If Apple enters the foldable wars, could the iPhold or the iPhlip take the Galaxy Z to the cleaners?

There is a game called football and once every four years, billion people watch the finals, so American readers can forgive my French as I'm going to call it soccer in the next 30 seconds.

Why am I talking about football?

There is a certain position in the game – it is called “striker” and the sole objective of the striker is to score goals. Sometimes there are what are called “lazy forwards”: they don't engage in teamwork and simply wait for the rest of the team to do the hard work and pass the ball to them. Then they score a goal and deflect the applause.

Is Apple a lazy attacker?

Now that we've introduced the term “lazy striker”, it's time to stop playing football – sorry, soccer – the terminology.

“Is Apple a lazy attacker? This is the question we should ask ourselves in light of recent rumors about the Cupertino giant and its future foldable projects.

Nothing is confirmed yet, but there are (again) reports that a foldable iPhone looks like a reality as Apple prepares prototypes resembling the Galaxy Z Flip.

As an aside: I have no idea what Apple is going to name this clamshell device, so I'll just call it (and its possible Fold sibling) something like this:

• iPhlip: a flip foldable phone (think Galaxy Z Flip series)
• iPhold: A book-style foldable (think Galaxy Z Fold series)

“iFold” and “iFlip” just don't seem to work for me.

Let's return to the question of Apple's alleged laziness. It's no secret that the people of Cupertino are not out of breath about being ahead of everyone else in terms of innovations and taking risks related to technology. “Reinvent” is the term many apply to Apple, and I wonder (not) why…

You see, according to the latest information, Apple would enter the foldable market not in 2024, nor in 2025, but in 2026… possibly. By then, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 should be a thing, and the Galaxy Z Flip 9 could be in the works.

But why isn't Apple in a hurry to release the iPhlip in 2024?

As noted above, Apple doesn't want to rush things. Yes, there are truly magical foldable phones (to name a few: OnePlus Open, Honor Magic V2, Motorola Razr Plus, Oppo Find N3 Flip, Samsung's latest Galaxy Z devices), but making such a gadget is not a walk. in the park. There are many things that surely give a headache to those who dare to make a foldable:

1. Hinge: how to make this thing hard? And what about the crease in the middle of the screen?
2. Display(s): the exterior displays of folding books are often of poor quality;
3. Form factor: “Yes, it can bend and bend, but can it fit properly in my palm?”
4. Weight: I don't want to carry a brick in my pocket;
5. Sustainability: “I want to take my freaking foldable phone to the beach with me!”;
6. Battery: let's separate the batteries and see if we have any trouble;
7. Cameras): a foldable may seem big, but in reality, there is little room to store the latest and greatest cameras (the OnePlus Open is an exception to this rule).

Apple (being Apple) will strive to build a foldable that is “muy caliente,” as they say in Florida – and the marketing team will work overtime to convince us that this is a new technology that is poised to change the world and redefine the way we communicate and ultimately the way we live. This is Apple's method.

There are other reasons to avoid the iPhlip/iPhold at this time

Besides, Apple has a much bigger problem to solve. In addition to passing the collapsible lake without swimming, Apple must catch up (and then keep up) with the rest of the gang in terms of AI. Samsung, Google, and virtually every Chinese phone-making giant is aggressively integrating AI into their devices. Not to mention the whole new product category launched by Apple with the Vision Pro. This space computing ecosystem that looks straight out of science fiction will monopolize a large part of Apple's resources. Until he grows up, he will need a lot of childcare.

The pros and cons of the iPhlip clamshell

There are many pros and cons to the flip phone design: yes, it fits in your pocket, the flip action is very cool and nostalgic, the interior screen is protected when folded, and it's sexy (I have you already said it?)…

On the other hand (pun intended), opening a flip phone requires extra hand movement (unless you flip phones for a living and are a Pro One-Stop Phone Opener). hand). Plus, the moment of nostalgia can turn into a cold shower once you find that the crease in the middle of the screen doesn't excite you. Additionally, you can expect much lower camera performance than a “standard” phone.

There is also the timing of the price. These toys aren't cheap (but what about these days?)

What about Google and the Pixel Fold 2?

Yes, there is also Google: the Pixel Fold 2 is expected this fall. For the moment, everything is going as planned and once again, we are seeing spectacular leaks six months before the official announcement of the Pixel Fold 2.It's interesting why Google is avoiding the Pixel Flip launch, but that's probably a topic for next week.

For the finals

Back to the investigation of this article: Can Apple beat Samsung in the Galaxy Z Flip/Fold game? (Chinese foldables don't really pose a threat to Apple in the US, so the big battle will be with Samsung…)

Being a lazy attacker pays off: if you're smart, you can observe and take notes on how others handle problems; and then you can avoid them. You will be insulted, but I don't see Apple losing any sleep over being called a “lazy attacker.”

The only problem is that Apple doesn't play on the same team as Samsung, Google and the others. They are rivals. And if Apple decides to wait too long to enter the foldable business, then the competition could be well ahead.