3 worries that could be behind Apple’s reluctance to launch a foldable iPhone

This defeats the purpose of a foldable phone, which was originally meant to offer an advantage over a standard phone. In essence, users are paying more for a phone that folds, but in return, they receive a device that sacrifices battery life and durability. The point is, devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 15 Pro Max are more durable, have longer-lasting batteries, and aren’t as heavy and thick as foldables. Sure, they don’t fold, but those phones are more reliable, less fragile, and don’t feel awkward in the hand—and in the pocket.

UI isn’t different on foldable

Flip-style foldables don’t bring anything unique to the smartphone experience. (Express Photo)

Although foldables come in different forms—flip and book style—and while those who want flexibility can settle for either of these two styles of devices, the truth is brands have not given consumers enough reason to choose a foldable over a traditional smartphone design. Perhaps the thing that needs to be addressed but does not get much importance is that the software features on foldables aren’t different from those on a slate phone. You pick up any foldable, and it is apparent that the user interface on a foldable phone is the same as on a regular phone we have today. What should be the compelling feature to sell foldables isn’t there, sadly.

Despite book-style foldables having more screen space and, hence, scope for change from an UI point of view, the interface doesn’t adapt to the form factor. Whatever little software tweaks have been made on foldables are not exciting enough. Worse is the clamshell foldable where brands have tried to make a case for an external screen with increased adaptability but without enough software innovation. These have ended up being “normal” smartphones with the idea of a folding screen almost getting lost. All it has become is a phone that just folds, not enough to sell the concept to average users.

The foldable phones need slick software that adapts to the new form factor. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

There isn’t enough software to show on foldables yet, which is both surprising and strange, given that after six years, no brand (even Google, for that matter, which powers foldables with its Android mobile operating system) has been able to figure this out. Instead, phone companies are leaning heavily on AI to compensate for the lack of new software features on foldable phones. This still puts a question mark on the future acceptability of foldable phones—after all, those AI tools are also available on regular phones except for one or two features that are genuinely interesting, like the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s “sketch to image” feature that uses AI to turn your doodles into reality. Still, it’s not enough to justify the price of these foldables.

Foldables still need a breakout moment, and pricing can’t be blamed alone

Motorola’s Razr 50 Ultra comes with the biggest cover display on a clamshell-style folding phone. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

However, price doesn’t seem to be the biggest obstacle in the mass adoption of foldables. Apple (and even Samsung) have proved in the past that consumers are willing to pay a premium for a smartphone. No doubt the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra are the best smartphones around, and while their designs and features may have peaked, those so-called “traditional” phones work for all types of consumers.

In contrast, foldables come with too many red flags and compromises at the moment and are marketed to either fashion-conscious consumers or business users. Maybe the better way to sell a foldable phone is not to choose the path of reproducing or closely replicating a regular smartphone, like how Apple did with the Vision Pro headset, even though the device is essentially a mixed-reality headset.

There is a question mark on the utility of a foldable phone. (Express Photo)

The bigger issue with foldables is that while they may be different due to their design and form factor, the use cases aren’t different from a slate phone. Sure, you can have two (or more) apps simultaneously on a foldable display — especially the large inner display of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 — or a slick 4-inch external display on the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra is more useful now. But then, at the same time, brands also pitch laptops as better multitasking devices, and smartwatches can do a better job at beaming notifications to the wrist. Perhaps that’s why Apple isn’t sure whether it should dabble in foldable.

If Cupertino were to launch a folding phone, what different things would it do to make a phone with a foldable screen compelling over the existing iPhone form factor? Maybe it needs to work on a foldable version of iOS or is secretly working on crease-free bendable displays. We just don’t know yet. There have been rumours for years that Apple is working on a foldable phone, and the company received a patent for a “foldable electronic device” earlier this year. For Apple to feel for a product category, the industry needs to make a hit foldable phone, and given the low adoption of foldables so far, which brands don’t want to admit, it is hard for Apple to actually come up with a foldable phone on the market anytime soon.