Oh MAN I would be so excited for a trifold. I will probably buy a bifold iPhone, but I would definitely buy a trifold one.
Edit - pretty funny that two people gave me a thumbs down for liking the idea of a trifold device 😆
Last edited:
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Edit - pretty funny that two people gave me a thumbs down for liking the idea of a trifold device 😆
I think it would be a great device. I own an iPhone and an iPad. If I could own one device that took the place of both? It would be like being able to carry an iPad with you at all times, but pocketable. Sounds brilliant to me. Especially if they move to a trifold device in the future.
OK this is my last edit - I don't know why I got so obsessed with drawing this thing:
* Exactly 4:3 aspect ratio on internal screen.
* 7.8" and 5.5" screen sizes.
* 1.5mm bezels to match the current pro phones.
* TouchID on the centre of the side to help grip it when opening.
* volume rocker on the top just because I thought it was cleaner.
* Camera bar as per rumoured general design direction.
* Aluminium with a glass panel as per rumoured general design direction.
* No action button because I forgot I wasn't modelling an iPad.
* Internal selfie camera is slightly off centre from the fold, probably doesn't work.
* No external selfie camera because no FaceID and you can fold out the better quality main camera.
* Compared to an iPhone 12 mini at the end.
And if anyone is interested, this fold 3D model is 19.8mm wider (including the hinge) than an iPhone mini but 7.6mm shorter than an iPhone mini. Again - all speculation, but it's drawn based on the rumours.
Also, more iPhone mini and pro max comparisons here and here
* Exactly 4:3 aspect ratio on internal screen.
* 7.8" and 5.5" screen sizes.
* 1.5mm bezels to match the current pro phones.
* TouchID on the centre of the side to help grip it when opening.
* volume rocker on the top just because I thought it was cleaner.
* Camera bar as per rumoured general design direction.
* Aluminium with a glass panel as per rumoured general design direction.
* No action button because I forgot I wasn't modelling an iPad.
* Internal selfie camera is slightly off centre from the fold, probably doesn't work.
* No external selfie camera because no FaceID and you can fold out the better quality main camera.
* Compared to an iPhone 12 mini at the end.
And if anyone is interested, this fold 3D model is 19.8mm wider (including the hinge) than an iPhone mini but 7.6mm shorter than an iPhone mini. Again - all speculation, but it's drawn based on the rumours.
Also, more iPhone mini and pro max comparisons here and here
Last edited:
Yes, it’s likely to be much shorter but much wider than an iPhone Mini, so when it’s unfolded, it’s a lot closer to a 4X3 aspect ratio.
If I wanted to use a tablet I use my iPad. And it doesn't cost $2500.. Pass
It doesn’t seem to be very high, that’s for sure. Like you, I never see anyone with one and Apple would be stupid to release one that costs as much as the article says. I’m not dissing the article, I believe it to be true, but Apple better work really damn hard to get this thing to ~$1500/$1600 because just like the AVP, they’re gonna price themselves out of the market and nobody’s gonna buy it.
understandable. But what if you didn't want to be switching between two devices and you happen to have a LOT of disposable cash on hand. That's the market.
It's not so much as the demand as it is the need to put out a product that others have put out and get more revenue. Profit, profit, profit. That's the only motivation.
What’s the demand for foldable phones? I never see anyone using one for anything other than showing it’s a foldable phone.
It's not so much as the demand as it is the need to put out a product that others have put out and get more revenue. Profit, profit, profit. That's the only motivation.
And how large is that market? It’s teensy tiny. Android folds aren’t exactly flying out of stores in customers’ hands, Apple coming into that market with a more expensive device and a 1st generation one at that, isn’t going to do any better. It will get some of the absolute hardest of hardcore with tons of money but a lot of people that have the money don’t like folding phones.
Why use iPad when you can use $499 Mac mini attached to a battery bank and portable monitor?
I guess we'll find out. I'm betting at least 5% of Apple owners will want to move to this foldable. If so that can recoup some of the development costs and allow Apple to use this as a stepping stone to perhaps some foldable that could capture 10% or higher. That could mean taking a few percent of Android users and boost Apple's total profit. After all, it's not to replace the existing models but add to it.
Writing a comment commenting on itself is an art 👏
You can basically have this (or arguably better) now, for less, by getting an iPad for home and an iPhone for when you leave the house. This really only solves 2 use cases
- You often need more screen real estate on the go and never carry a bag
- You absolutely need a single device despite iCloud making multi-device syncing nearly seamless.
That last picture is the money shot. Yes it’s a new and weird aspect ratio, but it’s still mini sized so I’d really love this.
I don’t care for Touch ID either but it’s preposterous to not want features that you don’t use excluded. Especially when you can turn it off.
It can’t have the rounded bezel on the hinge side of the outer screen, otherwise it looks stupid like the google pixel fold.
I have an iPad at home that I never use because it isn’t very portable. A foldable would get far more use than any iPad for me.
Yeah, measured in my 3D file - this fold model is 19.8mm wider than an iPhone mini but 7.6mm shorter than an iPhone mini.
I tried my best to take into account all the current rumours. My big fix is the 4:3 internal screen at 7.8" and I worked out everything else from there.
I did completely invent the hinge mechanism, but it's based the principle on how the Samsung phones open.
A 7.8” screen at 4:3 works out to a 3.12” x 4.68” screen when folded in half, so that’s a lower bound for the dimensions when folded. For comparison, the iPhone 16 screen is 2.56” x 5.56”. (That’s actually almost the same screen area, 14.6” vs. 14.2”.) Assuming similar bezels, that would mean the foldable is around 0.56” wider and 0.88” shorter than an iPhone 16.
Yeah I was debating with myself if it should be squared or rounded on the hinge side.
I think I just got overexcited with the curve tool.
I suspect it’s also very much due to cost reasons. The Face ID components are reportedly relatively expensive. On an iPad, it would actually be useful to have Face ID both vertically and horizontally (because your hand tends to obscure the sensor in one orientation), but they’re not doing that as well. As for the foldable, there’s absolutely no necessity to place the Face ID components at the same location for the inner and outer screen. It would only leave a littles less space for the battery.
Last edited: