The Latest Foldable iPhone Rumors: What's Changed and What We Know Now

[Lounge vibes 05]

wireless charging will be there.
I assume people are pointing it out because the lack of a glass window, but the entire back will be Glass just like the iPhone Air.

 

[sos47]

will it have a calculator app?

 

[Dark_Omen]

It's hard to imagine Apple chasing design gimmicks like this, but I guess that's the world we live in now.

It's the future of smartphones.

I remember when people said the "phablet" was gimmick. Oh look, the 6.1 inch screen is considered "small" now.

 

[Seoras]

will it have a calculator app?

Both iPad and iPhone have that app now.
A better question would be which OS will it have?
iOS or iPadOS?

 

[Dark_Omen]

Cool, so you have to manually swap between too small or too big of a screen. That'll get super old super fast.

I think Apple will go more of the Zfold route and do a skinnier front screen. The wider screen like on the Pixel Fold doesn't seem like Apple's style.

 

[DocMultimedia]

We know exactly what we knew a year ago. Nothing. But clicks pay bills, so we have learned something. 😀 And I can't wait for the Monday post about what we learned over the weekend.

 

[goobot]

and no telephoto lens ...
I could live without MagSafe but touchID is a No no as is the lack of telephoto lens

Completely agree, trash the useless ultra-wide and give me telephoto

 

[onedrunkhorse]

I know I'm the minority, but id rather have a flip folding phone than this.

 

[Detnator]

It's hard to imagine Apple chasing design gimmicks like this, but I guess that's the world we live in now.

Hardly a gimmick. If they get it right then it’s a smaller footprint iPhone and an iPad mini in one. That’s worth something.

But it seems a lot of compromises, suggesting they might not get it right.

Then if it doesn’t sell because of those issues they’ll give up on it entirely and never get it right.

I think that’s the real issue. Wasted potential.

 

[jz0309]

Completely agree, trash the useless ultra-wide and give me telephoto

There's no reason not to have 3 cameras in the back...

 

[kiensoy]

I wouldn't expect it to be called iPhone Fold since Samsung has the Galaxy Fold. But iPhone Ultra... really? Samsung has a Galaxy Ultra as well.

 

[zenmacx]

Forget the price and name, it’s the “wide” form factor that makes it different and unusable for those of us already using folding phones like Z Fold7 or Pixel Fold. The “tall” shape of these two makes them highly useful.

The wide form factor is very limiting. Yet simply because Apples logo resides on the iPhone Ultra, they should sell to the loyalists.

 

[code-m]

If the "halves" are as thin as rumored, a FaceID sensor likely would not fit, so I would expect TouchID.

I would expect wireless charging.

If only the camera plateau solved the Face ID issue on iPhone Air.

 

[code-m]

Forget the price and name, it’s the “wide” form factor that makes it different and unusable for those of us already using folding phones like Z Fold7 or Pixel Fold. The “tall” shape of these two makes them highly useful.

The wide form factor is very limiting. Yet simply because Apples logo resides on the iPhone Ultra, they should sell to the loyalists.

When the iPad mini was originally released it sold well due to its dimensions being similar to a dvd movie case. While technologies such as Face ID, ProMotion, etc have yet to be on iPad mini it’s appeal has shifted though still has a market in some industries.

I like the present mini minus the jelly-scroll hence it was difficult for me to forego it. If the jelly is fixed and maybe ProMotion incorporated I would get one again. Having OLED would be nice too but I don’t watch movies on small screens unless I am travelling or have no other option.

 

[code-m]

Dont forget less cameras but higher price

I hardly take out pictures these days, I prefer living in the moment rather than capture the moment behind a screen and then looking at it a few times later. Maybe it’s me but it doesn’t feel the same, my memory still works well.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

It's the future of smartphones.

I remember when people said the "phablet" was gimmick. Oh look, the 6.1 inch screen is considered "small" now.

I think you are half correct, I don’t necessarily think the future of phones is folding specifically, it’s just very likely that the future of phones is diversification.
No matter how functional the slab is, not to mention of the fact that it will likely always be the default going forward, it always made sense that eventually smart phone designs would start to diversify.
Same way laptops and desktops did, the same way that iPods did.
The folding phone just makes sense as an additional option in the line-up.

 

[code-m]

It's hard to imagine Apple chasing design gimmicks like this, but I guess that's the world we live in now.

Then you have the group who chimes that Apple doesn’t innovate anymore. Pick your poison.

 

[code-m]

I think you are half correct, I don’t necessarily think the future of phones is folding specifically, it’s just very likely that the future of phones is diversification.
No matter how functional the slab is, not to mention of the fact that it will likely always be the default going forward, it always made sense that eventually smart phone designs would start to diversify.
Same way laptops and desktops did, the same way that iPods did.
The folding phone just makes sense as an additional option in the line-up

Laptops diversify, it’s been a clamshell design since Day 01. Other than being a wedge, weight and materials, a laptop has not changed at all when considering Apple. Now competitors have two and three display screen options even vertical and Apple hasn’t done anything exciting unless you consider bringing down the entry cost like the Neo.

 

[Plutonius]

What's Changing: Apple is folding 🙂.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Prosser says it's called the iFold.

 

[Bones402]

My wallet will thank me for not buying this phone.

 

[Takeo]

Call it iPhad… like iPhone + iPad + fad 🙂

 

[PowerButton]

When did phones start costing $2,000? 🤦‍♂️ I was already pushing it mentally justifying $1,500 every year [at least I could hand the old one down to family] but $2,000 is getting hard to defend, especially for what sounds like a marginally bigger screen.

If I really want more screen, I’ll just use an iPad or my MBP, both are more powerful and actually built for that use case.

You have to wonder if this ends up cannibalizing their lower-end iPads. I can see a lot of people convincing themselves it’s basically a (smaller) iPad replacement.

 

[PowerButton]

Ultra name could be to suss out who's leaking. There are many names possible that describe the phone better:
iPhone Dual (as in dual screen)
iPhone Wide (as in wider screen)
iPhone Double (French pronounciation)
iPhone XF (as in transform)
...

Or iPhone Scratch (as in I can’t believe my fingernail scratched the screen)

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

When did phones start costing $2,000? 🤦‍♂️

There have been $2000 phones on the market for almost a decade now.

a marginally bigger screen.

If I really want more screen, I’ll just use an iPad or my MBP, both are more powerful and actually built for that use case.
At least 60% more screen area than the current Pro Max, hardly what I would call “ marginally” bigger.

But you are right, you said it yourself. You already have an iPad, you already have a MacBook. You have no need for a two in one. That’s fine. That’s why they are still making slab phones and why they will continue being the models that generate the most revenue for years to come.
That doesn’t necessarily mean this one shouldn’t exist, it just means that it’s not for you. Like how a M3Ultra Mac Studio isn’t for me. I’m happy it exists, but it’s not for me.

You have to wonder if this ends up cannibalizing their lower-end iPads. I can see a lot of people convincing themselves it’s basically a (smaller) iPad replacement.

Nah, the basic iPad can be found as low as low as $249 and the iPad mini is usually $400-$500. I don’t think people are going to be cross shopping a $400 tablet and a $2000 phone. But even if they are, you think Apple cares? They would much rather you walk out with the $2000 phone than the $500 tablet, and if it kills off those lower end iPads then so be it. But that doesn’t seem very likely.