What Would You Like to See in a Foldable iPhone?

[MacRumors]

Samsung last week announced its fourth-generation foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold 4, and as a result, some iPhone customers may be wondering about the future of a foldable iPhone.

Apple is indeed working on a foldable iPhone, but details about it remain scarce and somewhat vague. We've rounded up a few notable rumors below and want to hear from you; what would you like to see in a foldable iPhone? Let us know in the comments!

Hardware Features

• Building on an existing relationship, Apple is likely working closely with Corning to develop a special display glass for the foldable iPhone that's both tough and durable and thin and flexible.
• Rumors have fluctuated regarding the size of the foldable iPhone, with some reports saying it'll be around 9-inches and have a PPI (pixels-per-inch) between an iPhone and an iPad. Other reports say Apple has internally tested a device that opens up to 6.7-inches, similar to the size of current Pro Max iPhones.
• A research firm has suggested the foldable iPhone could support the Apple Pencil, utilizing its larger display to allow for easier note taking, drawing, sketching, and more on the device.
• Rather than typical foldable phones on the market, a rumor from Apple leaker Jon Prosser suggests that Apple is working on a foldable device with two separate screens connected via a hinge and not one single, continuous display.

Software and OS

• It remains to be seen whether Apple will, at some point, combine the iPhone and iPad into a single product, offering an iPhone when folded and an iPad-like experience when unfolded. In that case, we may see the foldable device running a hybrid between iOS and iPadOS, but that remains purely speculative.

Price and Launch Date

• Samsung's Galaxy Fold 4 starts at a steep $1,800, and while it's too early to tell what market Apple will want to target with its foldable device, Samsung's pricing does offer a little bit of context.
• According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we're now unlikely to see a foldable iPhone until at least 2025 or later, so there are still many years to go until we may see anything hit the market.

For more in-depth information about what we know about a foldable iPhone, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide. Plus, don't forget to let us know what you want to see in a foldable iPhone below.

Article Link: What Would You Like to See in a Foldable iPhone?

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Maybe not a fold at all?

 

[dwsolberg]

Thin, no crease, sturdy and still useable like a normal phone

 

[Graphton]

Durability, I’m a Ruffian and I love how tough the iPhone XIII is! 🫡

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

The high price, the crease, lower performance compared to cheaper flagships, and the fact they always get permanent lines/break after a couple months is why foldables haven't catched on. For a foldable iPhone to work they need to fix all of these things or else people will just buy regular iPhones and the Pros instead of the foldable.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Apple should focus on improving other things such as USB-C. Product red iPhone Pro/Pro Max, bettering battery life, and so on.

I just don’t find foldable iPhones appealing. It’s too gimmicky

 

[ilikewhey]

no crease

 

[fwmireault]

It remains to be seen whether Apple will, at some point, combine the iPhone and iPad into a single product, offering an iPhone when folded and an iPad-like experience when unfolded. In that case, we may see the foldable device running a hybrid between iOS and iPadOS, but that remains purely speculative.

Maybe that a foldable iPhone would kill the iPad mini, but I strongly doubt it would kill the entire iPad lineup. These foldable phones can only have so much screen space, and by tablet standards, it's not nearly enough screen area to replace them completely (especially since iPads are rumored to be offered in larger versions). On the software side, iPads are slowly getting more macOS-like features, so I don't know how features like Stage Manager could be done on a screen as small as a foldable phone.

 

[JW5566]

I can't say I could ever afford one at Apple's prices. It would be interesting to see how Apple's implementation compares to Samsung's, however.

 

[jsamuelson]

I just don't see the attraction. All sorts of compromises and issues for very little gain. It is cool tho, so?

 

[satchmo]

Rollable display.
Eliminates crease.

Don’t ask me how though. 😁

 

[cocky jeremy]

Definitely not.

 

[SoldOnApple]

A foldable big iPad Pro would be nice, to be able to fold it down into a smaller device.

 

[Andres Cantu]

I would like to see Apple have that “killer app” moment with its foldable so that it can have a good reason for existing other than just to compete with Samsung on that segment of the market. Surprise us, Apple!

 

[q64ceo]

I personally have no need for it. Doesn't mean that others don't. Just not for me.

 

[gtmead09]

Solution in search of a problem........

 

[till]

Magic materials which don't show the faintest crease and aren't highly susceptible to damage.

The *idea* of a foldable screen is kinda nice, but the practicalities are a disaster. I would be shocked if they're fully solved any time soon.

 

[MrRom92]

No thanks

 

[AgeOfSpiracles]

If it were truly a full iPhone experience when folded, and then could expand out to a full iPad mini UX when opened, then that sounds pretty compelling; as opposed to the Galaxy UX where the outside screen is too small and too tall to be very useful, and the inside screen is far too large to one-hand at all.

 

[psac]

If I could legitimately replace my iPad mini and my iPhone with a single device that isn't an inch thick, then yes, I would be wowed.

 

[blcamp]

Meh. I had flip phones back in the day. No thanks.

 

[stocklen]

As others have said.... A number of things put me off a foldable phone.

1. The PRICE. We are kidding ourselves if we think apple would charge much less than £2000 for such a phone. And are we ready to pay £2000 for a phone that a few years ago maxed out at about £600?
2. The DURABILITY. Speaks for itself. Dont want something that will fail or fall apart or let dust in or screen protectors start to lift....
3. The CREASE.... just no... no thanks. Looks awful in my opinion and I would notice it all the time.
4. The THICKNESS when folded. Just too thick as current models show.

Although im sure that Apple would be able to do far more justice in that form factor with their software and make the hardware seem to have purpose.... theres no point in doing it for the sake of it.


i do feel that apple could do something worthwhile here... maybe not foldable but perhaps rollable - prototypes of those types of screen look far more promising. to have that much bigger screen readily available in your pocket is a great idea.

Either Apple will come late to the party with something genuinely better than any of Samsung's efforts... or they will skip it altogether a bit like how Curved TVs... and 3D TVs were all the rage and a few short years after first being introduced nobody is making them anymore as they just didnt work.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

It would be enough if smartphones became wider again. I have a "Mi Max 3" from Xiaomi and that one id very wide, which is a pleasure with many apps like Instagram. Instead of focussing on the diagonal, which also increases when a smarthone gets longer, more focus should be on width. I do not care if I can use a phone with one hand. I would never do that anyway. I use one hand to hold my phone and the other hand to type. Therefore a phone could be as wide as I can still hold it in a hand - and my hands are very large.

Foldable phones will always have some kind of wrinkle in the center. They yet have to invent a kind of plastic that you can fold thousands of times without any degradation.

 

[alexe]

I don't want a foldable iPhone.

I keep my phone in my pocket, so doubling its thickness by folding it is a non-starter.

Also, so many issues and potential points of failure introduced to accommodate something of which I don't see the value.

So many people give Samsung praise for innovating in this area, and give Apple **** for being behind, but it's obvious that the reason Apple is behind on this one is because they aren't convinced it makes sense, and I fully agree.

 

[Realityck]

It remains to be seen whether Apple will, at some point, combine the iPhone and iPad into a single product, offering an iPhone when folded and an iPad-like experience when unfolded. In that case, we may see the foldable device running a hybrid between iOS and iPadOS, but that remains purely speculative.

This! It’s about time that iPhones can act like tablets and work the same. Why can’t a iPhone be as large or larger display-wise as a iPad mini with foldable displays and you can multitask along with usb-c connectivity. Just think of the possibilities instead of regulating iPhones to the current iOS usage.