Other A Foldable iPhone will Flop

[orsev]

I think that the problem with trying to debate with OP here is a problem we face everyday on most forums. A lot of users cannot fathom that someone might use a device differently to them, or have a completely different use case / opinion to them. In my view, the point of forums is to debate these matters, and see how other users utilise and experience the same devices that you use, which will open a given user up to new perspectives. I've dug into the post history and most, if not all of the content there is inflammatory and a trend of refusing to budge on points they made. The fold will do fine, whether it's a 'niche' or not. It might not be for you, or the next person, but the people that want it and have a use case for it will enjoy it for sure.

 

[Bazooka-joe]

I think the Fold is going to be very interesting, and of course we don’t know a lot about it yet. However, we already know that it could be two updated Air’s bolted together. 9to5Mac have suggested that it will be thinner than two Airs put together which means it would possibly still be thinner than a Pro Max.
I cannot see how there can be any way than it will be Apple‘s most powerful phone because of the thinness. Very much like the Air, I very much doubt that it will have the best battery life or the best cameras as there will be no way that it could compete with the Pro 18 models in terms of pure ability and battery life.

 

[klmiles61]

A foldable iPhone will flop. Just like the Apple Vision Pro (AVP), it will be a niche product with limited appeal — not the next big thing. Yes, I know there will be a small brigade of you ready to jump in and tell me they want one, and therefore everyone must want one too. But personal desire doesn’t equal market demand.

When Apple announced the AVP, I made the case here on the forums that it would fail to gain general consumer interest. Not because it’s not impressive tech — it is. But because it lacks broad utility and solves no pressing problem for most people. The same logic applies to a foldable iPhone. Here’s why.

The main reasons I listed why the Apple Vision Pro would be a niche product right after it was announced:

• It’s an awkward form factor — wearing ski goggles on your face is not how most people want to interact with the world.
• It simulates reality poorly. The highest-fidelity version of reality is… reality.
• It doesn’t solve a widespread problem, and instead creates new ones: isolation, weight, cost, battery life, etc.
• It competes with — but doesn’t outperform — existing Apple devices like iPads, iPhones, and Macs.
• In short, it has no “reason to live” as a mainstream product other than niche applications.

Now apply the same logic to a foldable iPhone:

• Compromised form factor: it’s essentially two phones sandwiched together. Thicker. Heavier. Awkward. No matter how sleek Apple tries to make it, the ergonomics will suffer.
• Display trade-offs: to fold, the screen needs to be plastic — not glass and optics will be degraded. That means lower durability, more scratches, and likely a visible crease, even if faint.
• No clear productivity gain: it won’t be large enough to replace an iPad Pro for serious work or multitasking. It’s not going to make spreadsheets, document editing, or design work better.
• It solves nothing: nobody is asking for this. It doesn’t address a real consumer painpoint. It adds complexity to a form factor that’s already perfected: the slab phone.
• It’s outclassed by existing devices: iPhones are great at being phones. iPads are great at being tablets. Laptops are great at being computers. A foldable iPhone is a master of none.

Yes, I know some of you will say: “But I want one!”

Sure. And that’s fine. Enthusiasts like us often love cutting-edge technology. But if you look at the reasons above, this device has niche appeal at best. It will not capture mainstream consumer demand. Just like AVP, it’ll be a showcase product — a status symbol, a curiosity — not a mainstream device.

I suspect Apple is putting out controlled leaks to throw off the competition and has no intention of releasing a foldable iPhone. If they actually do release such a device, they will have lost the plot.

I personally have no reasons to buy a fold. We went down this road back in the days of the original smartphones. Back then they sorta made since in order to prevent butt dialing someone due to the buttons on the phone. Since owning an iPhone, I haven't butt dial a single person. I agree it will be a very niche market for it and personally the way Apple goes about things like this it will be way over priced.

But, while i have no desire for it. It appears many others do. Not sure I will get their reasoning other than a larger screen when they want access to it. Other than that it has no appeal to me. I have iPhone and iPad Air M3 13" I have no desire to walk around with a fold to spend useless dollars on something just to have it. If Apple decides not to produce one, I don't think it will affect them all that much I mean Foldable smartphones have been out for a while now and its not hurting Apple's bottom line.

I have seen maybe three people who owned one and personally I could not get over the way the screen looked with the obvious center crease. So, for me an iPhone fold is not in my plans.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

1980s? Ridiculous. Lawyers have things called evidence, and Books of Authorities, etc. that are required to be in paper format in many places.

You just proved that you know really nothing about the modern legal profession.
1. Business lawyers DO NOT carry hefty files and evidence with them.
2. A very small part of lawyering takes place in a Courtroom (where in your universe everyone has to carry 20 kg of paper).
3. At least in Europe digital documents (signed with cryptographic signature) are the rule in any at least moderately significant commercial transaction.
4. It is spectacularly convenient to be able to take out of your pocket a foldable and to rapidly check a document at a business lunch for example.

Should I continue?!
I think not.

You are not interested in any kind of answers to your questions.
Many people contributed with detailed and comprehensive answers.
You just ignored it and asked the same question again and again.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

You just proved that you know really nothing about the modern legal profession.
1. Business lawyers DO NOT carry hefty files and evidence with them.
2. A very small part of lawyering takes place in a Courtroom (where in your universe everyone has to carry 20 kg of paper).
3. At least in Europe digital documents (signed with cryptographic signature) are the rule in any at least moderately significant commercial transaction.
4. It is spectacularly convenient to be able to take out of your pocket a foldable and to rapidly check a document at a business lunch for example.

Should I continue?!
I think not.

You are not interested in any kind of answers to your questions.
Many people contributed with detailed and comprehensive answers.
You just ignored it and asked the same question again and again.

He also proved that he knows nothing about development, despite apparently being “an expert at software development who has worked for both Microsoft and Apple over the past decade”… who seriously tried to use the argument that the folding iPhone would fail because “it doesn’t run iPadOS”.
As if literally everyone who knows anything about Apple and especially about software development isn’t already aware that iOS and iPadOS are fundamentally the exact same operating system with a different marketing name, down to the build number being exactly the same with every single update and in fact every beta as well.

 

[Arran]

He also proved that he knows nothing about development, despite apparently being “an expert at software development who has worked for both Microsoft and Apple over the past decade”…

Yeah, that didn't sound credible: Most responses seemed shallow and disengaged from the discussion.

Good topic but, alas, another to add to my ignore list.

 

[The_Auryn]

Ok. Now my question is, will you be happy with a plastic screen and a squared off aspect ratio? If you’re travelling, why not have a dedicated iPad in your bag? And iPads will work with solid keyboards and multi-touch trackpads and runs iPadOS, etc. so a person can choose to work on a plane if they want.

I'd have to see it first regarding screen quality and aspect ratio. As for having a dedicated ipad in my traveling bag, it's a question of space (especially when traveling internationally). I'd rather carry one device instead of two. Back in the day, I had an iPhone 5s. I also had an iPad Mini for reading news, playing games, etc. When I updated to the iPhone 6s+ with its larger screen, I never used my iPad Mini again. The larger iPhone had made the Mini irrelevant.

 

[Cape Dave]

A foldable iPhone will flop. Just like the Apple Vision Pro (AVP), it will be a niche product with limited appeal — not the next big thing. Yes, I know there will be a small brigade of you ready to jump in and tell me they want one, and therefore everyone must want one too. But personal desire doesn’t equal market demand.

When Apple announced the AVP, I made the case here on the forums that it would fail to gain general consumer interest. Not because it’s not impressive tech — it is. But because it lacks broad utility and solves no pressing problem for most people. The same logic applies to a foldable iPhone. Here’s why.

The main reasons I listed why the Apple Vision Pro would be a niche product right after it was announced:

• It’s an awkward form factor — wearing ski goggles on your face is not how most people want to interact with the world.
• It simulates reality poorly. The highest-fidelity version of reality is… reality.
• It doesn’t solve a widespread problem, and instead creates new ones: isolation, weight, cost, battery life, etc.
• It competes with — but doesn’t outperform — existing Apple devices like iPads, iPhones, and Macs.
• In short, it has no “reason to live” as a mainstream product other than niche applications.

Now apply the same logic to a foldable iPhone:

• Compromised form factor: it’s essentially two phones sandwiched together. Thicker. Heavier. Awkward. No matter how sleek Apple tries to make it, the ergonomics will suffer.
• Display trade-offs: to fold, the screen needs to be plastic — not glass and optics will be degraded. That means lower durability, more scratches, and likely a visible crease, even if faint.
• No clear productivity gain: it won’t be large enough to replace an iPad Pro for serious work or multitasking. It’s not going to make spreadsheets, document editing, or design work better.
• It solves nothing: nobody is asking for this. It doesn’t address a real consumer painpoint. It adds complexity to a form factor that’s already perfected: the slab phone.
• It’s outclassed by existing devices: iPhones are great at being phones. iPads are great at being tablets. Laptops are great at being computers. A foldable iPhone is a master of none.

Yes, I know some of you will say: “But I want one!”

Sure. And that’s fine. Enthusiasts like us often love cutting-edge technology. But if you look at the reasons above, this device has niche appeal at best. It will not capture mainstream consumer demand. Just like AVP, it’ll be a showcase product — a status symbol, a curiosity — not a mainstream device.

I suspect Apple is putting out controlled leaks to throw off the competition and has no intention of releasing a foldable iPhone. If they actually do release such a device, they will have lost the plot.

I agree 100%. I call BS on Apple's alleged "leaks" about the folding phone.

 

[Fraud Goblin]

I don't want to say it'll flop outright, I do think there's more of a market for foldables over the Vision Pro (IMO). I just think the device will fall under the "this device is interesting" and not really like kill the Pro/Base models.

 

[dotzero123]

I love the idea of the foldable like i love the idea of the Vision Pro. Nice, but I’ll wait until it’s not ridiculously overpriced. Some will love it, some will hate it, others will wait for 2nd or 3rd generation. Nice for all to have choices.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Comparing the first foldable iPhone with the Apple Vision Pro is SILLY. Yea, you can argue that an expensive foldable iPhone would be a niche product - under the iPhone umbrella… but it would be nowhere near the niche-ness of the Vision Pro. A lot more people will buy a foldable iPhone than a vision pro. A smartphone is almost a necessity in todays world while AR goggles are definitely not.