Apple’s folding iPhone unlikely to launch before 2025, folding iPad could come first
Apple is yet to enter the world of foldables, even while Android phone-makers have already dived into the tech for years now, exploring newer form factors, but that could change from 2024. A new report from CCS Insight via CNBC on Tuesday suggested that the Cupertino-based company will launch a folding iPad in two years’ time, followed a foldable iPhone in 2025.
This strategy is different from what we are used to seeing — Android OEMs like Samsung and Huawei have always started off with foldable smartphones rather than foldable tablets, so if the prediction is to be believed, Apple will be taking the opposite approach here, bringing the new tech to a possibly smaller iPad market, before it comes to its iPhone-lineup.
This isn’t exactly a surprise. Android phone-makers have multiple launches across various series and price-points each year, allowing them to keep the foldable launches locked to a particular series like the Samsung Galaxy Z-series, while more mainstream designs continue to stock store shelves. This isn’t a luxury Apple has, given that the brand pushes out a maximum of just four iPhones every year, all part of the same ‘series’ (five if you include the odd iPhone SE).
Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, mentioned to CNBC in an interview that “right now it doesn’t make sense for Apple to make a foldable iPhone. We think they will shun that trend and probably dip a toe in the water with a foldable iPad.” This makes perfect sense when one considers the fact that despite being the most successful tablet in the world, annual iPad sales are only a fraction of the annual iPhone sales in any given year. For any tech giant to experiment, the segments with lower market-shares are the best place to start.
“A folding iPhone will be super high risk for Apple. Firstly, it would have to be incredibly expensive in order to not cannibalise the exing iPhones,” Wood added. The analyst expanded on this adding that the first foldable iPhone could cost around $2,500, which is nearly twice of the Galaxy Z Fold series.
Wood further suggested that Apple will have to be extra careful with its foldable products, saying if the company runs into any technical issues with them, critics will not be forgiving. Apple has played it safe in recent times, letting other companies do the heavy lifting with crude technologies, and only jumping into the bandwagon when that technology reaches refinement.
Apple may produce in-house 5G modems for iPhones
In other news, the report also adds that Apple could switch to in-house 5G modems for its iPhone lineup 2025. Apple currently designs its own custom chips for iPhones and iPads but relies on chipmaker Qualcomm for modems that allow those devices to support 5G connectivity.
