As a new form of mobile phone, foldable phones are highly innovative. This innovation is not only reflected in the appearance design, but also in the related technology and features, and plenty of other brands are causing the competition for the best foldable phones to heat up. These include the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Google Pixel Fold, Motorola Razr Plus and the newly launched OnePlus. Almost every major smartphone manufacturer has released or plans to release a foldable phone, but Apple is an exception. There are many rumors that Apple will release a folding phone in 2025. Will the rumors become true? Read more to find out our guesses as to why Apple's foldable phone isn't here yet.
Pros and Cons of Foldable Phones
With the continuous updating and development of smartphone technology, the emergence of modern-style folding screen mobile phones has brought consumers a brand new experience. A foldable display is simply a screen that can be bent or folded without sustaining any damage. You can unfold it while watching movies, playing games, or multitasking to enjoy the great visual experience of a large screen. Then fold it down when you're on the go, as if you're combining a tablet and a phone into one. More than a few people pointed out that using something like that would obviate the need to own both an iPhone and an iPad, as many of them do.
But from a downside point of view, early reports of broken screens on the Pixel Fold indicate that durability is still an issue for foldable phones, which must be able to withstand a lot of repetitive flexing, otherwise the glass will easily crack alongside the seam in the middle. In particular, the hinge and folding mechanism are very delicate and may get damaged if the phone is dropped or mishandled. Again, the larger screens on these devices are more prone to scratches and cracks, which are expensive to repair or replace. Second is the price. Foldable phones are much more expensive than traditional smartphones, which may be a luxury purchase for many consumers. For example, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Google Pixel Fold each cost about $1,800, which is beyond the reach of many users.
Therefore, although foldable phones also have their big advantages compared to traditional phones, taking into account the above disadvantages, making a foldable display is still a fairly new and expensive technology, which means that foldable iPhones may be more expensive than the existing models already. Perhaps Apple is working behind the scenes on ways to address issues like durability and high price before launching its own foldable product, but there is no way to know for sure until Apple makes an announcement.
The Advanced of iOS
In 2023, Apple not only released the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, but also updated a new generation of iOS operating system. The hardware updates for this generation are solid and meaningful, and at the same time Apple's competition is increasingly investing in alternative form factors to the standard glass rectangle — and foldable phones in particular are having a real moment of development. Since foldable screens are generally considered to be the evolutionary direction of the next generation of mobile phone screens, most Android phone manufacturers clearly see that the future of smartphones is one that can be folded in half to make it easier to put in a pocket, or folded to double as a tablet. This brings new development opportunities to the mobile phone market.
However, Apple is taking a very different approach. Rather than using new hardware designs to expand the way we use mobile devices, the iPhone maker uses its software to bring new use cases to its devices. The advent of iOS 17 is a good example of how Apple is changing the way software is presented on the screen to give users a better sense of using their phones. For example, StandBy Mode, where you can use your iPhone as an ornament, which is convenient and fun. The update will also bring interactive widgets to your iPhone, which means you can perform tasks such as checking off reminders and controlling smart lights with just a tap on the home screen. Instead of physically changing the shape of the iPhone's screen to accommodate more apps or provide a bigger display for watching shows, Apple is morphing the software to let you use the phone in different ways.
Although the optimization of the mobile phone's system will not make your phone feel as radically different as a foldable screen, they still show that Apple is trying to make your iPhone feel more useful by updating the way apps and other features appear on the screen. It is still unclear whether the iPhone foldable screen phone will arrive, but the current Apple models of iOS systems can meet the needs of users to a large extent.
Will Apple Join the Fold?
Back in 2021, an Apple analyst suggested that Apple "could" launch its first foldable iPhone in 2023, but added that it depended on whether the company could solve practical challenges by then. But we still haven’t seen the emergence of foldable iPhones yet. So, will Apple join the fold? The answer is probably yes.
In recent years, the company has been awarded several patents related to iPhone Fold and iPhone Flip design concepts. While the fact that Apple holds a patent doesn't guarantee that we'll see a foldable iPhone on the market anytime soon, Apple is clearly already planning ahead in the foldable field. There is also another speculation that Apple is not only developing a foldable iPhone, but a foldable iPad is also in Apple's development plans, because the iPad accounts for a relatively small proportion of the company's sales compared to the iPhone, which means that the potential problems are easier to manage and have less impact.
Aversion to risk may lead Apple to be reluctant to bet on foldable screens. However, as an industry leader, the iPhone products released by Apple in recent years have not demonstrated innovative technologies beyond expectations. The answers of how can Apple make a comeback in the already saturated mobile phone market still need to find. So it’s not surprising that Apple is absent from the foldable phone space. The company typically waits until technology matures so it can release a more compelling product before entering new device categories. Therefore, it seems reasonable for Apple to adopt a similar strategy with foldable devices.
