I'm ready for a foldable iPhone, so what's Apple waiting for?

iphone flip concept
(Image credit: Technizo Concept/LetsGoDigital)

Do I really want the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, or am I just jealous there’s no foldable iPhone yet?

I brought this question to Twitter last week after Samsung’s new clamshell foldable, along with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, debuted. As it turns out, a good number of people share my envy.

Since the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, I’ve watched Samsung unleash foldable after foldable. In the weeks following each announcement, I’ve questioned whether a foldable phone is something I want, or if I’m simply swept up in the hype. 

Price usually dampened my temporary desire. The first Samsung Galaxy Z Flip started at $1,380, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 cost $1,799. For comparison, my iPhone 12 Pro Max with 256GB of storage cost a softer $1,199. Samsung just changed the game by starting the latest Galaxy Z Flip 3 at $999 — less than the entry-level 12 Pro Max.

With the issue of price diffused, I’ve been able to better gauge my interest in Samsung’s new smartphones. Beyond the wow-factor of an unfolding display, the biggest reason I like foldables is my affinity for large screens. The Galaxy Z Flip 3’s interior display is the same size as my iPhone 12 Pro Max’s: 6.7 inches. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 opens to an epic 7.6 inches. The best part? These phones also offer pocket-friendly forms. 

I know a few of my colleagues aren’t sold on foldables, arguing the category needs more time to mature. I’m not as skeptical, but I am faced with the limitations of my brand loyalty.

Several signs point to Apple working on an iPhone Flip or some kind of foldable iPhone. When it does materialize, I’m sure the company will list a dozen reasons why all prior foldable smartphones got it wrong. Apple has a history of playing it safe with certain products, not worried about being first to release dates if it means getting the given product right. I’m sure the infamous bendgate fiasco of 2016 contributes to Apple’s unhurried approach, too.

As much as I want the first foldable iPhone to be practically perfect, I also want one now. I’m even willing to see an experimental version, first. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 (but mostly the $999 Z Flip 3) are convincing me more than any other handsets that switching to Android would be worthwhile.

Where's my foldable iPhone?

Though it'd be nice for Apple's foldable strategy to cater to my very personal impatience, it's more likely the company is casting a larger net when considering its foldable timeline.

In a survey of 2,000 people conducted by YouGov earlier this year, only 13% of iPhone owners are 'very interested' in buying a foldable phone. Meanwhile, 26% of the same demographic is 'not interested at all' in folding devices. Another 22% of iPhone users said they are 'not very interested.'

I think these iPhone users need to see an actual folding iPhone before knowing they want it. The iPhone's design has inspired intense brand allegiance, mostly because the iPhone 12 lineup look is still reminiscent of the first-generation. You know an iPhone when you see an iPhone, no matter the year it came out.

A folding iPhone would deviate from the product's iconic design. It's complicated to ask someone if they're interested in buying something unfamiliar, or something that would look significantly different from what they already know.

Still, I wonder if Samsung's new foldables would change the survey results. Now that it's possible to get a foldable phone for less than $1,000, would iPhone users have a different opinion? It has certainly piqued my interest.

TOPICS
Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.

Read more
iPhone flip potential render
iPhone Flip: Has Apple already missed its moment to make a foldable phone?
iPhone Flip foldable iPhone
iPhone Flip: Everything we know about Apple's foldable phone plans
Galaxy Z Fold 6 shown in hand
2024 is the year Samsung fell behind on foldables — here's why
iPhone Flip Concept
iPhone Flip tipped to eliminate the biggest design flaw with foldable phones — here's how
Galaxy S25 Ultra render and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
I'm a lifelong Apple user, and I’m not convinced the Samsung Galaxy S25 will be worth the switch — here’s why
Rendered images of rumored foldable iPhone.
Massive foldable iPhone leak just tipped key specs, release window and a very high price
Latest in iPhones
iPhone 17 Pro render
iPhone 17 Ultra just tipped to replace Pro Max in new leak — with these key upgrades
RCS messaging on an iPhone
Forget green bubbles — iPhones will soon get encrypted RCS messaging to Androids
iPhone 17 Pro render
iPhone 17 Pro Max leak claims it’s ready for production — and seems to confirm its new design
iPhone 16e review.
iPhone 16e is facing Bluetooth problems — here's what's going on
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Air vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Everything we know so far
iOS 19 logo on an iPhone
iOS 19 risks turning Apple Intelligence into the new Siri — and that's not good
Latest in Opinion
A person plugging a coaxial cable into the wall
I finally added internet to my kitchen and all it took was my old cable TV wiring — here’s how
Apple Intelligence on an iPhone screen
Apple analysts sound alarm on Siri delay — here’s why
samsung galaxy s25 edge mockup at galaxy unpacked
Galaxy S25 Edge is overhyped — I want Samsung to make this phone thinner instead
Dyson V7
I tried this DIY vacuum cleaning hack — and it solved one of my biggest problems
Adam Scott and Britt Lower in "Severance."
'Severance' season 2 episode 9 sets the stage for an epic season finale — here's why
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
I just saw Cyberpunk 2077 running on a Mac Studio — and I couldn't be more excited