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Apple Continuing Work on Folding iPhones, No Launch Until at Least 2026

Cryates said:
Spoken like someone who has never touched one of those foldables but watched a YouTube video once.
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I have had a Z Flip 5 since launch and really enjoy using it. I often carry it in preference to my iPhone 15 Pro Max when space/clothing is a consideration. It works extremely well with no screen issues and the 'crease' is very quickly tuned out in use.
So, I for one, am keenly interested in a foldable iPhone.
 
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In retrospect it's almost hilarious that it was Apple itself touting how much better suited to human hands the iPhones were, at the time, relative to the larger phones they didn't yet make

(way back in 3.5" - 4" screen days)

Our hands haven't changed. Not all of us want these ginormous devices they exclusively make now

I have one of my SE1's in use every night for podcast listening and it's so so so pleasurable to pick up and interact with.
 
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Student of Life said:
I think a way to bypass many of the limitations of a foldable is with a rollable one. It would keep the phone thickness the same, it seems like the crease is gone and you get expandable screen size. That technology seems closer to what Apple would like to accomplish with a flip phone.
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Apple filed patents on this idea in about 2017 or so, and applied for a few updates maybe last year.
 
j26 said:
I ride a motorcycle to work quite a bit. To be able to slip my iPad into my hip bag and be able to fit other stuff in would be very useful to me. I don't like backpacks on the bike and avoid using them if I can - if I come off, it's something that can damage my back if I have to roll.

At other times to be able to shove it in my back pocket and not need a bag at all would be great.
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You're getting tossed off a motorcycle and you're worried about a backpack hurting your back...and not the pavement? I'm not sure that would be *my* priority at that moment.
 
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Apple is actively building prototypes of at least two foldable iPhones following over five years of research and development

Do they view Samsung as their research department?
 
A foldable ipad mini would be very tempting. For travel would be wonderful, even for use as a secondary device at work. I've always tried to convince myself to get the "Max" iphone size, but always talk myself out of it. I think a phone has to be more portable (meaning should fit into my shorts pocket in the summer), and I don't mind using/carrying a second larger device just for media consumption purposes.
 
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Unfortunately, like phones with hardware keyboards, not a large market wants those small phones other than a vocal minority.

And a foldable iphone would be smaller in your pocket than the iPhone 5. Sounds like it will be a huge seller...
 
WannaGoMac said:
not a large market wants those small phones other than a vocal minority.
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1. It's hard to actually know how large or small the market is

2. All Apple has to do is keep "something" around in a smaller size and update it every 3-4 years, sort of like the iPad Mini.

Those of us who much prefer smaller phones also tend to have less desire to upgrade particularly often -- at least it seems that way.
 
I, for one, am happy to read this. I don't really see the point of a flip iPhone and would much rather have an iPhone that folds like my Z Fold 4 -- and I'd rather have a foldable iPhone than a foldable iPad.

The iPad is going to be much heavier and lacks the phone functionality. Why would I want to carry around a phone plus a foldable iPad? Instead, just carry a single foldable iPhone that gives you the best of both worlds.

I've had my Fold 4 for 18 months now and it's still the best phone I've ever used, way more useful for multitasking and content consumption than my previous iPhone 13 Pro and 12 Pro Max. The Fold 4 battery still gets me through a full day of heavy use from 630am-10pm with charge to spare. Sure, I wish it was a little thinner and lighter but the weight is actually better balanced in my hand than the top-heavy 12 Pro Max. As for durability I've replaced the flexible inner screen protector once while the outside tempered glass protector and display has held up to multiple drops and falls, compared to my wife's 15 Pro that went through three tempered glass screen protectors in the first month.

In short, durability, performance, and usability has been phenomenal and the Fold 4 is easily my favorite phone of all time. I will definitely consider a foldable iPhone but a definite pass on a flip iPhone/Android or folding iPad.
 
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Zc456 said:
They're not a bad idea. Makes the whole a lot more compact and portable. On the other hand, I'm not sure if it's really worth the effort to apply it to an already proven slate form factor. I'm curious, but I don't have my hopes up.
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Agreed. They’re a terrible idea.
 
MacRumors said:


Apple is actively building prototypes of at least two foldable iPhones following over five years of research and development, The Information reports.

foldable-iphone.jpg

Citing individuals with "direct knowledge" of the project, the two iPhone prototypes reportedly fold widthwise like a clamshell. The devices are in early development and do not feature in the company's mass production plans for 2024 or 2025, making 2026 the earliest possible launch time frame. The company has, however, approached at least one supplier in Asia for components related to two foldable iPhone models that come in different sizes. The report added that the foldable iPhones could still be canceled if they do not meet Apple's standards.

Apple's interest in offering a foldable iPhone is said to have fluctuated over the years. Apple CEO Tim Cook apparently first asked designers and engineers about a foldable iPhone as early as 2018. Later that year, he responded positively to a demonstration of a foldable iPhone with a 7-inch display. The company is reportedly concerned about technical challenges and offering sufficiently appealing features on the device that would justify its high price point compared to non-foldable devices.

Apple's initial vision for the foldable iPhone imagined the display residing on the outside when the phone is shut, but engineers struggled to address durability problems with this design. The industrial design team also wanted the device to be no thicker than current iPhone models when closed, which became untenable due to limitations with battery and display technology.

The company paused its work on a foldable iPhone around 2020 and pivoted toward an inward folding iPad around the size of the iPad mini, featuring an 8-inch display. Apple purportedly concluded that the device could be thicker than a foldable iPhone since users would not expect to carry it in their pocket and it would not need to pass the high durability requirements of an iPhone. An foldable iPad would also enable Apple to publicly test the product category on a smaller scale.

Engineers are currently attempting to eliminate the crease that forms in the middle of the display due to repeated folding, as well as design a hinge that allows the display to lie totally flat, rather than possessing a small bump or dip in the middle, which could inhibit the Apple Pencil. The company is reportedly working with LG and Samsung on displays for the foldable iPad.

Article Link: Apple Continuing Work on Folding iPhones, No Launch Until at Least 2026
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Forget a foldable iPhone as big as the iPad is getting a foldable iPad makes more sense.
 
turbineseaplane said:
Sorry we wasted all our resources on the Scuba Mask everyone is returning in droves...

In the mean time, here's another tiny spec bump to the cameras ...oh and another button if you want to pony up and be a "Pro"

"Innovation" season continues

:rolleyes::confused:
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Do you have a source on “droves?”
 
H.E. Pennypacker said:
Mark my words if this becomes a product Apple launches it will be the fastest selling iPhone in history. You heard it here first.
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Totally agree.

It won't just be the form factor change itself, but also that it'd be the first new idea* in iPhones since they finally made larger ones, which so many people were wanting.

Frustratingly for some of us, now they only make larger ones



*larger phones were only new with iPhones. Android, as usual, had covered this ground long before.
 
turbineseaplane said:
Completely agree

In retrospect it's almost hilarious that it was Apple itself touting how much better suited to human hands the iPhones were, at the time, relative to the larger phones they didn't yet make

(way back in 3.5" - 4" screen days)

Our hands haven't changed. Not all of us want these ginormous devices they exclusively make now

I have one of my SE1's in use every night for podcast listening and it's so so so pleasurable to pick up and interact with.
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You know, of course, that Apple still makes the iPhone SE, a 4.7" device with the same power as iPhone 13? Fits within my open palm, not exactly a "ginormous" phone.
 
farmboy said:
You're getting tossed off a motorcycle and you're worried about a backpack hurting your back...and not the pavement? I'm not sure that would be *my* priority at that moment.
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There are a variety of things which can injure you in different ways in a motorcycle accident, so you should try to minimize all of them. They should all be a priority.
 
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farmboy said:
You're getting tossed off a motorcycle and you're worried about a backpack hurting your back...and not the pavement? I'm not sure that would be *my* priority at that moment.
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You roll with something on your back, and it can break your spine. I don't want to be in a crash, but if it happens, I'd rather do less damage.

That's my priority - better chance of being able to walk away if the worst happens. What's yours?
 
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