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Other iPhone Fold - what are you dealbreakers?

Not sure there’s any dealbreaker for me, I’d like to see MagSafe though. I would also like for it to weigh max 220 grams and be maximum 9.7 mm thick though, but the rumours say at least the weight is significantly higher. But I’ll order it the second they put it up for sale.

I’ve been doing with the camera in my Air so I doubt the Ultra will be a problem in that department.
 
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Excellent question, thank you OP.

If it did my chores for me, I might actually consider it.

But seriously, there is absolutely nothing a $2,500 phone could do that would even make me consider buying one. And it is not like I could not afford it if I wanted to. I just really do not want to spend my money on that.

Btw, if you want to save half that money, here is a little tip. Just turn the Pro Max sideways and you get a 6.9 inch screen to work with. That is only 0.9 inches smaller than the Fold when it is fully opened. And the Pro Max fits in your pocket just fine, so you do not really need to come up with excuses.

Then there is also the obvious benefit of not having a flimsy flip flop phone that will probably break within two years.

And of course, there is the fact that you do not have that ugly visible crease right in the middle of the screen making your phone look like some cheap toy from a supermarket.
 
Sami13496 said:
Excellent question, thank you OP.

If it did my chores for me, I might actually consider it.

But seriously, there is absolutely nothing a $2,500 phone could do that would even make me consider buying one. And it is not like I could not afford it if I wanted to. I just really do not want to spend my money on that.

Btw, if you want to save half that money, here is a little tip. Just turn the Pro Max sideways and you get a 6.9 inch screen to work with. That is only 0.9 inches smaller than the Fold when it is fully opened. And the Pro Max fits in your pocket just fine, so you do not really need to come up with excuses.

Then there is also the obvious benefit of not having a flimsy flip flop phone that will probably break within two years.

And of course, there is the fact that you do not have that ugly visible crease right in the middle of the screen making your phone look like some cheap toy from a supermarket.
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In other words, you want one. because all of that sounds like copium.
 
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I don't like the idea of using a phone without a case. I do drop my phone from time to time and like the idea of having it protected. Sure, the hinge might be the best in class but its still a moving part. Will be interesting to see how it will perform and how durable it is.
 
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ChantyBinx said:
I'm curious what you all would need from a £2.5k+ iPhone Fold to make it worthy of the price.

For me it's parity with what Samsung are doing, but in the realm of the Apple ecosystem.

  • iPad like tablet experience meaning iPad multi tasking and windowing on the bigger inside screen. Out of the box iPad apps running on the inner display, iPhone version on outer.
  • iPad / Apple Pencil support like an iPad mini
  • Desktop mode like DeX to a monitor, TV or even Mac (I'd settle for mirroring too)

It's possible and Apple could school Samsung on how to make these things work more seamlessly if they tried, but my concern is... if they did any of that, I'd not need an iPad and frankly for my personal use, maybe not even a Mac. Not because an iPad or 'DeX' experience is anything close to a Mac one, but for a lot of folks personally it's enough of a desktop experience to replace it outside of specialist heavy duty work apps. So I can't see Apple doing it.

Unfortunately for me though, a device costing more than an iPhone and iPad combined at a minimum would need to do the job of both with as few cutbacks as possible.

I recently pre-ordered a Fold 8 and passed it off to a Samsung obsessed family member whose paying for it now. It absolutely can do what I say above (minus pencil, boo Samsung). The device did absolutely nothing bad and met my wildest expectation such as being a mini tablet and plug in desktop, but for me it simply wasn't an Apple device, didn't play with my HomePods, Apple TVs, my MacBook Air nor iMac or iPad - had I not had that kit all sitting around, fairly new and with years of life in them perhaps it would have worked. Only an Apple fold that justifies its existence would truly do the job.

Until then it's multi-device, multi-charging, multi-compartments in the backpack, waiting for iCloud to sync, joining Wi-Fi, paying for iCloud. The day when one device can do much of this is near but its in Apple's court to decide when they want to provide what Samsung et al. do.
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Sadly Apple won;t ever commit to that level of functionality. If you're buy-in to the Apple ecosystem is but one device, it makes it easier to leave. They want you to own as many products as possible so you never do. The ecosystem is a great way of tying products together but only a fool would deny it isn't a form of lock-in.

My dealbreakers are the same as yours. It needs to run iPad apps on the internal display because that's Apple's trump card. Perhaps not so much for phones anymore but their tablet app catalogue is head and shoulders above that of Android. A phone that can run Final Cut and Logic would be immense.

However the experience of running both Lightroom, LumaFusion and Cubasis on the Galaxy Fold suggests that the app parity gap has been quietly exaggerated.
 
Lack of Face ID.

I've played with the Galaxy Fold 7 and it does bring a smile to my face when it opens. Strictly from a technical point of view they give some of that wow factor. But there is nothing wrong with my 14 Pro.

Edit: a lack of magsafe is a dealbreaker too.
 
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teh_hunterer said:
Yeah but you're the one stating in all these threads that you're buying the maximum storage of all these phones.

If you're going to keep adding in that detail then expect to keep getting pushback.
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Why does it need pushback? You could just not care about what other people spend their money on.

Some people spend money on cars that can do 200mph. What's the point of those, given the speed limits that exist?

The answer is that some people like those cars and can afford them. There doesn't have to be a logical reason to spend money. It's ok for someone to buy something just because they like it, even if you yourself don't see the point.
 
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Dirk Pieters said:
Why does it need pushback?
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Why does it need to be said in the first place? If he's going to be proclaiming on every thread every time the new phones come out that he's buying the 2TB version to collect, he can't expect most people to respond positively.

Like you want attention, go for it, engagement bait away, but don't also balk when people think what you're doing makes no sense. Can't have your cake and eat it too.
 
teh_hunterer said:
Why does it need to be said in the first place? If he's going to be proclaiming on every thread every time the new phones come out that he's buying the 2TB version to collect, he can't expect most people to respond positively.

Like you want attention, go for it, engagement bait away, but don't also balk when people think what you're doing makes no sense. Can't have your cake and eat it too.
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And here you are giving him that attention.

You could just ignore him. Or even better: block him and you'll never have to read his posts again. Makes life so much easier!
 
I don't think it will be £2.5k for the entry level foldable, I'm thinking more like starting of £2k with 256gb. But I'm more concerned about durability. Apple are rumoured to have increased the durability of the hinge compared to other foldables.

We will soon see tho, less than 2 weeks until the event. For the first time in a while I'm actually excited for an iPhone event. Also this will be Turnu's first Apple event as CEO, it will be interesting too see for that reason also.
 
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txmike418 said:
It had a slow adoption rate due to various reasons, I believe that the new air2 will be better engineered. Personally, I will be looking at the Air2 for my next purchase. I was merely commenting about first generation growing pains for some people.
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Before getting Air 2, which should be coming in spring 2027, perhaps wait to see what iPhone XX will be all about six months afterwards (autumn/fall 2027). It is rumoured to share some of Air’s design elements (thin metal band on the sides), but should also be having something special to it.
 
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Honestly, it’s the price and usefulness that’s the dealbreaker.

If I wanted to move a lot of things I do on a laptop, desktop or even an iPad onto doing them on a phone, then maybe.

But I don’t. I don’t want to use a phone as a device to write and edit documents, wrote long reply’s to emails, edit photos and video, use for online meetings, generate invoices or even as my first choice to slob on the sofa and watch video on or play the type of games I like on.

None of the use cases that a folding phone with an unfolded screen are useful for me.

If those use-cases for a phone are useful to others, go for it.

I can appreciate well designed / implemented technology without needing to own it myself, so that’s why I’m curious about it.

But I can’t see myself spending that amount of money and worrying about the durability and camera quality of a phone that I wouldn’t get any long-term advantage from.

What does interested me a lot is the firm factor when closed. Terrible for the onscreen keyboard, but for a lot of other things, I might be I treated in a non-folding iPhone in this form factor.

I like consumer technology, but I do strongly believe the technology you choose should the user’s use-cases, rather than the user having to change their use-cases to suit the technology ( one of my gripes about how AI is being pushed into businesses and private consumers).
 
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Macdctr said:
For you perhaps but then you’re not the one buying my iPhones are you? My Pro series collection are based on all my devices being in their max storage configuration, including my recently acquired 17 Pro Max.

You, or anyone else, for that matter don’t have to agree with how I choose the devices I place into my collection but then it’s not your money paying for them either . . . it’s mine. :apple:
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It’s your money, yes.

But, after a point, your preference for buying maximum storage ceases to be relevant to the topic. It’s simply your purchasing preference.

The topic is “dealbreakers for purchasing a foldable iPhone”.
 
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  1. Soft, easily scratchable inner screen
  2. Seam line between screens
  3. It's not made like the Surface Duo with an improved dual independent inner screens with a joint that provides a near gapless inner screen (i.e. an upgrade to the internal screen from the Surface Duo)
  4. Weight
  5. Price
 
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Macdctr said:
I have always gotten my iPhones in their maximum storage configuration, my preference. This is the real reason why and as I have said in my response earlier to your comment, it’s my money that is spent and the device I want. There is really no discussion to add to “why” other than it is my choice to get my devices in their max storage configuration. Of course it will be expensive but at the end of the day even though my wallet is screaming, I’m happy.

I’m used to spending $$$ as I have expensive hobbies. Life is too short to compromise.
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You could travel the world, but instead you choose to have a “collection” of max configurations of devices to sit on your shelf. Many years from now, I wish for you that you look at this collection of devices and think, I am correct, life is truly short, and the money I spent was just. And traveling, seeing new things, having new experiences, and meeting new people wasn’t what I wanted with life. Everyone deserves happiness and I truly wish this for you and your collection.
 
zenmacx said:
Comparing my current phones to the iPhone Ultra & Samsung Z Fold8

Widths - Foldable's Closed:

71.9 mm - iPhone 16 Pro Max
72.8 mm - Z Fold 7

81.9 mm - Z Fold8
83.8 mm - iPhone Ultra

(source GSM Arena)


The Samsung Z Fold8 I just purchased for a family member provided the opportunity for me to try it, before passing it on.

My impression of the Samsung is it's useful but cumbersome. Notice that the iPhone Ultra is even fatter than the Z Fold8. Certainly not to my liking even though I have large hands and don't mind large phones.

One of the best aspects of my Z Fold7 is its width is only slightly more than my iPhone 16 Pro Max. It's quite comfortable to use day in and day out which I do for work. The tall narrow (as compared to Z Fold8 & iPhone Ultra) form factor suits my workflow ideally.

I will avoid the iPhone Ultra because of its fat rather cumbersome shape. A disappointing situation as I was looking forward to purchasing an Apple Foldable phone.
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Yeah, for you, going from the 16 Pro Max to the Ultra, it’s only slightly wider when folded. For me, going from the 17 Pro to the Ultra, it’s 11.9 mm wider (just under 1/2”), which is significant, so we’ll have to see.

BTW, width of 16 Pro Max is 77.6mm per GSM Arena, but I totally get your synopsis.

Any idea what the weight of the Ultra is/will be? That is another factor for me to consider.
 
123ABCDN said:
You could travel the world, but instead you choose to have a “collection” of max configurations of devices to sit on your shelf. Many years from now, I wish for you that you look at this collection of devices and think, I am correct, life is truly short, and the money I spent was just. And traveling, seeing new things, having new experiences, and meeting new people wasn’t what I wanted with life. Everyone deserves happiness and I truly wish this for you and your collection.
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Why do you think that the person choosing to buy electronics means they have to forgo traveling? The difference in cost between a larger storage size and the entry level really isn’t that significant.

And after going to different places in the world as well as living in another country than I was born in for a while I can say I never really understood the fascination people seem to have with traveling. I honestly see it as something people seem to do because they aren’t happy in their normal life and want to get away from it, which for me makes it a complete waste of money since I would have changed how I live my life already if I wasn’t happy with it.
 
Ctrlos said:
Sadly Apple won;t ever commit to that level of functionality. If you're buy-in to the Apple ecosystem is but one device, it makes it easier to leave. They want you to own as many products as possible so you never do. The ecosystem is a great way of tying products together but only a fool would deny it isn't a form of lock-in
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This. Because of how an “ecosystem” works, it makes sense to be sceptical of any new Apple product that could be posited as an “everything device” that would, alone, replace an iPhone, iPad and MacBook.
 
turbineseaplane said:
The width when folded.

It makes it a very awkward one handed device (when using it folded).
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I know android has a one-handed keyboard mode that would likely solve this or at least improve it substantially.

Would be interesting to see if Apple implements something like this. The Pro Max is already wide enough for me to make it hard to use one handed especially typing. The Ultra is going to be significantly wider than that. They are going to have to come up with something...
 
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macdaddy43 said:
I know android has a one-handed keyboard mode that would likely solve this or at least improve it substantially.

Would be interesting to see if Apple implements something like this. The Pro Max is already wide enough for me to make it hard to use one handed especially typing. The Ultra is going to be significantly wider than that. They are going to have to come up with something...
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There is already a one-handed keyboard. (To be clear, I don't use it, so no idea if it is sufficient or matches what Android offers)

 
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