While Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and Motorola have already presented their smartphones foldable, Apple would look into this problem. The question is: do we need a foldable iPhone?
A few weeks ago, I was once again able to hold a foldable mobile in my hands. To be more precise, I was even able to test two models: the new ones smartphones Samsung’s foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
They are, without a doubt, among the best devices in the world. However, they still proved why I am not convinced by the advantages of a foldable mobile.
The new Galaxy Z Fold 3 is supposed to be a smartphone a little narrower than the standard non-foldable mobile, but which opens to become a larger device.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3, on the other hand, is a mobile that is only the normal size of a smartphone when deployed. Folded, it takes up less space in your pocket. In addition, the folding mechanism is reminiscent of old mobiles from 20 years ago. A feeling of nostalgia comes in when you pick up the Flip 3.
While Galaxy fans are delighted that Samsung has managed to “hide” the front camera under the Z Fold 3’s display and make the foldable display compatible with the S-Pen, I’m not entirely sure. .
I understand why Apple hasn’t released a foldable iPhone yet.
Potential for improvement
Apple fans like to say that iPhones offer higher quality components and workmanship than their competition. Maybe it’s just a psychology trick: “If I pay more, it will be better.
However, Samsung is not known to make smartphones cheap. Especially with the S21 series, with which Samsung has created, in my opinion, a very stylish and high-quality design. However, there is room for improvement with smartphones
For one thing, the screen can’t be as good as we’re used to. If it has to be foldable, you have to make some sacrifices; And if you want it to open and close up to 200,000 times without a problem, there has to be a crease.
This means it looks more like plastic than glass. In addition, these devices attract fingerprints. Well, this is a problem that normal mobiles have too, but I got the impression that in the case of the Fold 3 and the Flip 3 a lot more.
I had these extremely expensive devices in my hands and I thought to myself, “Apple wouldn’t have released something like this.” Anyone who knows Apple knows how important design is to the business. And among the current foldable mobiles, I don’t think there are any that meet Apple’s quality standard.
The question is: is Apple looking for a solution to these problems or is it thinking differently? Because foldable mobiles undoubtedly have a lot of potential.
Folding mobiles: an escape from the smartphone crisis?
As I argued in my article Why the end of the smartphone is imminent, the hype what about the current smartphones it could be completed within the next 15 years.
However, it cannot be denied that the makers of smartphone They’ve reached a point where there’s not much to do. Chips can get a little faster year after year; batteries, more durable; and cameras; slightly better.
Manufacturers like Xiaomi or OnePlus (and Samsung too) have shown that modern features like 120Hz displays, 5G, and good cameras don’t have to be expensive.
The smartphones Foldable, on the other hand, are the new Pro models. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is now a bit cheaper than its predecessor, but still costs from $ 1,809, which is considerably more expensive than the more expensive iPhone 12 Pro Max, at 512 GB of memory (which costs $ 1,609 / MXN $ 37,999).
Although it is not surprising that smartphones Foldables fascinate people, the target audience for these devices is still quite small at the moment (they are just too expensive for the average buyer).
However, with a price adapted to the general public, foldable mobiles have a real opportunity to help the mobile phone market. smartphone to get out of the crisis.
Apple’s tactic: wait and watch
It wouldn’t be the first time in history that Apple waits, watches the competition, and then (several years later) revolutionizes the market with a perfect product. If rumors are to be trusted, the iPhone Fold (the unofficial name for what may be the first foldable iPhone) is in development.
There’s no question that Apple’s research and development department is working on something. The question is: does Apple want to make a smartphone foldable (a device that combines iPad and iPhone) or do you have something completely different in mind?
Unlike the competition, Apple has been very successful in selling tablets. Samsung also manufactures tabletsBut the sales figures fall far short of Apple’s iPad models.
The fact that Samsung decided to combine the smartphone with the Tablet logic. But if Apple bundled two successful products into one, what would it gain?
In fact, instead of winning, wouldn’t you be boycotting yourself if you introduced a foldable iPhone that turned into an iPad when unfolded?
The only real benefit is that Apple could dramatically increase the price if the iPhone Fold were two devices in one without too much sacrifice. Customers would not have to buy two devices (the iPhone and the iPad), but only one. Even though Apple would continue to lose, with fewer iPad sales.
Why no one needs an iPhone Fold
Apple should fix the problem in Samsung’s current form first. Our colleague Michael Simon from igamesnews United States describes the problem quite well:
“The proportions of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 are not ideal for working with mobile or Tablet Because Samsung designed it to be both and got the worst of both worlds.
This is why the Z Flip 3 performs so much better – it knows what it is and doesn’t try to be something else. It’s a smartphone which opens in two. The Z Fold 3 does not know if it is a smartphone or a Tablet. “
But what if Apple isn’t working on a foldable iPhone? What if Apple knows that no one really needs a foldable iPhone because there is always a sacrifice to be made: a smartphone too big or a Tablet too small.
Nail Tablet Foldable, on the other hand, which becomes a MacBook when unfolded, might just be what Apple is thinking of. So Apple could continue to sell iPhones and, on top of that, an expensive foldable iPad (let’s call it iPad Fold), priced somewhere between the iPad Pro and the MacBook.
Yo me gastaría 2.000-2.500 $ in a plegable iPad / MacBook buen, that tiene la forma correcta y no tienes que sacrificar nada, in vez of 2,000 $ in an iPhone Fold, que seguramente tendría los mismos problemas que tiene el Galaxy Z Fold 3 currently.
Obviously, my theory of a foldable iPad / MacBook is not entirely clear. As someone who works a lot at writing articles, I wouldn’t want to have to type on a numeric keypad without physical resistance.
The good news is that iPadOS is increasingly similar to macOS, although Apple has confirmed that it will not merge the two systems. But in any case, the idea is fascinating.
We probably don’t know what Apple is planning or whether it will find a solution to these issues for a few years.
Original article published in Macwelt.
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