Ultra-thin glass used in foldable phones is considered "real glass" because it is made from the same basic materials as regular glass (silicon dioxide, sodium oxide, calcium oxide) and shares the same fundamental chemical composition, but is manufactured using specialized techniques to achieve an extremely thin thickness, allowing it to be flexible while still maintaining the key properties of glass like transparency and durability, when properly treated.Plastic, obviously.
Glass can't fold in half. Really thin glass can flex, but it can't really fold.
And of course NO material will hold up being folded repeatedly. Cloth can handle a lot of folds, but it still fatigues and fails eventually. Plastic will develop a crease and eventually fail, so will metal, glass will break. The ONLY practical solution for a flip phone already exists, has existed for years, and should be obvious - separate screens with a robust hinge.
This might be true in the early days of foldable phones about 5 years ago. Foldable phones today use UTG as the substrate and a plastic film over the UTG glass.Plastic, obviously.
Glass can't fold in half. Really thin glass can flex, but it can't really fold.
And of course NO material will hold up being folded repeatedly. Cloth can handle a lot of folds, but it still fatigues and fails eventually. Plastic will develop a crease and eventually fail, so will metal, glass will break. The ONLY practical solution for a flip phone already exists, has existed for years, and should be obvious - separate screens with a robust hinge.
That was my first thought about the upcoming 17Air, DrJR. Get the internals and thermals figured out with that and then either fold it in two or open it out to a x2 size tablet. 17Air is proof of concept in many ways.I guess it would make sense to create a thin device first, to squish all the parts into the form, then make it fold in subsequent iteration.
You use your phone that many times a week? Even if thousands is only 2000 times, that would mean you're reaching for and using your phone 285.7 times a day, or about once every three minutes, assuming a 16 hour day.I just cannot see any material holding up to folding and unfolding thousands of times a week
I've thought the same thing for years, especially for having front-firing stereo speakers, but apparently Apple's design goal is to eventually have a truly all-display front, with the camera, Face ID sensor, etc. under the display, and no bezel at all, for the looks of it alone (some call it "immersive"), which for some reason Apple thinks is better than having front-facing stereo speakers, though I think most users would disagree with Apple on this. Maybe eventually Apple will use the display as stereo speakers, using some approach similar to the one used on some high-end TVs.it might be cool to get rid of the notch and island completely and put back a little non screen area at the top and bottom of the device to put the camera and sensors, but also use this space for nicer front firing stereo speakers. to me, an extra few millimeters of space for this plus better more direct sound (not bottom facing) is a win-win
Unfortunately, I would guess a foldable iPhone will have a footprint somewhere between the current base iPhone and the iPhone Pro Max while folded and a new humongous iPhone display when opened. It will be targeted as some sort of Super Max or Ultra iPhone. The only way that Apple could justify a new high price for a phone is to make it a new gigantic phablet. The general public will only pay more money if they can get an even bigger phone.I do. And it's not a gimmick, it solves a very simple problem:
*It fits in pockets.*
I've got my 14 mini and I'm holding onto it for as long as possible because every other phone is way too big to 1) use one-handed, and 2) fit in the front pocket of my jeans and still sit down. I prefer a smaller phone, but Apple's smallest phone is still 25% larger than the 14 mini.
What solves the problem? Folding in half. Easy. Done.
My clothes don’t fail from folding ever. Geez. Where do you even get your info? Some of the folding phones have glass screens that are tested for a few hundred thousands folds by independent test labs. You can fold them a hundred times daily and it will last beyond a decade. The crease is also getting less noticeable.Plastic, obviously.
Glass can't fold in half. Really thin glass can flex, but it can't really fold.
And of course NO material will hold up being folded repeatedly. Cloth can handle a lot of folds, but it still fatigues and fails eventually. Plastic will develop a crease and eventually fail, so will metal, glass will break. The ONLY practical solution for a flip phone already exists, has existed for years, and should be obvious - separate screens with a robust hinge.
Until FOMO kicks in.Can't wait to not buy this.
Unfortunately, I would guess a foldable iPhone will have a footprint somewhere between the current base iPhone and the iPhone Pro Max while folded and a new humongous iPhone display when opened. It will be targeted as some sort of Super Max or Ultra iPhone. The only way that Apple could justify a new high price for a phone is to make it a new gigantic phablet. The general public will only pay more money if they can get an even bigger phone.
Says the Apple fan that will preorder it day one....We don’t need a flip phone it’s a gimmick
Who wants this? Folding smartphones are nothing but a gimmick.
Whichever the last mini was.Don’t you mean iPhone mini 12 or 13, there was no 14 mini. 😂
The new Razr is like $800. I expect it'll be somewhere similar.I wouldn't be surprised. 🤣
When was that announced?The new Razr is like $800. I expect it'll be somewhere similar.
Like a year ago: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/mo...ractical-foldable-that-doesnt-break-the-bank/When was that announced?
I forgot about Motorola foldables to be honest. I knew I heard about that at some point.