Adam Kos We have been seeing foldable phones for quite some time now, i.e. those that, when unfolded, give you a significantly larger display. After all, the first Samsung Galaxy Fold was released in September 2019 and now it has its third generation. Even so, Apple has not yet presented us with the form of its solution.
Of course, the first Fold suffered from birth pains, but Samsung cannot be denied the effort to bring it as the first of the major manufacturers of devices with a similar solution. The second model naturally tried to correct the mistakes of its predecessor as much as possible, and the third Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is already a truly trouble-free and powerful device.
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So if we could have been somewhat embarrassed by the initial attempts, when perhaps even the manufacturer himself did not know where to direct such a device, now it has already developed a proper profile. This is also why Samsung could afford to present the second meaning of a folding phone, which has the form of a previously popular clamshell. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 although it refers to the third generation of a similar design, it is actually only the second. Here it was purely about marketing and unifying the ranks.
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Even the previous Flip was not the first clamshell from a major manufacturer with a foldable display. This model was introduced in February 2020, but she managed to do it before that Motorola with its iconic model Razr. She presented her clamshell with a folding display on November 14, 2019, and brought the next generation a year later.
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A series of "puzzles" Huawei Mate started its era with the X model, followed by the Xs and X2, which was announced last February. However, the first two mentioned models were folded to the other side, so the display was facing out. Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold announced in April 2021, but it is already based on the same design as Samsung's Fold. And then there's more Microsoft Surface Duo 2. However, here the manufacturer has taken a big step aside as this is not a device with a foldable display, even though it is a device with a foldable design. Rather than a phone, it is more of a tablet that can make phone calls. And that's practically all of the big names.
Why Apple is still hesitating
As you can see, there is not much to choose from. Manufacturers don't think twice about new folding devices, and it's just a question of whether they don't trust the technology or the production is too complicated for them. Apple is also waiting, even if the information that it is preparing its jigsaw continues to grow. The price of folding Samsungs showed that such devices do not have to be the most expensive. You can get the Flip3 for about 25 CZK, so it is not far from the prices of "ordinary" iPhones. You can get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G from 40, which is already more. But here you have to consider that you get a tablet and a smartphone in a compact package, which can be against the grain of Apple in particular.
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He let it be known that he does not intend to unify the iPadOS and macOS systems. But if its foldable model were to have a diagonal almost as large as the iPad mini, it should not run iOS, which would not be able to use the potential of such a large display, but iPadOS should run on it. But how to debug such a device so that it does not cannibalize iPads or iPhones? And isn't this a merger of the iPhone and iPad lines?
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Vratislav Holub There are already patents
So Apple's biggest dilemma will not be whether to introduce a foldable device. The biggest challenge for him is who to assign it to and what part of the user base to prepare for. iPhone or iPad customers? Whether it should be an iPhone Flip, an iPad Fold or anything else, the company has prepared its ground well enough for such a product.
Of course, we are talking about patents. One shows a foldable device similar to the Z Flip, meaning it would be a clamshell design, and therefore an iPhone. The second is typically a "Foldov" construction. This should provide a 7,3 or 7,6" display (iPad mini has 8,3") and Apple Pencil support is directly offered. So there's no disputing that Apple is really into the puzzle idea.
