Report: Apple is testing foldable iPhones, having the same problems as everyone else::Don’t expect these clamshell-style foldables in 2024 or 2025 or maybe ever.

113 points

Apple already made a folding phone. It was called the iphone 6.

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9 points

My boomerang lasted many years though, I’ll give it that.

I just upgraded from the 6 Plus to the 12 Max like a year ago.

I know Lemmy hates Apple, but I love iOS. Probably because I started on it. My son almost has me convinced though. I might let him pick my next phone and put LineageOS on it.

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3 points

If I were to get an iPhone, the primary reason would be for longevity. The update support has just been so hard to find on Android. Let’s see now that Google and Samsung are pledging more than 2 OS updates, but their commitment remains to be seen.

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1 point

It’s pretty awesome that I got nearly a decade out of my last phone. I didn’t upgrade because it wasn’t meeting my needs either, I upgraded because I had been through 10 screens in that time and the connectors were in bad shape. I’d have to smack it to get the screen on sometimes, or pop the screen up and push on the connectors.

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45 points

Why don’t we get back to smaller smartphones like a decadr ago?

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27 points

Same reason you can’t buy a new small pickup truck. They don’t make them because the mass market isn’t there

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19 points

Cmon! If I promise to put truck nuts on it and drive aggressively will you let me get the small one?

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8 points

Sorry, it’s not burning through enough diesel

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14 points

Because they don’t sell.

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12 points
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If you ignore screen size (which people erroneously use as a metric for phone size, since it’s an easily findable and easy to understand number) and instead look at actual phone dimensions, most phones now aren’t actually dissimilar. Bezels have shrunk a lot.

  • Galaxy S24, Jan 2024: 147mm x 70.6mm

  • Galaxy S5, Feb 2014: 142mm x 72.5mm

S24 frontal area = 10,378mm²

S5 frontal area = 10,153mm²

The S24 is only 2% larger than its decade-old equivalent. Not something you’d even notice.

If you include the thickness of the device, then the S24 is actually 4% smaller than its decade old equivalent.

Now sure, there were smaller phones, especially if you go further back, like an iPhone 3G genuinely would be considered tiny now.

It’s just worth noting that phones aren’t actually growing each year anymore like people say they are, and they haven’t for a while. Bezels shrinking is a huge change in design for TVs, monitors, laptops, phones.

People are just hearing things like “6.3 inch screen” and they think “wow, my old phone only had a 4.5 inch screen. This phone must be so much larger!”

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5 points

I would really like to upgrade my 12 mini to an newer Mini model if they ever made one!

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0 points

I have an iphone mini… you need smaller than that? Why? It’s pretty darn small already.

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14 points

They quit Mini business at iPhone 13.

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1 point

Ahh that sucks. Probably not enough people bought them then.

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3 points

I also have one, and it’s a damn shame that Apple stopped the mini series after the 13. I don’t need half a tablet in my pocket, I need something that easily fits in my pocket and can take halfway decent pictures. I’m not sure that my next phone will be an iPhone because of this, and I’ve exclusively used iPhones since the 4S.

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1 point

Well we’ll just have to wait and see. They stopped making the mini ipads for several years, then brought them back in 2020, so anything’s possible.

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44 points

I personally don’t care I don’t want a foldable phone ( my last job gave me a Flip 3 and it was a terrible experience) I’d rather phone with a removable battery than with a foldable screen.

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7 points

I can’t speak for the flip, but the fold 4 is fantastic. I can’t imagine going back to a slab

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1 point

Same here. I absolutely love mine. Zero issues more than a year in.

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6 points

Typing this on a fold4 would just like to chime in that after a year of ownership the inner screen did fail seemingly for no reason. I was able to get this fixed but I just want to stress they do have some problems.

Partner has gone through 3 flip4 in the same amount of time though that phone is garbage.

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7 points

Removable batteries for sure, but I spent 20 years waiting for the clamshell design to make a comeback and I love my Flip (4). Phones need to fit in pockets and have a decent sized screen.

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5 points

Doubt it will ever get back to how it was with how easily they could be removed but there may be steps towards it https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/22/new-eu-law-to-force-smartphone-makers-to-build-easily-replaceable-batteries

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12 points

You can replace the battery easily on fairphone 5

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2 points

I would love a foldable phone if the other half you have a good hardware keyboard on it.

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2 points
Deleted by creator
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2 points

My pixel fold has been great ha

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1 point
Deleted by creator
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1 point

My Samsung Z Fold 5 has been awesome as well. Im too lazy to go grab a tablet, id rather always have a decent sized screen with me

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43 points

I can’t wait for Apple to announce in a key note they’ve revolutionised the phone market again with the world’s first folding phone.

Those apple boys are so talented 😊.

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59 points

Did you say folding phone? Ew

I think you’ll find it’s the new iPhone 17 with dynamic flex technology and that Tim Cook will repeatedly say on stage that this has “never been done before”.

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8 points
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But what apple specific non standard proprietary shit will they implement that you will have to buy from them for 10 times the price that competitors offer the equivalent. This is the interesting question.

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4 points
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The case for one - do you want a case without Dynamic Flex ©®™ compatibility like some commoner?

I would have previous said a folding lightning cable connector, but the EU have saved me the bother.

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4 points

This is no ordinary folding phone my friend. Behold ‘The HiNGE’!

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8 points
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They actually was first with folding smartphone though, remember iPhone 6 bending drama

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0 points

It would be the height of stupidity to copy the bending screen fad. It would also cannibalise sales on their product lines.

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0 points

Me too, because in spite of marketing garbage the product will probably be best in class or at least providing competition thereof.

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42 points

Did anyone ask for folding phones?

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43 points

For the love of god, yes. About half the time, I want a phone. The other I want a tablet. A foldable phone similar to the galaxy fold is exactly what I want.

But I’m locked into the Apple ecosystem for multiple reasons. And no, “just get two devices” isn’t that great an option. I don’t use them at the same time, why not just have them be the same device? Also helps with the fact that I might want to go back and forth between something in both modes.

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10 points

Well, I just got the S24 Ultra and it’s darnn near tablet size. This dwarfs my previous Note. I’m just happy to finally have a flagship Samsung with a flat screen. Rounded screens suck.

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32 points

Sales suggest, “Yes.”

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9 points

Steve, it was fucking Steve wasn’t it?

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8 points

No, Steve died

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17 points

I live in Korea and I see the Samsung foldable phones in the hands of like every 5th person, so yeah I’d say they sell

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1 point

Interesting. Seattle, Washington pretty tech centric city, I’ve only seen the one guy. Mostly a 80/20 split between Iphone/Samsung flagship phones.

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7 points

The US in general is obsessed with iPhones, more so than pretty much all other developed countries

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-4 points

That’s different than people asking for them. Between status symbols and advertising you can sell anything, weather it was asked for or not. On a real level the whole industry of advertising is to get people to buy things they wouldn’t buy otherwise.

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10 points

Samsung is up to Fold 5, so at least someone keeps buying them. Though they are also up to Flip 5, a concept so dumb I honestly won’t believe anyone wants or uses one, so who knows.

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4 points

I have seen 1 Fold in the wild, and even then, the guy’s screen was having issues.

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5 points

I’ve had a Fold 4 for prolly 8 months now, no issues. But then, I baby my phone. No bigger screen issues either, but I clean it daily.

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5 points

Yes! Phones with small screens are not useful. Phones which don’t fit in pockets are not useful. Flip phones solve the problem and I’ve been wanting one for twenty years.

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2 points
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I think the solution is bigger pockets.

I can easily fit my 6.43 inches phone on my pockets, but that might not be true with women clothes.

Unless you want to have a tablet size screen in your pocket. Then I can see why foldable screens would be appealing

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5 points

Yes. I have the fold 3 and will ask for another foldable when the time to upgrade comes.

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