Apple's folding devices

Will Apple flip the market by releasing foldable iPhones, iPads and Macs?

- DAVID CROOKES

Nobody outside of Apple can say with certainty that the Cupertino giant is going to unveil a folding device. But with more and more rivals bringing foldable tech to market - from Samsung and Google to Motorola and OnePlus - there is a growing expectation, amid mounting evidence, that it will follow the same path.

"I think it's extremely likely that Apple will create a foldable iPhone and iPad at some point," respected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman tells MacFormat, and there are multiple reasons it would want to do so.

Although the foldable device market is still rather small, accounting for just 1.5% of smartphone sales, demand increased by 5% in 2024. We've also seen a trend towards larger screens. To ensure they'll still fit in your pocket or bag, foldable devices will help satiate that desire.

"People want the compelling screen size upgrades offered by a foldable device while retaining the classic Apple design and thinness," Gurman says.

But what exactly can we expect, and when are we likely to see an Apple foldable on the shelves? If the latest murmurings from Silicon Valley are anything to go by, it may now be closer to reality than ever before.

Stick or fold?

The biggest hold up, by all accounts, is Apple's insistence on getting the technology right as it seeks to pull off its tried-and-tested trick of improving on products that are already on the market. There is still a perception that foldable phones aren't durable enough; that they crack and crease all too noticeably at the fold. That pesky visible indentation can also be off-putting.

Yet, in truth, although indentations can still be seen, the major issues are largely consigned to the past. The OnePlus Open phone, for instance, is robust enough to withstand a million folds while Samsung's Z Fold 6 has a dual-rail hinge supported by a strengthened folding edge and can handle more than 200,000 folding and unfolding cycles on average.