user myself, I'm actually happy about this. Apple joining means the category gets more serious, and innovation will come faster. The next Galaxy foldables will be better phones because Apple is finally competing with Samsung in this category.So if you're thinking about getting Apple's first foldable, remember two things. You're getting a form factor with a lot of potential that Samsung spent seven years building. And that folding display on your brand-new iPhone? It reportedly comes from Samsung.