I'm typing this on a folding phone. It has replaced almost every other computer in my life.
You guys don't know what you are missing out on.
You guys don't know what you are missing out on.
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Foldable iPhone Development Allegedly Paused Due to Failing Screens
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My iPhone XS would like a word with you
And I'm sure someone with an even older phone will show up in a minute.So careful with the expected lifetime. It's not 1 year.
Good. No need for gimmicks
Apple has suspended its development of a foldable iPhone after supplier displays failed to pass the company's own stringent testing standards, claims a new rumor coming out of China.
According to Fixed Focus Digital, a Weibo-based tech video blogger from Guangdong with a huge Chinese following, Apple has been testing rival foldable phones as part of its research and development process into foldable devices, which is believed to have been going on since 2016.
At least one of the foldables that Apple is said to have been testing uses a display made by Samsung. Samsung is a major supplier of display panels used in Apple devices, and is known to have provided foldable display samples to Apple in the past. A recent report also claimed that Samsung has been attempting to strengthen its operational efficiency in anticipation of Apple's first foldable products by integrating the expertise it has gained making foldable devices since 2019.
However, the source of today's rumor claims that Samsung's latest folding panels "broke down after a few days" under Apple's rigorous internal testing, which has caused Apple to put the entire project on ice for the foreseeable future, or at least until a display that can meet its high standards can be developed.
According to a report from The Information earlier this month, Apple has been actively building prototypes of at least two foldable iPhones following over five years of research and development. The two iPhone prototypes are said to fold widthwise like a clamshell, but do not feature in Apple's product roadmap for 2024 or 2025. The report noted that the foldable iPhones could still be canceled if they do not meet Apple's standards.
The Weibo account purporting to have received information about the foldable project's suspension at Apple is a largely unknown quantity, having no previous track record for Apple rumors to our knowledge, therefore skepticism about its accuracy is warranted.
It's also unclear whether the claim impacts Apple's continuing work on a foldable iPad. Apple is rumored to be more interested in such a device, which 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.
Earlier this month, Korean outlet The Elec reported that Apple is considering launching its first foldable in the next few years in the form of a 7- to 8-inch device that could ultimately replace the 8.3-inch iPad mini.
Article Link: Foldable iPhone Development Allegedly Paused Due to Failing Screens
5S and OGSE were the peak of that era. Although very different, and larger, the 12 mini and 13 mini recaptured the magic. Days long gone. All we have now are gigantic slabs with beer cans on the back and slots cut into the screen in order to facilitate a software gimmick posing as a solution to a problem that didn't exist. Sad times
It's easy to avoid a notch when there aren't any cameras, sensors, or even an ear-piece speaker in the top bezel. How many people would accept this as a notch alternative?
The GB is foldable, but it does not have a foldable screen.
Here's one way to GameBoyify your iPhone.
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The other day, I was working at the airport and watching someone next to me use a folding phone (not sure what brand/model), and the thing that stood out to me, was how wavy the screen looked. I’m not talking about the crease, but rather the entire screen. I’ve noticed this previously when I was playing around with a Samsung foldable, that there is a BIG difference between a rigid, smooth and flat glass screen and a foldable screen.
It really just reminds me of the past plastic-screen games and things like the Palm Pilot and iPaq (from Compaq, which I owned). They were fine when new, but as you interacted with the screen, the common places you touched with your finger or stylus ended up taking on the impression and ultimately ruined these areas of the screen.
When I bought the OG iPhone, it was revelatory how the glass screen was SO much better than any of the plastic film covered screens from every previous device I had owned. Even though there was the trade-off for potential cracked glass, it was worth it (to me) and I just can’t imagine going back to having such a fragile device once again. I’d be more interested in a foldable where there are two separate glass panels that come together cleanly, even if they have a defined line separating the two panels, just so that they both have that rigid and flat surface to work on / interact with.
It really just reminds me of the past plastic-screen games and things like the Palm Pilot and iPaq (from Compaq, which I owned). They were fine when new, but as you interacted with the screen, the common places you touched with your finger or stylus ended up taking on the impression and ultimately ruined these areas of the screen.
When I bought the OG iPhone, it was revelatory how the glass screen was SO much better than any of the plastic film covered screens from every previous device I had owned. Even though there was the trade-off for potential cracked glass, it was worth it (to me) and I just can’t imagine going back to having such a fragile device once again. I’d be more interested in a foldable where there are two separate glass panels that come together cleanly, even if they have a defined line separating the two panels, just so that they both have that rigid and flat surface to work on / interact with.
There won't be a decent foldable phone in 5 years. There may never be a decent foldable phone.
The material to make one simply does not exist. The existing crappy ones have plastic screens that are horrible to touch (feels like you put one of those awful vinyl screen protectors on your phone) and after a week of use they've got an ugly crease down the middle. About half of the ones I've seen in person have a delaminating screen. From what I've found online, the warranty on the screens only covers one 'discounted' repair, after that the eye-wateringly expensive screen is your problem.
There will be a decent foldable phone when somebody invents foldable glass. I'm not going to say it'll absolutely never happen, but it's incredibly unlikely within our lifetime, and there's a good chance it's just not possible.
The only reasonable way to make a foldable device for the foreseeable future is for it to have two separate screens.
Put the front facing camera in a separate detachable module?
YES PLEASE!!!!!!
I absolutely HATE that stupid notch. It's got to be one of Apple's worst ideas ever. I'd FAR rather be able to simply remove the front facing camera that I NEVER use, toss it in a drawer, and forget it ever existed.
I kind of wish this would get attempted
It could be better than we might think (and super durable, unlike the current foldables)
I just, overall, want so much more "attempting stuff" in the phone space
The same rectangle with another camera tweak every year is totally played out and lazy.
Microsoft does this with the Surface Duo.
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People need to put some respect on Apple's name. They have bendable/foldable phones already.
That's not true, like at all.
Fold 5 was a very solid release, it doesn't actually look less reliable than normal smartphones.
And Fold 6 is coming with arguably the biggest changes than the last 2 generations.
As someone that puts their phone in their pocket, I don't want a thicker lump of a phone. No interest in a foldable.
The question for me becomes do I rather want a slightly thicker phone than an iPad Mini in my pocket, I much prefer the thicker phone since the iPad wouldn’t even fit.
foldable phone is just a toy. Companies like to show that they can make one even though it is not the most popular device. Few people buy such phones because they are less durable. If I were Apple, I would not create a foldable phone to satisfy some small group.
Depends on the definition of fitting I guess, it stays where it is but it sticks out too much at the top for comfort. It does look fun putting it in my pocket when wearing pyjama pants though!
I only see a point in foldables because I’d often want a small tablet with me and currently I have to try to plan ahead and bring it in a bag, but I am sure there are people who have a use case for a flip style phone as well.
Watch this:
And then watch this:
Guess what, the iPhone 15 Pro Max glass breaks instantly under light pressure. The Foldable is very durable, the opposite of what you might think. So please people, keep an open mind and maybe reevaluate your opinion. Also don't just buy every excuse Apple makes, they made some ridiculous ones in the past.
And then watch this:
Guess what, the iPhone 15 Pro Max glass breaks instantly under light pressure. The Foldable is very durable, the opposite of what you might think. So please people, keep an open mind and maybe reevaluate your opinion. Also don't just buy every excuse Apple makes, they made some ridiculous ones in the past.
I'll bet 99% of the naysayers have either never touched a foldable or maybe touched one 2-3 generations ago but haven't used a newer generation one as a daily driver. It's the only way I can make sense of such outdated comments like having a huge crease, durability issues, twice the thickness of an iphone, etc. These things just are not true anymore, the crease is virtually gone as can be seen in the OnePlus, the hinges are rated for hundreds of thousands of folds, a million folds in the OnePlus, and obviously there isn't any sort of mass failure of these in the media, and the last couple of generations have only been a few mm thicker when closed than an iPhone pro max.
In practice the inner screens don't feel quite as good as a regular slab phone, but I still get so baffled when comparing my ip pro max to my foldable, the screens feel identical to me other than the ip having a slightly harder and colder feeling screen. Durablity, my iPhone is full of microscratches from being in my pocket, my foldable is pristine because the screen is so well protected when folded.
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That‘s the phone you carry in your prison-purseHere is a Mini for you:
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This is unsurprising. As nifty as the foldable screen tech is right now it’s got massive drawbacks and an extremely limited lifespan. I’m willing to bet the issues were not so much the screens failing outright but rather that the suppliers could not provide screens that met Apple’s expectations for quality and performance.
It still a couple years out or another breakthrough away before foldable screen tech can be both extremely performant and possess few compromises to rigid screens.
It still a couple years out or another breakthrough away before foldable screen tech can be both extremely performant and possess few compromises to rigid screens.