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Apple Now Testing Flip-Style Foldable iPhone

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Apple is testing a different kind of foldable iPhone with a flip-style design, according to a known leaker based in Asia.

Flip-iPhone-Thumb-1.jpg

Citing supposedly verifiable supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Fixed Focus Digital" says that Apple has tested a flip-style foldable iPhone. Such a device would compete with devices such as Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the modern-day Motorola Razr.

The rumored flip-device comes in addition to the wide foldable iPhone that is expected to launch later this year. Whether the flip-style foldable iPhone will reach mass production is apparently yet to be decided.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple is "exploring" the idea of a foldable iPhone with a "square, clamshell-style" design.

The clamshell iPhone would be released at some point after Apple's first foldable iPhone, which is expected to open up like a book, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7. This design will provide users with a large inner display for watching videos and gaming, and there will likely be multitasking functionality. A clamshell iPhone, on the other hand, would be more about portability and pocketability.

Other rumors suggest that Apple's first foldable iPhone will feature a 7.8-inch crease-free inner display, a 5.5-inch cover display, Touch ID, two rear cameras, the A20 chip, and the "C2" modem. It is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the fall.

Article Link: Apple Now Testing Flip-Style Foldable iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/13/apple-testing-flip-foldable-iphone/
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Reactions: freezelighter, arc of the universe, Z-4195 and 1 other person
There isn't anything necessarily bad about any of these form factors. What IS bad about them is the number of compromises currently required to achieve them. So when people say: No one wants a folded iPhone, what they really mean is, "no one wants the tradeoffs required to achieve a gimmick that dictates the entire product design".
 
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Reactions: clg82, Jovijoker, Unami and 26 others
I don't really get the appeal of foldable phones. It just seems like they are dividing resources for a more limited market. I feel like they should be spending the resources on a complete revamp of the iphone lineup, with full screens.

I want to see a lineup of completely bezel-less phones, without the stupid dynamic island. Spend resources on that instead. Get the camera bump out of the way and get the cameras fully flush with the rest of the phone. If they do those things I bet a lot of people will be happy.
 
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This shouldn't really come as a surprise. It's a decidedly "high-end" niche market, and we all know that's Apple's favorite playground. The only real question is: just how much of the Apple Fold's success will be factored into whether or not to release the Apple Flip? I mean, that would obviously be one indicator... but I don't know that they necessarily target the "same" audience, or really even overlapping audiences.

Not that I really have a dog in the fight, as I'm in neither of those target audiences; I discarded my last flip phone in favor of a "candybar" phone over two decades ago, and have no desire to go back, even with modern fold concepts.
 
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I remember Hartley talking about this style of folding phone on the podcast a few weeks/months back. It doesn't really have the same appeal to me as the fold style device because you're getting a regular sized phone (when unfolded) and something that just fits slightly better in the pocket when folded.

On the flip side (pun intended) a book-style device allows you to have double the screen real estate, essentially turning the device into an iPad mini when opened up, but keeping it essentially the same when in the pocket which seems to be more of a useful real world use case than an iPhone flip.

Either way I love my phone the way it is, would have to take something really special for me to consider a $2500 folding iPhone.
 
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BeatsByTim said:
Foldable phones are something that nobody really wants or needs, so I'm sure Tim Cook is working on it.
Click to expand...
The two major reasons why more people don't want a foldable phone is because of price and durability. Without a doubt, both of these issues will get better in time. With Apple entering the market there is a good chance that a new bar will be set for foldables although I'm sure it's going to be ridiculously expensive.

I'd personally want a foldable as it takes less space in the pocket yet has a bigger screen. However, I can't stand the crease so if Apple has in fact figured out the crease issue, I could be interested depending on the price. As a minimalist, I'd love it to take place of my iPad which would give the foldable iPhone more value and limit the amount of devices I need to do my daily driving.

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Usually I’m on the other side of many of these discussions, arguing use-cases or utility for things that everyone else thinks there’s no demand for. But here, I’m sorry, I have to go the other way.

I do NOT get this. I understand a foldable where a phone converters into an iPad, but this just seems pointless. I mean, look, I DIG it, it’s fun to pretend that your phone is a tricorder, and there is something very satisfying about the snap-close of a flip device - I had a flip phone back in the day, and I loved those aspects of it - but beyond that, WHAT benefit is there here?

If you want a smaller device, you can get the iPhone Air - which notably isn’t selling well (and that’s a phone I actually DO understand the need for - because not everyone who wants a large screen device wants to carry around a brick in their pocket).

If you want a much smaller device get a large Apple Watch with cellular. lol Are you actually telling me that folding an iPhone to half a size of a regular iPhone, while being thicker when folded and having less capability of a regular model is worth anything?!?

I’m glad to hear that Apple is only considering this. My hunch is that they’ll come to the conclusion that this is a super-niche device that they don’t need to bother with.

That said, I’m open to be convinced otherwise - maybe I’m missing something here. I’d love to hear a good rationale for this. Cutting the length of a phone in half just doesn’t seem like enough benefit.

(Maybe this is for the purse crowd? Ladies, feel free to chime in.)
 
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