No crease, and some sort of ironclad guarantee for the screen reliability and integrity.
Samsung last week announced its fourth-generation foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold 4, and as a result, some iPhone customers may be wondering about the future of a foldable iPhone.
Apple is indeed working on a foldable iPhone, but details about it remain scarce and somewhat vague. We've rounded up a few notable rumors below and want to hear from you; what would you like to see in a foldable iPhone? Let us know in the comments!
Hardware Features
- Building on an existing relationship, Apple is likely working closely with Corning to develop a special display glass for the foldable iPhone that's both tough and durable and thin and flexible.
- Rumors have fluctuated regarding the size of the foldable iPhone, with some reports saying it'll be around 9-inches and have a PPI (pixels-per-inch) between an iPhone and an iPad. Other reports say Apple has internally tested a device that opens up to 6.7-inches, similar to the size of current Pro Max iPhones.
- A research firm has suggested the foldable iPhone could support the Apple Pencil, utilizing its larger display to allow for easier note taking, drawing, sketching, and more on the device.
- Rather than typical foldable phones on the market, a rumor from Apple leaker Jon Prosser suggests that Apple is working on a foldable device with two separate screens connected via a hinge and not one single, continuous display.
Software and OS
- It remains to be seen whether Apple will, at some point, combine the iPhone and iPad into a single product, offering an iPhone when folded and an iPad-like experience when unfolded. In that case, we may see the foldable device running a hybrid between iOS and iPadOS, but that remains purely speculative.
Price and Launch Date
- Samsung's Galaxy Fold 4 starts at a steep $1,800, and while it's too early to tell what market Apple will want to target with its foldable device, Samsung's pricing does offer a little bit of context.
- According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we're now unlikely to see a foldable iPhone until at least 2025 or later, so there are still many years to go until we may see anything hit the market.
For more in-depth information about what we know about a foldable iPhone, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide. Plus, don't forget to let us know what you want to see in a foldable iPhone below.
Article Link: What Would You Like to See in a Foldable iPhone?
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What Would You Like to See in a Foldable iPhone?
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It would be interesting that Apple continues to sell the same Iphone, but these phones can magnetically attach to another to create a foldable phone and software would detect the 'attached' mode and modify the display to support. Kind of like Microsoft Duo 2 coming in two pieces. Extra bonus points would allow for a third phone to create an even larger display.
I don’t trust the durability of foldable screens. I also hate the crease.
Reliability because Apple designed a screen that displays right to the edge and an associated hinge and smart software that marries the two edges together so they look like one screen when unfolded.
One side has the battery and the other has the electronics.
One side has the battery and the other has the electronics.
3 things: Durability, Software optimisation and Price. With the Galaxy Fold starting at $1799, Apple could very well price it at $1999 when its foldable launches in a couple of year's time. Hopefully it is no more than $1999.
Well, there’s AR and VR. Tim Cook spews himself anytime he can talk about AR. They’re definitely coming. Well kept secret as to what they entail but we know from supply chain analysts there are two or three micro-LED displays in it. Powered by an M2 or similar processor it should be not just AR but actual vision through the glasses screens instead of looking through glass and seeing traditionally considered AR. Supposedly board members have seen it. It’s coming.
And I do believe this was a much better use of money for R&D than Samsung’s foldables.
I really don’t understand the durability aspect people are bringing up, are you keeping your phones for decades?
Apple will do it like Samsung already does, warranty and you can get AppleCare+ for full coverage over 2 years if you are worried. I’ve never had a phone for more than two years and usually switch after max 1 year.
Apple will do it like Samsung already does, warranty and you can get AppleCare+ for full coverage over 2 years if you are worried. I’ve never had a phone for more than two years and usually switch after max 1 year.
The reasons that make AR a bad idea from a usability point of view are probably exactly the reasons that attract Apple to the idea. You need another device that Apple will sell you and lock you further in their ecosystem. Plus while AR can add a lot of value, and it can do stuff that no foldable can, but the reverse is also true.
I don't want to have to rely on yet another device that I may forget, that may run out of battery or that may be too flimsy when I most need it. People also like to interact with physical things, eg reading a book on a foldable sounds way more appealing than than on a virtual extension of a phone or watch.
AR as a concept is great, but if I have to spend probably north of £600 in addition to a £800 iPhone I'm not sure I'm sold. I can see the potential in both, but for now I'd prefer a foldable.
I agree with the overall sentiment that the tech is not quite there, but it wasn't for the current smartphones either pre-2007. It'll get there.
The big selling, I think, will be software. The OG iPhone wasn't really great, but it handled like a charm. If Apple, or anyone else for that matter, can pull that off with foldables it'll be a winner.
Yeah rumors and suppositions . There are high chances these so called AR glasses will be a fail, maybe that's why it's taking so long to launch them, they don't know how to market them.
So it's going to be a very expensive gadget that most don't need. Got it.
I really doubt it. Right now Foldable devices are making Samsung money and it's giving them a dominat position in a growing segment of the smartphone market . These so called Glasses it will remain to be seen, one thing is clear, a recession is coming and people won't be inclined to buy an expensive toy that they don't need. Apple's lateness to launch new stuff will eventual bite them in the as*
Except that it comes up in tech podcasts and articles too. So no, not just iPhone users.
I get that a part of the ”thing” with these is that it’s literally a folding screen.
But I think that it would’ve been a better device over all if they just went with 2 screens and a super minimal bezel in between.
Less fragile, no crease, less wear and tear on the screen etc.
If people can learn how to ignore a huge notch then a 1-2mm black line in the middle would sure be doable as well.
But I think that it would’ve been a better device over all if they just went with 2 screens and a super minimal bezel in between.
Less fragile, no crease, less wear and tear on the screen etc.
If people can learn how to ignore a huge notch then a 1-2mm black line in the middle would sure be doable as well.
Knowing Apple, they'll take that price, and add another $500 because, they're Apple. Why not?
It's "part of the premium"
A foldable screen is a non-starter for me. When everyone in the world is walking around with these, you’ll have to pry the slab iphone away from my cold dead hand, with a crowbar.
If Apple made a foldable phone I would buy one. It wont be for awhile so in the meantime I will probably get the Galaxy fold four to replace my iPhone 13 Pro.
I bigger screen that fits into your pocket, it's not rocket science. People want the Max phones for their bigger screens, bigger cameras, and batteries, and foldable phones can give let us have all those things while letting you actually put it in your pocket or use it to check notifications without struggling with a big screen with one hand. If anything I think Samsung have most of their folding phones backwards. The screen should be on the *outside* of the device so the front and back are all screen, and if you want access to the good camera then you should need to unfold it. It'll make Samsung phones that fold on the inside look stupid. Put four speakers, for under screen cameras, and four microphones, and then people could hold it any of four and it would never be the "wrong" direction. Apple could sell a budget version of the same phone that doesn't open or have a pro camera, but is still a wrap around screen around the whole phone. The average Android would start looking kinda dated compared to new iPhones.
I wouldn't like a fold with the main screens outside. It would eliminate one of the good things about the fold and flip, the main screen is protected when in your pocket.
Not needing to protect the screen will be the big breakthrough then. Maybe we just need to accept that dropping these things will probably break them. The same is true for wineglasses though.
I wasn't thinking about dropping the phone -- what always gets my slab phones are my keys, and other thins in my pocket. Scratches galore. A closed phone doesn't get a scratch on the main screen.
Anyway, I like the flips better, and that really doesn't work with the main screen on the outside.
I mean compared to the bigger devices we’re used yeah it sucks but it is 7+ hours battery and the SE 3 is like 6.5 hours. (Of course this is using heavy-usage, it may vary on lighter usage and Cellular data on).