In a move that will begin to take foldable smartphones mainstream, Counterpoint senior analyst Jene Park expects Apple to release a foldable iPhone in 2024 or 2025.
Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest high-end foldable smartphones on Wednesday, keeping prices at the same level as last year’s in a bid to cement its leadership in an expanding niche market.
The smartphone maker priced its clamshell Galaxy Z Flip4 at $999.99, and the 5G-enabled top-line Galaxy Z Fold4 with a 7.6-inch main screen to start at $1,799.99 in the United States, the same as the launch prices of last year’s models.
Counterpoint Research forecast global shipments of foldable smartphones to grow to 16 million units this year, just 1.2% of the 1.36 billion smartphone shipments forecast…
“Foldables have helped Samsung differentiate itself… Apple will be Samsung’s key competitor in the future and we expect a foldable to be released from Apple in either 2024 or 2025,” said Counterpoint senior analyst Jene Park.
MacDailyNews Take: In May 2021, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors that Apple is working to launch an 8-inch foldable iPhone featuring a QHD+ flexible OLED display in 2023.
The foldable smartphone market is not a market until the creator of the modern smartphone enters the field – which it will quickly dominate.
As with fingerprint and facial recognition, when Apple debuts a foldable iPhone, then foldable smartphones will have been done right. — MacDailyNews, January 17, 2019
We’ll see a mess of weird attempts before Apple shows how it’s to be done, as usual. — MacDailyNews, January 23, 2019
If and when Apple debuts a foldable iPhone, they’ll be showing the world how it should be done and what to copy going forward. As usual. — MacDailyNews, February 27, 2019
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I’m still waiting for my EFC Global.
Here’s why I do not think it will happen as a shipping product, although Apple is probably building prototypes to experiment. Current folding phones have a secondary “outside” screen (for use when phone is closed). That necessity shows actual customers don’t want to bother opening the phone to use it most of the time. Apple tends to minimize mechanical complexity. The complex hinge and folding screen significantly increase moving parts and decrease long-term reliability. Apple likes thinness and lightless. A folding phone needs to be twice as thick. The hinge mechanism and extra screen add weight. Apple avoids copying what the competition is doing, for example, original iPhone (versus every other existing smartphone in 2007). If Apple does something with folding screen, it will look and work nothing like the “concept” render show here.
I was going to try folding the iPhone that I have now, but I am afraid that would void the warranty.