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Best Look at Foldable iPhone Design Revealed, May Only Come in White

"Dummy units are non-functional units intended primarily for display purposes"

Also, "Dummy units" was the original name for the Imperial system of measurement.
 
contacos said:
It won't flop cuz it's the latest iPhone and people will feel amazing to show it off sitting on the metro like "damn, this person got the brand new 2k iPhone!" just like it's not cool to have anything but the iPhone Pro cuz having only 1 or 2 lenses screams POOOOOOR
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Humans can be petty, but there are limits. I absolutely guarantee that the number of times that there are people spending time counting *other people’s cell phone camera lenses* in order to find a reason to judge their financial status and then use that to to openly scorn them, in turn pressuring them into buying a phone with more lenses, is vanishingly low and will have approximately zero effect on the sales of a folding phone, or phones in general
 
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Diopter said:
Did AI write this article? The rear microphone has seven holes.

Anyway, I can see the appeal of having a larger screen in a device that folds to be much smaller in your pocket, but I don't know if I could go back to an iPhone without Face ID.

After using an iPad with Touch ID on the button on the top edge of the device, it's just not convenient. iPhones with Touch ID on the front were always quite convenient and intuitive (and maybe even superior for authenticating Apple Pay), but I don't think even under-screen Touch ID would work well for this form factor, because the way you hold this phone will necessarily be quite different to a traditional iPhone. Maybe they've figured out a good solution though.
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Apple got its entire "id" setup backwards. FaceID should be on macbook and iPad. TouchID should be on iphone in the power button. Where your thumb or finger sits naturally. They have it bass akwards. I hated face ID on my iPhone when I had it. Could not unlock without picking up the phone. My current phone has touchID I just touch the sensor (screen on my current one and it will unlock on my desk, in my pocket etc before I have to even look at it.

FaceID I had to pick up the phone to read anything on my screen. Then I have my touchID sensor on my iPad setup but it's in awkward positions at times so I have to move the device to unlock there. Instead if it had faceID no matter what orientation the iPad was in, it would unlock. Same with MacBoooks/macs. You sit in front of the screen and bam. Unlocked. Windows Hello is awesome compared to having touch ID sensors on the laptop.
 
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The form factor is better than any foldable I’ve seen so far IMO. But i ultimately don’t think it’ss nice design. I’d have preferred less radius to the non folding side.
Regardless, i won’t be buying such a thing until the price premium is less significant.
 
anthony13 said:
I don’t understand this product at all. There must be a base for it if Apple developed the thing but this is one of those rumors that I am shocked to see coming true.
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Before the Apple fold became a reality, when I heard people saying they wanted a foldable phone from Apple they asked for two things: a tall phone like a pro max that opens or a shorter phone that folds open upward like old flip phones. I was in the first camp.

Who the hell wants this little book thing????

I couldn’t wait for Apple to come up with their own foldable. It was an instant day one buy for me at almost any price. A pro max that opens into a small iPad. Wouldn’t need my iPad anymore—and the price would basically be an iPad + phone anyway and I was fine with that.

But not only did they go with a bizarre dinky little book but now no Face ID that I use hundreds of times a day and no action button that I use constantly for my flashlight.

It is literally not at all what I wanted. I’m so disappointed.
 
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The color is non-issue. I had work issued MS Surface duo fold phone and it was white but it came with a black case so the color really did not matter at all. It was quite amazing for a fold tablet, not so much for phone and I have a feeling Apple's one will be just made right.
 
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Ipad Mini - holding vertically, power and volume buttons on top, using-facing camera centered
Ipad / Ipad air / Ipad pro - holding horizontally, power button on left side, volume buttons on top, user-facing camera centered
Iphone Fold Leak - power button on left side, volume buttons on top right, user-facing camera on top left when holding horizontally

I guess I’m starting to have a lot of questions about this:
- What is the design logic for button placement?
- Is the assumption that most people will be using this in landscape when unfolded?
- How many speakers? Unfolded in landscape, these will be firing up and down, not left and right
- Is this supposed to be a phone that converts into an iPad mini?

I don’t doubt that Apple is going to deliver a superior version of the foldable mobile device, but I’m foreseeing a ton of compromises that need to be made when the device physically changes shape on demand.
 
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It’s a ridiculous form factor. When closed it’s way too big, and when open it has the wrong aspect ratio to watch videos. They should have simply took a 16:9 screen and folded it so it becomes roughly square when folded.
 
Sami13496 said:
Gimmick. Fold for the sake of fold. It’s like those retractable door handles on electric cars. Terrible usability. Doesn’t solve any real problem. Just there for the sake of it.
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Exactly. If you live in a climate like mine the motors will burn out repeatedly due to ice causing the handles not to extend and you not being able to enter the vehicle.
 
rp100 said:
- Is the assumption that most people will be using this in landscape when unfolded?
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There’s not even a correct orientation for iPads: I use my iPad Pro in portrait more often than in landscape.

Also, I hear people asking for this device to have multitasking like an iPad. Multitasking on an iPad mini is already very frustrating… no one would really do it on a device this size.

But Apple already messed up multitasking for the iPad last year, so at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if they bring windowed mode to this iPhone.
 
Sami13496 said:
Gimmick. Fold for the sake of fold. It’s like those retractable door handles on electric cars. Terrible usability. Doesn’t solve any real problem. Just there for the sake of it.
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There are obvious downsides to foldables (specially, the softness of the inner screen), and I’m not sure if the upsides are worth it yet.

But it’s also not a “gimmick” or “fold for the sake of it”… customers clearly prefer bigger screen sizes, and this is the only feasible way to go up.
 
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rp100 said:
Ipad Mini - holding vertically, power and volume buttons on top, using-facing camera centered
Ipad / Ipad air / Ipad pro - holding horizontally, power button on left side, volume buttons on top, user-facing camera centered
Iphone Fold Leak - power button on left side, volume buttons on top right, user-facing camera on top left when holding horizontally

I guess I’m starting to have a lot of questions about this:
- What is the design logic for button placement?
- Is the assumption that most people will be using this in landscape when unfolded?
- How many speakers? Unfolded in landscape, these will be firing up and down, not left and right
- Is this supposed to be a phone that converts into an iPad mini?

I don’t doubt that Apple is going to deliver a superior version of the foldable mobile device, but I’m foreseeing a ton of compromises that need to be made when the device physically changes shape on demand.
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I had surface duo and it is very easy to grasp
 
Ok precious dummy leaks were more about size and general form factor. This thing looks like the display models you see at some stores (ie visually identical to the actual device). I said it looked early when the first dummy leaks came out. Well, it still looks damn ugly to me. Weird dimensions, camera bump uneven, it just doesn’t look like a high end device worth whatever it’ll end up retailing for
 
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Not sure how accurate a dummy can be, with regard to build materials, but…

Both the rings around the cameras and the frame are silver - just like 17 Pro. The white panel might serve the same function as the white panel on the 17 Pro: allow for wireless charging. True or not, this does align with current design language of the Pro line.

As far as them releasing Ultra in one color way or two (or more), my money’s on one color way for the launch: silver. That way there is no mistaking the device in the wild, considering it’s A) highly anticipated and B) a completely new form factor from Apple. They’ll want to ensure it’s instantly recognizable. Aspects like shape and color are the two quick ways to establish a distinct / iconic look. The shape already seems to be checking the different / iconic box.

Or maybe it is white: ala iPhone Air? 🤪
 
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I’ll wait and see what the software is like. Will it have desktop out? Windowed multitasking? Does it support the Pencil? iPad apps on the middle screen?

The last one is a dealbreaker. The ecosystem is there for Apple to own the foldable market but it hinges (😅) on the ability to run Logic or Pixelmator Pro in that middle screen. Otherwise what’s the advantage of buying one over an iPad Mini?
 
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