Being the age I am, I’m just old enough to remember flip-phones.

A relatively simple concept that has been on my mind lately for reasons I’ll get to. Widely considered obsolete unless you just want a cheap phone to make calls etc., these phones featured a screen on one side, a keypad on the other, with a hinge joint between the two.

The reason that this device has been dragged back to the front of my brain in recent weeks is because I am reminded of them every time I see this:

To be clear: I’m aware that this foldable iphone is not the first foldable modern smartphone (I know Samsung released them years ago also).

But I’m also left wondering: what is the point? I think I can perfectly understand the use of flip phones as they were when they were popular, but foldable phones I just can’t see the benefit. As far as I can see, these foldable type of phones offer little to no benefit that you couldn’t get from, say a regular iPhone or Samsung phone, in terms of the consumer and how they are used in general life. I get that the hardware/software may be different, but that’s not going to be a factor in most people’s daily lives (you’re not going to care about the type of core, or the screen resolution when you make a phone call, etc.) It seems like it’s more of a gimmick from the companies making them to try and make more sales, but even if that’s the case, the product must have something unique to offer, so what is it about foldable phones that are so unique besides the gimmick of folding?

  • GatesMcBalmer@lemmy.world
    7·
    16 hours ago

    You are so close! You see, there are people that would like to have an iPad mini in their pocket, but its too big. These are the people who want the folding iPhone. Check this out, when unfolded, the new iPhone has almost the same size screen as …the iPad Mini!

    • Cyril Strobe@sh.itjust.worksOP
      25·
      16 hours ago

      I’m not saying you don’t have a point btw I get what you’re trying to say, I just don’t think it’s worth the money for the size difference to be honest. The average cost of the iPhone 18 pro max is around $1,300, and the average cost of the duo is closer to $2,000. I get that the price will drop for the duo, but right now, I just don’t see the point of spending $800 more on 1.5 inch extra screen width for a device that can’t functionally do much more that any other iPhone as far as I’m aware, and I’m sure I’m not the only one out there.

      • GatesMcBalmer@lemmy.world
        3·
        9 hours ago

        don’t see the point of spending $800 more on 1.5 inch extra screen width

        The screen is the point.

        It might seem like the iPhone 18 pro max is similar in size by the diagonal measurement. When measuring by area its not even close. The iPhone Duo has a screen area of 27.1"sq which is almost double 50% more than the iPhone 18 pro max screen area of 18.1"sq. That is a very substantial difference. Whether that is worth the price difference is up to the buyer of course, but you do get almost twice as much 50% more screen on the Duo.

        Essentially, the Duo is better understood as a foldable iPad mini that feels and works like a phone when folded.

    • Cyril Strobe@sh.itjust.worksOP
      16·
      16 hours ago

      The same could be said of the iPhone 18 pro max: it’s only like an inch and a bit less wide, so not that different really