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Tag: foldables

  • It Sure Seems Like the Foldable iPhone Will Be a Wide Boi

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    Apple’s very long-rumored foldable iPhone is finally starting to take shape. Expected to arrive in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, the foldable iPhone is not only supposedly going to have a small-ish external screen when closed, but it’s increasingly looking likely that it’ll have wider dimensions than Android foldables like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

    “Unlike other foldable phones made by Samsung and Google, Apple’s product will have an aspect ratio similar to that of Apple’s largest iPads when viewed in landscape mode, meaning it will be more wide than tall when unfolded,” reports The Information (via 9to5Mac).

    There are a few reasons why I could see Apple ship a foldable iPhone with a wider aspect ratio compared to its competitors. The first is that Apple needs its foldable iPhone to be recognizable instantly. In a sea of Android book-style foldables that are all taller than they are wide when closed, there would be no mistaking a foldable iPhone.

    The second is software. Think about an iPad running iPadOS 26 and how its latest windows-based multitasking works. It’s designed for landscape orientation. An iPhone that opens up to a widescreen tablet device would mean software consistency and familiarity for users. As somebody who has tested nearly every book-style foldable, it’s less cramped running two or three apps on a wider foldable display than it is on a taller one.

    I could easily picture Apple next fall touting the benefit of having an iPad app’s sidebar on the left half of the foldable iPhone and content on the right. Notes, Photos, Files—Apple loves trumpeting a sidebar and how it makes it easier to organize your content. I could also imagine a redesigned Apple Books app to feel more like you’re flipping pages on a real book.

    A wider foldable iPhone also makes more sense for watching videos and playing mobile games. On the Z Fold 7 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold, videos are sandwiched between thick black bars (letterboxing), which makes them look no larger than on a big regular touchscreen phone. The only way to get larger video dimensions with smaller black bars is to rotate the foldable, in which the video will fill up more pixels. Videos in 16:9 or 2:1 would automatically appear much larger on a wider foldable screen. The crease would run vertically down the middle, but apparently Apple has solved that, or at the very least, reduced its visibility. The usefulness of a significantly larger screen for consuming content is arguably the biggest reason why book-style foldables even exist.

    Leaker @UniverseIce shared on X what a foldable iPhone with a 4:3 aspect ratio would look like when unfolded. ETNews, another source, which has semi-accurately leaked details on unreleased Apple and Samsung products, also said that Samsung is planning to release its own foldable with a wide aspect ratio in Q3 2026 to compete with the foldable iPhone.

    Not a new idea

    A foldable phone that’s wider than it is tall when it’s unfolded wouldn’t be an Apple invention. Countless other companies have tried a similar form factor. These “passport-style” devices, like the original Google Pixel Fold and the Oppo Find N, and even the dual-screen Microsoft Surface Duo, all failed to catch on.

    © JOSH EDELSON / Contributor / Getty Images

    The design intent of these devices all seemed logical, but they all either suffered from subpar hardware, poorly optimized software, or both. Consumers preferred foldable phones that worked more like a regular phone when closed, but still allowed for a bigger screen when unfolded. Known for elegantly combining hardware and software, Apple could bring its expertise to the still relatively niche foldables market, so to speak. Smaller dimensions when closed would also make the device more pocketable, something wider passport-shaped foldables were not.

    There’s almost 9 months before Apple is expected to announce the foldable iPhone, and more leaks will certainly drip out in the new year. One thing I’m sure about is that the foldable iPhone’s complete schematics haven’t leaked out yet.

    As MacRumors Senior Editor Tim Hardwick pointed out, the alleged CADs detailing the dimensions are from a concept created by a MacRumors forum member “based on rumored specs dating back to May.”

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    Raymond Wong

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  • Samsung launches Z Fold7 and Z Flip7, adds a cheaper Z Flip7 FE to its foldable lineup | TechCrunch

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    For the past few years, Samsung has released two foldable phones at its Unpacked event. This year, however, the company has added a cheaper model to the lineup, the Z Flip7 FE, which sees the new Z Fold7 and the Z Flip7 taking up the foldable flag for the Korean hardware giant.

    Samsung has once again sought to make its phones thinner, though the new models are thinner than last year’s iterations.

    The company has also updated the pricing: The new Z Fold7 is $100 costlier than the Z Fold6, retailing at a starting price of $1,999. Samsung hasn’t increased the $1,100 starting price of the new model in the Z Flip line.

    The new Z Flip7 FE is priced at $899 to attract people looking for a new form factor under the $1,000 price mark.

    Z Fold7

    Samsung’s new foldable flagship, Z Fold7 is a bit lighter than its predecessor, with the measuring scale topping out at 218 grams (compared to the Fold6’s 239 grams). It’s quite a bit thinner, too, measuring 8.9 mm when folded, down from the Fold6’s 12.1 mm girth.

    The cover screen on the Fold7 is also bigger, now sporting a 6.5-inch dynamic AMOLED 2x display, while the main screen measures 8 inches when unfolded. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.

    Image Credits:Samsung

    Samsung claims that it has made the phone more durable by putting in a restructured hinge and hinge housing. Its display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2.

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    The company is now using a 200-megapixel main camera with a f/1.7 aperture, compared to the 50-megapixel camera on last year’s model.

    Image Credits:Samsung

    Samsung has added some AI powers to its photo editing software. You now get a Photo Assist function, which moves, erases, or enlarges objects, and adjusts angles automatically. It also uses generative AI to fill in empty spaces in pictures. The editing suite also lets users see edited and original photos side-by-side on the unfolded screen.

    Z Flip7 and Z Flip7 FE

    Like its bigger sibling, the Z Flip7 is also thinner this year, and comes with a larger cover screen — a 4.1-inch super AMOLED display — as well as an enlarged main display (6.9 inches). Samsung is using Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for both the cover and the back for protection.

    The company is packing a 4,300 mAh battery for the Z Flip7 — the largest ever in its Flip series. Unlike the Fold7, which uses a 3nm chip from Qualcomm, the Flip7 gets a 3nm Exynos2500 chip, made by Samsung itself.

    At first glance, the Z Flip7 FE seems like a reincarnation of the Z Flip6, with its 4,000 mAh battery, a 3.4-inch cover screen, a 6.7-inch main screen, and the Exynos2400 processor.

    Samsung is adding DeX support to the Flip series for the first time, so you can plug the phone into a monitor and use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to get a workstation-like experience.

    The new phones also come with a new feature, called Now Bar, on the cover screen, that looks similar to iOS’ Live Activities. The Now Bar shows real-time activities, like the progress of a podcast or the status of a delivery.

    Another feature called Now Brief presents a summary of traffic, reminders, events, and fitness insights. You’ll also get music and video recommendations based on your existing subscriptions.

    Google features

    Samsung has added support for Gemini Live on the cover screen of the Z Flip7, letting users use the assistant without having to unfold the phone. It also integrates with Samsung Notes.

    All the new Z Flip and Z Fold phones will get support for Gemini Live’s camera and video AI features, which enable users to take pictures or videos to ask the AI bot questions.

    The new Samsung devices will also get an upgraded version of Google’s Gemini assistant, which now has an AI mode for Q&A-style conversations.

    Availability

    The Galaxy Z Flip7 and the Galaxy Z Fold7 go on preorder today, and will be generally available on July 25. The Z Flip is available in 256GB and 512GB storage versions, has 12 GB RAM, and comes in Jetblack, Blue Shadow, and Coralred colorways. Meanwhile, the Z Flip7 FE is available in 128GB and 256GB versions, has 8GB of RAM, and comes in just two color options: white and black.

    The Z Fold7 has three storage options: 256GB, 512GB (both with 12GB RAM), and 1TB (16GB RAM). You can choose from Jetblack, Blue Shadow, and Silver Shadow colors.

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    Ivan Mehta

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