Foldable iPhone's Display Sizes Leaked

[zakarhino]

I strongly disagree with the square aspect ratio being an issue at all for foldables.

What exactly you don’t find “pleasant or useful” about it.

For video it’s handy to not have hands securely on device without inadvertently impacting or obscuring playback and viewing the content.

Readability and UI elements aren’t negatively impacted either and only enhanced with my experience with Android foldables compared to my iPhone 16 Pro Max

It just doesn’t feel right and most apps and content are not designed for square displays. It’s too awkward an aspect ratio. Content mostly ends up stretching to fill the horizontal space and most of the time it simply doesn’t work: portrait images don’t fit in the viewport, the margins for text are off because websites assume you’re still on mobile (so you have to scan your eyes to the left and right too much), etc.

When new horizontal space is introduced content has to decide whether it wants to stretch to fill the width which makes media browsing and text reading worse (most apps on android in my experience go this route) or introduce margins to maintain a portrait aspect ratio in the main view (a timeline, text, traditional UI, etc.) which introduces an awkward negative space.

I’m not sure I can describe it well, all I can really tell you is that most experiences I had on android in unfolded mode felt unoptimized and worse than the folded UX outside of some limited use cases like viewing images, some videos, and the Google Maps app which feels great. I had the opposite experience than you did apparently.

Maybe Apple can pull it off with their different approach to the hardware (aspect ratios) and better software support.

 

[Dirk Pieters]

Spent the day in Antwerp shopping with my daughter yesterday. Went into an electronics store and had another feel and play with the Z7 fold. There's no denying: it's crazy how thin it is. I'd say closed it's around the same thickness as my 14 Pro which has a leather Apple cover around it. Unfolded it is crazy thin.

The visibility of the fold when opened really depends on the background color and the angle of light. I could feel it a bit but that wouldn't bother me.

Also had a play with an iPad mini. My iPad Pro 12.9 is 3rd gen, bought in 2019, so well over 6 years old. I use it every day but the difference in page loading between mine and the mini was crazy. That's what 5 generations of processor updates does, I suppose.

Not really sure what I'd prefer for sofa reading, an iPad mini or an unfolded phone. The Z7 fold is crazy expensive though and there's more pain when you open it up. Android and its app icons look like they were designed by a toddler with crayons. It's like someone searched the web for an icon for mail, saved as, icon for browser, saved as and just threw them together. After all these years Android is still a horrible looking piece of software.

 

[applegeek2024]

Just tell me how BORING this year(just like for past several years)'s new iphone is going to be this year.

I have seen reviews on other foldable that becomes available THIS year... and now apple is going to act like they are inventing something completely new come next year w/ their foldable phone.

SMH.. seriously.. does apple do anything great anymore??? Do we need to reboot SJ from the grave?

 

[tobybrut]

I got my ZFold 7 today. It is pretty thin, which is great, but it does suffer from two major problems. One is that it does not support MagSafe/Qi2 charging. If you have a charger that magnetically holds your phone in place, you’ll need a case that has the proper magnets. Two is the shape of the inner screen. Android software just isn’t really designed to support the shape of the screen which means some will have problems with empty or wasted space. The thing that stands out the most is YouTube videos that have enormous top and bottom bars no matter which orientation you use.

The second issue is likely the reason I will go for the Apple Foldable when it comes out. The first is annoying since a case will dramatically bulk up such a thin phone, but I can deal with it. I’ll use my ZFold 7 for this year, along with my iPhone 15 PM, and get the Apple Foldable next year. Apple is apparently going more for a squat book form to optimize the inner screen at the expense of a shorter and wider outer screen. But that’s why I bought a foldable in the first place.

Don’t get me wrong. I like my ZFold because it is the equivalent of carrying an iPad with me wherever I go. It just could use a lot of improvement. Some comment on the lack of SPen support and the lesser ultrawide and telephoto lenses. I really don’t care about either of those, but the inner screen shape is the biggest problem of all that no Android foldable has yet to solve. I also got a great deal from ATT on it, my standard carrier. You get $1100 in trade-in value for any crappy phone you can find, even if it has a broken screen. I ended up trading in an old Galaxy S10+ phone. I wouldn’t have paid full price for the foldable, not when I already have a ZFold 6. Next year if they have the same deal for an iPhone Fold, I may trade in an iPhone 12 Pro with a shattered screen.

 

[Ludatyk]

I got my ZFold 7 today. It is pretty thin, which is great, but it does suffer from two major problems. One is that it does not support MagSafe/Qi2 charging. If you have a charger that magnetically holds your phone in place, you’ll need a case that has the proper magnets. Two is the shape of the inner screen. Android software just isn’t really designed to support the shape of the screen which means some will have problems with empty or wasted space. The thing that stands out the most is YouTube videos that have enormous top and bottom bars no matter which orientation you use.

You know there’s an option to fill the entire screen… if you don’t care to see the black bars?

The second issue is likely the reason I will go for the Apple Foldable when it comes out. The first is annoying since a case will dramatically bulk up such a thin phone, but I can deal with it.

Why not get one of those Ultra Thin Carbon Fiber cases with a built in MagSafe ring?

I really don’t care about either of those, but the inner screen shape is the biggest problem of all that no Android foldable has yet to solve.

Yeah, I don’t see the inner screen being an issue on Android foldables… you mention the black bars on the top and bottom. Best thing about owning an Android foldables is multitasking, which means you can place something to fill in those black bars that you find a problem.

 

[mlayer]

The more I think about this concept and these speculative renders, I realize something is missing from them: bezels. Throughout the entire life of the iPad since 2010, Apple chose to have some kind of bezel on all four sides to help with two-handed use, mostly to prevent accidentally screen touching by the hand holding the iPad. I wonder how Apple will deal with that on a product that transforms from a one-handed iPhone to a two-handed iPad. Will the phone (outer) screen have minimal bezels while the larger (inner) screen has iPad-style bezels, say a quarter inch or 7 mm? Or will they be uniform on both sides like the renders? 🤔

 

[mlayer]

You know there’s an option to fill the entire screen… if you don’t care to see the black bars?


Why not get one of those Ultra Thin Carbon Fiber cases with a built in MagSafe ring?


Yeah, I don’t see the inner screen being an issue on Android foldables… you mention the black bars on the top and bottom. Best thing about owning an Android foldables is multitasking, which means you can place something to fill in those black bars that you find a problem.

If you fill a square screen, you're choosing to cut off some of the content to do so. That may work for some, not for all.

MagSafe usability is highly dependent on positioning of the puck and weight distribution. For this folding phone the only practical placement is the the folded side opposite the phone screen, which in the open mode would be on the right or bottom. That makes it more likely it will be dislodged from the dock due to gravity or accidental jostling like a bumpy road. Now that Qi2 is a standard thanks to MagSafe, there's little chance that it will change again especially to accommodate folding devices. The folding device vendors surely know that they're painting themselves into a corner with this.

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

If you’re only using your phone 50 minutes per day, this might not be for you. It would be hard to justify paying 2x the price of an iPhone Pro. Unless you use a iPad more than your phone, then this could potentially be your two-in-one.

I feel self conscious now because my weekly usage report puts me at 6+ hours per day

I use my iMac and MacBook Pro for damn near everything, so I probably have as much or more screen time than you do, just through a different device. The phone gets daily usage, but the majority of the day it just sits in standby on the charger, and I stopped bringing it into the bedroom, so it's also in standby on the charger all night.

 

[eifelbube]

How is the XS doing?

Tells me that battery health “is significantly degraded” at 77% but nighttime charging still gets me thru the day and i do not need iOS 26. So, i will give the iPholdable a good look once it is out.

 

[tobybrut]

You know there’s an option to fill the entire screen… if you don’t care to see the black bars?

That just doesn’t work for me. What’s worse, losing a large chunk of your video or having black bars that take up a huge part of the screen? Neither is a good solution. We need foldables that optimize for the inner screen. That’s why people are paying $2K for one of these. Why would you optimize for the outer screen when you can get a cheap $200 phone or spend half the foldable’s cost on a flagship candy bar phone? YouTubers tend to complain that the outer screen is too thin and use their outer screen 70% of the time. They sometimes forget there’s an inner screen. To which I’ll ask, why did you buy a foldable if you’re spending most of your time on the outer screen? On my ZFold 4 and 6, I hardly ever used the outer screen because I didn’t buy it for that, not because I thought it was not wide enough. Each time Samsung widens the outer screen, the inner screen seems to get more square. Some YouTubers actually complained that they were forced to use the inner screen on earlier models. Say what? Why would anyone complain about using the inner screen? Isn’t that the whole point of a foldable?

Why not get one of those Ultra Thin Carbon Fiber cases with a built in MagSafe ring?

I actually did get one of those Aramid cases, a Thinborne 600D fiber. It’ll arrive sometime in early August since a lot of the new cases aren’t out yet. I used a similar case on my ZFold 6 because it didn’t have magnets either.

Yeah, I don’t see the inner screen being an issue on Android foldables… you mention the black bars on the top and bottom. Best thing about owning an Android foldables is multitasking, which means you can place something to fill in those black bars that you find a problem.

The point of watching videos is to be immersed. Having clutter just to get around a screen shape deficiency just isn’t great.

I did say I like my new phone and am not returning it. These are not dealbreakers, but are minor annoyances. I’m suggesting improvements that can be made. I’m rather happy Apple seems to be optimizing for the inner screen.

 

[Ludatyk]

That just doesn’t work for me. What’s worse, losing a large chunk of your video or having black bars that take up a huge part of the screen? Neither is a good solution. We need foldables that optimize for the inner screen.

I'm confused here... so what would you rather them do? Back when the Oppo Find N2 came out and the original Pixel Fold... people didn't go out and droves to buy them.

Because the only way to get the type of aspect ratio you desire, means the outer display will be wide and short. And I'm not sure that's what people want even though rumors claim that's the form factor Apple is going with.

To which I’ll ask, why did you buy a foldable if you’re spending most of your time on the outer screen? On my ZFold 4 and 6, I hardly ever used the outer screen because I didn’t buy it for that, not because I thought it was not wide enough.

I agree. I spend majority of my time on the inner screen.

Some YouTubers actually complained that they were forced to use the inner screen on earlier models. Say what? Why would anyone complain about using the inner screen? Isn’t that the whole point of a foldable?

No disagreement here, been saying this for years.

I actually did get one of those Aramid cases, a Thinborne 600D fiber. It’ll arrive sometime in early August since a lot of the new cases aren’t out yet. I used a similar case on my ZFold 6 because it didn’t have magnets either.

That's what I use on my ZF6, but I don't use the case to protect the outer display... just the back portion.

I did say I like my new phone and am not returning it. These are not dealbreakers, but are minor annoyances. I’m suggesting improvements that can be made. I’m rather happy Apple seems to be optimizing for the inner screen.

And I'm glad Apple is doing that as well. Maybe that forces Android foldables to do the same... but as I stated previously it was done before but users didn't care for it.

 

[tobybrut]

I'm confused here... so what would you rather them do? Back when the Oppo Find N2 came out and the original Pixel Fold... people didn't go out and droves to buy them.

And I'm glad Apple is doing that as well. Maybe that forces Android foldables to do the same... but as I stated previously it was done before but users didn't care for it.

I’d say it was more Samsung’s dominance in the foldables market than anything the competition did. Many of those competitors’ phones aren’t available in all regions either. A lot of the foldables can only be bought in China. Samsung has a pretty tight ecosystem, too. I buy a Samsung because I also have Samsung tablets and watches, and earbuds that swap between devices like AirPods do. While Google has its Pixel ecosystem, it’s newer with fewer people vested in it. I would have preferred the Pixel’s dimensions, but at the time it came out I was between foldables, having only recently bought a ZFold 4 less than a year earlier.

Samsung also has a tendency to have really good pre-order deals, giving outsized trade-in values and bundle discounts. I wouldn’t buy a Samsung product if not for those deals. I only got my ZFold 7 because of a great deal by ATT. I hadn’t planned on getting the 7 until about 4 days ago, and my phone arrived yesterday, but then I saw a story about the deals they were offering. I’ve heard Verizon and T-Mobile have similar deals, but the one ATT gave me was hard to pass up. They’re giving $1100 trade-ins no matter what phone you trade in or whatever condition. I could have traded in an iPhone 12 with a shattered screen (was my son’s) and gotten $1100 for it. I ended up trading in a Galaxy S10+ that you can get for a bit over $100 today, but ATT gave me $1100 for it, plus I only have to pay a little over $25/month for the new phone until I decide to pay it off, which I do when I feel like upgrading. I ended up with a half price phone for the cost of drawer clutter.

I think that deals and dominance, more than Pixel’s screen dimensions, have people buying Samsung’s over Google’s.

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

Tells me that battery health “is significantly degraded” at 77% but nighttime charging still gets me thru the day and i do not need iOS 26. So, i will give the iPholdable a good look once it is out.

Oh man. The best iPhone I ever had. The only one I still want back to date. (Mine got waterlogged when it was in a waterproof case, they still took it for trade in and I upgraded to a 13 mini. I now wear an Apple Watch for water activities.)

If they rehash that design, I would proudly purchase on launch.

 

[AndiG]

We're already seeing this with the iPadOS 26 beta. Many of the iPad apps that I previously ran fullscreen are handling reflow that comes with window resizing quite well, even when I reduce the windows to ridiculously small sizes.

You missed the point. I‘m talking about iPadOS vs iOS - yes it is nice that you see this already today on IPAD OS.
But Apple once separated the iOS into iOS and iPadOS. But for a iPhone fold, Apple would have to reintegrate iPAdOS into iOS.
That has to end up in a mess. And which parts of iPadOS will make it into iOS? Moveable windows? Layout managers? What about apps targeted only on iPadOS?

For sure developers will have to invest heavily.

 

[db_71]

My question is...why? Why would anybody want a foldable iphone? I said the same thing when Samsung done it. Nothing more than a gigantic flip phone from the early 2000's. Takes you 15 minutes to extract the enormous brick from your pocket just to see who called you 15 minutes ago.

 

[tobybrut]

My question is...why? Why would anybody want a foldable iphone? I said the same thing when Samsung done it. Nothing more than a gigantic flip phone from the early 2000's. Takes you 15 minutes to extract the enormous brick from your pocket just to see who called you 15 minutes ago.

I used to think as you do. Why would anyone want a folding phone? I said back then that what I really want is a folding iPad. Then I decided to try a ZFold 4 a few years back because I got a great deal on it. My thinking changed then. I stopped thinking of the ZFold as a folding phone but as a folding tablet that happens to make phone calls. Instead of lugging around a big iPad under my arm wherever I go, I can now slip my “tablet” into my pocket and have both hands free.

I’m one of those who hates phones. They’re too small to do anything with them except to make phone calls. That’s mostly what I do with my iPhone. I make calls and use an app to track my smart ring’s health data. I’ll use it to take the occasional photo. That’s about it. I hate web browsing on it. I even hate texting on it, but it’s all I have when I’m out and about. The screen is just too ridiculously small to do much. I’m also one of those who uses his iPad Pro for 90% of my computing uses, hence my desire for a folding iPad.

Once I started using the ZFold, I discovered I can actually do things on it without feeling cramped. I can watch videos, web browse comfortably, play games, and run other apps on it. I had what I had wanted… a folding tablet. It just so happens it can make phone calls. I just got a ZFold 7, my third ZFold phone. I still carry my iPhone around just because my household is built on the Apple ecosystem, but I also carry my ZFold because it is my iPad mini equivalent. As for your size comparison to a brick, my ZFold 7 is almost exactly the same size as my iPhone 15 Pro Max in every dimension when the ZFold 7 is folded.

Once Apple creates a folding iPhone, that ZFold probably gets donated to a family member for them to experiment with. I’d get an Apple foldable and ditch the iPhone I currently have. Instead of carrying two phones around due to Messages and notifications, I can just carry my folding iPad with phone call ability. I’m the perfect customer for such a device.

I’ll agree with you on folding flip phones. Those are totally useless because they fold out to be a candy bar phone. What’s the point? Both a candy bar phone and a flip phone fit in pockets. Unfolded, it’s no more useful than a regular phone.

 

[mlayer]

You missed the point. I‘m talking about iPadOS vs iOS - yes it is nice that you see this already today on IPAD OS.
But Apple once separated the iOS into iOS and iPadOS. But for a iPhone fold, Apple would have to reintegrate iPAdOS into iOS.
That has to end up in a mess. And which parts of iPadOS will make it into iOS? Moveable windows? Layout managers? What about apps targeted only on iPadOS?

For sure developers will have to invest heavily.

I didn't "miss the point." My point is that accommodations are already being made to ease the process. Is there work still be done? Of course, by both Apple and developers who choose to jump in. If Apple's end goal is a combined iOS/IPadOS experience with compatibility between both types of devices, it will have to be a multi-step, multi-year process. Take Apple's allowance of iPad apps on MacOS. They provided it with a flag for devs to bow out if they didn't want to deal with the headaches and cost of supporting another platform. Many used that flag as expected. Devs get to play with the option while Apple gets feedback from users.

Another thing to consider is that Apple could create a new kind of "universal" binary that uses the iOS app on the outer screen and the iPadOS app on the inner screen. That way if you already have both on offer Apple can provide a simple bridge, with data sharing between the two sides of the app to be worked out. I have nothing to base this on, but at first glance it has its appeal.

 

[turbineseaplane]

It just doesn’t feel right and most apps and content are not designed for square displays.

Well, except "websites", which work wonderfully on very squarish aspect ratios.

 

[zakarhino]

Well, except "websites", which work wonderfully on very squarish aspect ratios.

I agree so long as the website renders in desktop mode like it does on iPad, otherwise the site still uses the mobile optimized styling and just stretches everything horizontally so more often than not the browsing experience is worse off.

Look at these screenshots, both of them decide to use mobile styling. The first one is easier to read because more of the written content is visible so 'scanning' through articles is fine. The second one cuts off most of the text and you're left with disproportionate media, it's significantly less readable/pleasing to my eye. This is what turned me off from Android foldables for the time being.

Mobile Portrait:

Mobile Square:

I'm optimistic that Apple will do it right to the best of their ability, and app + website devs will follow in optimizing their content for this class of device.

 

[AndiG]

I didn't "miss the point." My point is that accommodations are already being made to ease the process. Is there work still be done? Of course, by both Apple and developers who choose to jump in. If Apple's end goal is a combined iOS/IPadOS experience with compatibility between both types of devices, it will have to be a multi-step, multi-year process. Take Apple's allowance of iPad apps on MacOS. They provided it with a flag for devs to bow out if they didn't want to deal with the headaches and cost of supporting another platform. Many used that flag as expected. Devs get to play with the option while Apple gets feedback from users.

Another thing to consider is that Apple could create a new kind of "universal" binary that uses the iOS app on the outer screen and the iPadOS app on the inner screen. That way if you already have both on offer Apple can provide a simple bridge, with data sharing between the two sides of the app to be worked out. I have nothing to base this on, but at first glance it has its appeal.

The universal binary already exists, but IOS CAN NOT HANDLE APPS BUILD FOR IPADOS. A merge/patitial merge of the two OSs can lead to a total mess and a iOS driven tablet that can not handle tablet apps is ridiculous.

 

[The Game 161]

My question is...why? Why would anybody want a foldable iphone? I said the same thing when Samsung done it. Nothing more than a gigantic flip phone from the early 2000's. Takes you 15 minutes to extract the enormous brick from your pocket just to see who called you 15 minutes ago.

Because aside from cameras using a foldable is a better experience in basically every task you're doing. Slab phones are great but you are getting so much more usability on a foldable

 

[mlayer]

The universal binary already exists, but IOS CAN NOT HANDLE APPS BUILD FOR IPADOS. A merge/patitial merge of the two OSs can lead to a total mess and a iOS driven tablet that can not handle tablet apps is ridiculous.

Why would this be a problem? With the device closed it’s clearly in iOS mode. When it’s open it’s in iPadOS (landscape) mode. Remember when Apple experimented with having the home screen available in landscape mode? They have these things in the labs. They need to find if combining the two is worth the effort. A new device would help foster the transition.

 

[The Game 161]

Why would this be a problem? With the device closed it’s clearly in iOS mode. When it’s open it’s in iPadOS (landscape) mode. Remember when Apple experimented with having the home screen available in landscape mode? They have these things in the labs. They need to find if combining the two is worth the effort. A new device would help foster the transition.

I have no doubt there will be a fold OS mode and they will optimise for a foldable display. Which is what gurman said

 

[bondr006]

Unsure how samsung behave in other countries; but down here in Aus; samsung rarely sell for RRP. There's always some sort of discounts. I've seen 20% from some retailers or massive cuts for signing up with a carrier. RRP is $3099AUD, yet the biggest sign up bonus i've seen is $1800AUD

Heck, checking my spam folder, the fold hasn't even shipped yet and yet i have a $700AUD promotion on it directly from samsung

So yeah, despite the hefty price RRP, real world pricing here is similar to what a 16 pro max 512 is.

Apple will probably price it the same, but not discount so people actually do have to pony up the full $2000

Apple sure as 💩 ain’t Samsung and you would be lucky to get $100 or so off a brand new premium product. The Apple foldable iPhone is going to be a very pricey item🤑 The 16PM starts at $1200.00. Can you imagine what their new flipper is going to cost? I’d venture to say, most likely the most expensive smartphone we’ve ever seen.

 

[AndiG]

Why would this be a problem? With the device closed it’s clearly in iOS mode. When it’s open it’s in iPadOS (landscape) mode. Remember when Apple experimented with having the home screen available in landscape mode? They have these things in the labs. They need to find if combining the two is worth the effort. A new device would help foster the transition.

There is no iPadOS installed? Could this be a problem for your iPadOS mode?