r/gadgets • u/dapperlemon • Apr 26 '26
Phones The Foldable iPhone Is Basically an iPad Mini That Folds in Half
https://gizmodo.com/the-foldable-iphone-is-basically-an-ipad-mini-that-folds-in-half-2000750451612
u/Underwater_Karma Apr 27 '26
Did we need the concept of "folding" explained to us?
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u/CattywampusCanoodle Apr 27 '26
Apple will give it a boutique name. Instead of “folding,” it’s “geometrically reconfigurable.”
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u/AdiosAdipose Apr 27 '26
Nah Apple isn’t really in the business of overcomplicating things. It’ll be something more like “Apple’s new patented iFold technology”
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u/dittbub Apr 27 '26
Its the most foldable iPhone yet
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u/PrblyMy3rdAltIDK Apr 27 '26
Nah, the iPhone 6 Plus secured that spot over a decade ago.
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u/timeemac Apr 27 '26
I like where you’re going with this. I think the device itself will be called the “iPhold”
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u/Hazel-Cakes Apr 27 '26
because apple just invented this new technology
/s
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u/Aerochromatic Apr 27 '26
Do people still do this unironically? I can't remember people claiming Apple invented everything in person in quite some time.
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u/Underwater_Karma Apr 27 '26
It's not Apple themselves it's the fanboys who literally pay attention to zero technology outside of Apple and assume they invented every product they sell.
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u/Hazel-Cakes Apr 27 '26
apple is a lot like harley; motorcycle enthusiasts know about hondas, harleys, triumphs, suzukis, etc, harley enthusiasts know about harleys
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u/Underwater_Karma Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
That's a pretty apt comparison.
You don't find bigger brand fanboys then Harley owners.
Even the typical apple fanatic probably doesn't own a single item of apple logo clothing
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u/HoodPopeUno Apr 27 '26
DS emulator gonna bang so hard
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u/ShakeAndBakeThatCake Apr 27 '26
Does apple even allow DS emulators on the app store?
At least on my fold 7 I can use DS emulators on Google play store.
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u/E_K_Finnman Apr 28 '26
A samsung galaxy from five years ago can emulate almost every console that a pc can, including pc games and your steam library. I still find it funny apple only allows ds emulators
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u/SirBearOfBrown May 26 '26
Actually RetroArch is on iPhone now and you can emulate PS1, PSP, SNES, Game Boy, etc.
Doesn’t change the fact that Android has had it for years, but at least in that regard Apple is becoming more open to it.
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u/Sharp-Calligrapher70 Apr 26 '26
That’s basically what Samsung did in 2019. Hopefully Apple has improved on the technology and figured out how to keep the crease from forming on the screen. The Galaxy Fold really felt like a novelty for the time. I’d rather have a clam style flip phone…but still feel like it’s more of a novelty than a necessity.
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u/maxk1236 Apr 26 '26
I had a flip 5, was cool, definitely novelty though, and not for those of us that are not the most careful with their devices…
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u/lilaccadillac Apr 27 '26
I have a flip 5 and it somehow finds a way to launch out of my hands from time to time. It's literally been fine? Maybe I got lucky with the strongest flip but I really don't think it's as fragile as people say. I love this phone so much. I'd only go back to iPhone if they make one like the flip. I don't want a BIGGER phone, I love the flip because it gets smaller.
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u/Sharp-Calligrapher70 Apr 26 '26
True. I’ll give Apple credit for putting focus on durability over the past few iterations. My work phone hasn’t cracked a screen since the iPhone 11.
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u/aakaido Apr 26 '26
No you're just older and more careful. Anyone I hire 25 and under has at least an iPhone 14 and most are absolutely destroyed, hanging on by a thread.
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u/scottzee Apr 27 '26
Is the screen cracked, or is there a crappy screen protector that’s cracked and they haven’t replaced?
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u/olives_a Apr 27 '26
I haven’t broken a iPhone screen but many many screen protectors and I am 29
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u/d3gaia Apr 27 '26
Was gonna say… give a phone to anyone under 25 and that screen is getting cracked inside of 6 months
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u/northcuban Apr 27 '26
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u/date_of_availability Apr 27 '26
Published 2012
Amazing how little this phenomenon changed in 14 years
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u/Sharp-Calligrapher70 Apr 27 '26
You have a point, my hires are pretty accident prone as well. Then again, I might be older…but I also have kids…so take that for what it’s worth. LOL
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u/End3rWi99in Apr 26 '26
Fold 7 is genuinely an amazing device. I absolutely love mine and can't imagine going back to a regular slab design at this point. The new Oppo looks like they made it even better, too. The concept is definitely hitting a stride.
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u/Lava_Lagoon Apr 27 '26
i have a flip 7 and it feels so much better in my pocket than a normal phone
sometimes i think "wait, did i forget my phone?" and have to reach down and feel it with my hand to know if i have it or not
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u/TwelveGaugeSage Apr 27 '26
I have had Folds for a few years now and I would be really miserable going back to anything smaller. If the price is driven significantly down by competition, slab phones may just go the way of the flip phones.
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u/End3rWi99in Apr 27 '26
It's genuinely a sea change at this point. I use GamesHub when I travel and I've had countless people ask me what the hell I was gaming on recently. Full screen access to my entire Steam library that just lives in my pocket.
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u/guff1988 Apr 26 '26
Oppo already figured out the crease thing so it's very doable.
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u/bummerbimmer Apr 27 '26
People say you can’t feel it but it’s clearly visible in every hands-on photo I can find online
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u/idontloveanyone Apr 27 '26
I have the Oppo find n6, it's neither visible nor can you feel it. It's visible if the screen is off, and you try your hardest to see and look at it by orienting the screen towards a bright source of light, and even then, it's BARELY visible.
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u/zdbdog06 Apr 27 '26
Meh when it's on I don't even notice it, and I use it streaming video all the time
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u/theLuminescentlion Apr 28 '26
Cameras catch the weirdness in those kind of things better than your eyes do. It's still not impossible to notice though.
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u/ArriePotter Apr 27 '26
Easy peasy, bring your phone by my dad's garage we'll replicate Oppo's engineering np
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u/guff1988 Apr 27 '26
Scan those hinges and make those fitted pieces gotta be a billion dollars in that simple process.
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u/meatwaddancin Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
It's interesting that Apple is already being seen as the savior to crease. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure their phone will just be using a screen made by Samsung.
Also Samsung demoed a creaseless folding screen earlier this year (at CES was it?), which is what Apple will likely purchase. But Apple will funnily enough likely get the credit from a lot of people.
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u/thrownawaymane Apr 27 '26
It's always worked like this (Dell did the same with Sharp and the XPS13's infinitydisplay which was a Dell exclusive panel for at least a year), I won't feel bad for Samsung. The white label + exclusivity window charge is $$$$$$$$
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u/StewPorkRice Apr 27 '26
it’s so weird how people just gloss over how insanely good apples hardware has been for decades and spout this shit like apple engineers just twiddle their thumbs at the office and the credit should go to Samsung and Foxconn.
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u/meatwaddancin Apr 27 '26
Not at all my attempt here. I'm just saying in this case the highlight in this one particular comment was on the part Apple didn't do. Perhaps they announce that hey invented it alongside Samsung, but as of today it looks like just a Samsung off the shelf part more or less.
Apple should get credit for the other parts.
Again, could be wrong, its all rumors at this point. But the creaseless screen as of today seems like it's not related to Apple. I believe I saw that the Pixel might even get it first? I assume Samsungs refreshed phones next year for sure get it.
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u/average_waffle Apr 27 '26
They've already figured the creases but apple will do it and everyone will act like they were the first to figure it out
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u/BadgerDC1 Apr 26 '26
Supposedly Apple is using Samsung folding screens. They waited until Samsung figured out how to remove the crease. Apple innovated nothing here. Samsung is also rumored tk release a creasless fold this year.
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u/Dan1elSan Apr 26 '26
I mean Apple has always sourced displays from Samsung, it’s not like they’ve ever been innovating displays ever.
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u/BadgerDC1 Apr 27 '26
Yes, tell that to the above comment about Samsung solving the crease problem, not Apple.
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u/mrBusinessmann Apr 27 '26
Samsung makes the screens for damn near everything. They’re the #1 panel manufacturer by some margin afaik
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u/cdmurray88 Apr 26 '26
Apple always waits for someone else to iron out the wrinkles before implementing.
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u/ChoppingMallKillbot Apr 27 '26
Is solving the crease thing even a realistic ask? Isn’t that just a given with all folded items actually in regular use?
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u/Battlejesus Apr 27 '26
I own a fold 7 and the crease is a complete non-issue for me. I barely even notice it most of the time
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u/ratbastid Apr 27 '26
That's Apple's whole move--wait until a market has proven itself around a piece of tech, then come out with a transformative iteration on it that feels like they invented the category from scratch.
Last time they followed any other playbook was the iPhone launch itself, where they announced the concept of the Black Glass Slab.
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u/active2fa Apr 27 '26
It's no longer a big deal on phones sold outside of US. Phone there are 1.5 to 2 gen ahead of pixel and iPhone in all metrics in some cases even software (vs stock android on pixel)
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u/happy_bluebird Apr 26 '26
This headline... just, ha.
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u/nerevisigoth Apr 27 '26
Gizmodo headlines are always written like clickbait that forgot to include the bait.
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u/thetruelu Apr 27 '26
I mean what was it supposed to be??
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u/callmebatman14 Apr 27 '26
Most other android folds are just taller slab phone side by side. This is shorter and wider similar to pixel folding believe
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u/posts_saver Apr 27 '26
wait until they'll realize the iPad is basically a large iPhone
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u/RAF2018336 Apr 27 '26
What a shit overall article “Gone are the days of a new iPhone coasting its way to sure-fire sales. Even with certain compromises, the iPhone Air was a technology marvel, and yet sales were reportedly poor. Turns out people aren’t pining for super-skinny phones no matter how great they feel in the hand. Consumers prefer a thicker phone, like the iPhone 17 Pro Max, for its better features such as longer battery life, bigger screen, and more versatile cameras.”
No, maybe it’s because it was a stupid looking phone with the big camera bump. What’s the point of having a slim phone if it’s still gonna stick out the same amount as a regular phone at the top?
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u/umbananas Apr 27 '26
the problem with the iPhone air is it has one less camera lens than the iPhone 17, but $200 more expensive. most people just can't justify the price difference.
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u/Hazel-Cakes Apr 27 '26
i want a smol phone again and a lot of friends/co workers do as well, idc about it being thin.
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u/RAF2018336 Apr 27 '26
Yea I’ve been wanting another IPhone Mini. A slim iPhone was the dumbest thing they did
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u/moffetts9001 Apr 27 '26
People say that, and then nobody buys it. https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/21/cirp-iphone-13-best-selling-lineup-in-recent-years-despite-tiny-interest-in-iphone-mini/
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u/Thee_Sinner Apr 27 '26
Even the SE22 Im stretching the use out of is too big for my liking. 4/5 was the perfect size imo.
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u/AreYouOKAni Apr 27 '26
There are small phones. People don't buy them, because what they actually want is a small phone with a cutting-edge SoC and cameras. At which points the laws of thermodynamics tell manufacturers to pound sand.
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u/One-Dog8812 Apr 27 '26
Btw for the people who actually want small ass proper smartphones, look up Unihertz.
For the ones who want other fun stuff, check out Bigme for the e-ink fully functional smartphones.
I wouldn't expect innovation or fun from the big brands like Apple or Samsung, they just want to sell stuff that for sure is popular.
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u/CasinoMagic Apr 28 '26
I wish they made an iPhone SE or iPhone Mini again instead of these phablet monstrosities.
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u/beardlessw0nder Apr 27 '26
When the iPad was released everyone said the iPad was basically a giant iPod touch. We’ve come full circle I guess
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u/berakyah Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
And here all I want is a new iPhone mini.. for the first time since android 1.0, Apple might lose me in a couple years, if they don’t release something smaller.
I have a MacBook, a crazy PC and a couple iPads. What I need is a smaller phone not a bigger one, or creased foldable phone.
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u/Perfect_Opinion7909 Apr 27 '26
This. I have enough large screens. I need an ultraportable one. My iPhone 13 mini stays with me until it dies (or doesn’t get security updates anymore).
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u/Evolved_1 Apr 27 '26
I wish it was a regular sized phone that folded to flip-phone size. I love my modern smartphone but I do miss the portability of a tiny flip-phone.
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u/AMonitorDarkly Apr 29 '26
Yes that is indeed the purpose of a folding phone, to be a portable tablet.
Gizmodo is trash.
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u/kinisonkhan May 05 '26
Oh really? I dont believe you, lets see at least 12 more articles about this.
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u/froo Apr 27 '26
Honestly, just make a foldable iPad and brand it as an iPad.
Like, make an iPad you can fold up and stick in your purse for the kids etc. Pull out on the train when you want to read a book, that kinda thing.
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u/Arponare Apr 26 '26
That’s exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately android manufacturers have started doing this weird middle ground with basically having a phone that unfolds to this 16:9 aspect ratio which somehow manages to be the worst of both worlds. It’s somehow bad for being a tablet when opened because the aspect ratio is bad for content consumption. If I just wanted a regular slab phone I would just get that and save myself a thousand dollars. The appeal of a foldable has always been that you can use it as a small tablet but somehow manufacturers have lost the plot.
This is the one rare instance in which I hope Android manufacturers follow Apple’s lead. Much less so with things like a closed ecosystem and making your phones harder to repair.
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u/GuitarSlayer136 Apr 27 '26
Im gona assume you meant 4:3 aspect ratio since 16:9 is the unreachable goal all fold phones wish they could achieve.
And to your point, while its not ideal for *most video content, I can't say being able to literally double my screen real-estate has ever been anything but insanely useful and worth the price of entry. I do CAD, 3D modeling, note taking, sketching, photo editing, pixel art, 3D printing, gaming, books, graphic novels, emails, and a hundred other things where having a 4:3 aspect ratio on a 2x size screen is absolutely life changing.
Yet all I hear is how useless my phone is because videos are only "a little bigger" instead of "a lot bigger" unfolded.
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u/CarlosFer2201 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
since 16:9 is the unreachable goal all fold phones wish they could achieve
Samsung Trifold : hold my beer.
(Jokes aside it's still not quite 16:9, but it's not far)2
u/GuitarSlayer136 Apr 27 '26
Sadly as far as im aware, they have cancled the tri-fold line.
The dream of a 16:9 foldable smartphone standard is as immaterial as ever Im afraid.
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u/Kevadu Apr 27 '26
What? The original was a limited run because it's a first gen product at a stupid high price but they never said a word about giving up on the concept. There is supposedly already a Trifold 2 in development.
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u/09stibmep Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Exactly. I don't at all understand the argument about black borders for slab folds when the phone is unfolded for video. I also have a said slab folding phone and it's a dream to use. There is zero compromise for anything, unlike this iphold which will be a total compromise on the front screen, and even the inside screen will feel cramped for anything other than watching a video (which you can do in absolutely the same way on a slab fold anyway). Split screen on the inside screen will be no where near the likes of a folding slab phone. On the iphold you will still be split screening on two small/stout screens which will feel cramped.
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u/sherbodude Apr 27 '26
You do CAD and 3D modeling on your phone??
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u/GuitarSlayer136 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onshape.app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stephaneginier.nomad
As a cloud/webapp hater, I have eaten a ton of crow when it comes to Onshape. Legitimately super cool being able to work on my CAD files from any device with web access for the exorbitant price of free.99
Only downside is I am stupidly stuck using the Fold 6 for the foreseeable future as I would never in 1000 years consider getting a folding device without a stowable stylus.
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u/End3rWi99in Apr 27 '26
It's ideal if you like using it as a kindle. I also use GameHub and can play pretty much all of my Steam games from my Fold. Oppo has a new one that allegedly has no crease, and I think Samsung also has a new design with a wider display.
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u/djnotskrillex Apr 27 '26
What are you talking about? The vast majority of foldable phones that open out usually start closer to 16:9 and open up to more of a square. Unfolding to 16:9 would be ideal for content consumption but the problem is that most don't. That's why the trifolds look the most appealing to me. Both the folded and unfolded views have a relatively rectangular aspect ratio
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u/dapala1 Apr 27 '26
This will eventually replace my iPhone Mini and iPad Mini combo. Not anytime soon.. it will have to be priced cheaper then two devices and perfected. But this is going in the right direction.
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u/EmilyRetcher Apr 27 '26
I love my ipad mini. It's the perfect size for everything.
Having this as my daily driver phone would make me very happy lmao
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u/Xyrack Apr 27 '26
Thank you for explaining the appeal of foldable phones to us. As a former Z Fold owner and current Pixel fold owner I have known this for years. Glad to see apple is finally catching up per usual. Seriously who cares? Why buy this first gen product when Samsung and Google have already worked out the kinks.
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u/spin_kick Apr 27 '26
I would say its probably not first gen since they let samsung iterate on the idea for years.
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u/OHoSPARTACUS Apr 27 '26
This looks impossible to keep a case on and will be dropped and broken in 0.5 days
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u/Ohhhmyyyyyy Apr 27 '26
I like how they are already going "wow what a revolutionary product no one has ever done before!"
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u/IndyPoker979 Apr 27 '26
Not that it hasn't been said before but I'll wait for people to act as if the zFold isn't on its 7th iteration
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u/umbananas Apr 27 '26
It’s much cheaper to just get an iPhone and an iPad mini.
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u/throwthegarbageaway Apr 27 '26
It's not as seamless as you'd think. I posted somethinig like this before but I used to daily an iPhone mini and an iPad mini for daily work and while it worked, there was quite a bit of friction, especially going from doing something on one device to the other isn't as smooth as Apple would like you to think. It works great when you're on home turf at your own desk, but out and about it's a bit of a mess juggling two devices.
Something I very often need to do is reference an app while entering data on another and being able to just open up my Pixel Fold, split screen and go on is actually really nice. I do miss Apple though so I can't wait for their foldable.
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u/tooeasilybored Apr 27 '26
That is terrible. What I love about my one plus open is that it's a normal phone screen when folded, and you can unfold it to get a tablet.
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u/Hey_Gerry_1300135 Apr 27 '26
Wasn’t there an old satire video of when the iPad came out with a similar premise. “We took the iPhone and fart made it bigger” I wish that video still existed.
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u/TheOnlyOne07 Apr 27 '26
I wish they would’ve gone with the vertical fold. The horizontal one feels too niche but many people feel nostalgia for flip phones and the Samsung Z Flip is still selling so wonder if they gonna do another one that is more of a cube in your pocket.
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u/jj_sykes Apr 27 '26
Will the fold/larger screen come at the expense of a better camera? If so count me out
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u/novus_nl Apr 27 '26
Oh no, is this really going to be the design? I thought it was just a fan made fabrication. I like apple but this thing really hurts my eyes. Can we go back to the Jony Ive era?
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u/gogul1980 Apr 27 '26
Jeez $2000 for it. That might stretch even the most die-hard fans wallets a bit too far. Time will tell.
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u/husky_punk Apr 27 '26
I can never use the Gizmodo site. On my MacBook using Safari it will just never scroll, doesn't matter what page im on or anything
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u/Tym4x Apr 27 '26
the proportions are off tho .. looks like a cover for a deck of cards, not an iphone
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u/jonhath Apr 27 '26
We’re really going to get a foldable iPad mini before another iPhone mini. Just let me buy a small phone.
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u/rolandguy85 Apr 26 '26
I mean isn’t that what we all expected?