GoKawiilApple's iPhone 17 Pro is a superb phone but it doesn't fold. At least, not without breaking it in half. In fact while Android foldables are commonplace out in the real world, Apple has yet to launch a folding iPhone. An iPhone Flip has been rumored for years, but it's never seen the light of day. The company's WWDC conference is just around the corner and while we expect to hear some big updates to Siri, we still don't expect a foldable to arrive yet.
At this point almost every major Android phone-maker, including Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi and Honor, are multiple generations into their own folding phone releases, with the hardware continuing to become more refined with each revision. Oppo is now in its fifth year of foldables and its latest Find N6 is the result of all those years of development. Apple isn't even at step one yet -- and it's beginning to feel like it's late to the party.
That might be a problem.
Apple dominates in the premium phone category, but foldables -- which fit into the premium space in terms of price -- are already nipping at its heels, with Motorola telling CNET that 20% of customers buying its Razr foldable jumped ship from Apple. Meanwhile, Samsung is in its seventh generation of its Flip and Fold series and has even experimented with its Tri-fold. As Lisa Eadicicco discovered during a visit to Seoul, "foldables are everywhere" in Samsung's home country of South Korea.
Would Apple go with a smaller format like the Galaxy Z Flip series? Amy Kim/CNET
With nearly every major Android phone-maker entering the foldable market, Apple risks losing potential customers. It also runs the risk of letting a rival such as Samsung or Motorola becoming the go-to name for foldables, which could make it harder for Apple to make an impact if it eventually launches its own device. Furthermore, early adopters drawn to foldable tech may be too entrenched in the Android ecosystem by the time Apple's phone arrives to want to switch to iOS.
Apple is unlikely worried. It's estimated that around 20 million foldables from all manufacturers were sold worldwide in 2023, while Apple reportedly sold 26.5 million iPhone 14 Pro Max handsets in the first half of that year alone. In 2024, foldable sales were flat -- and 2025 didn't fare much better, according to analysts at CounterPoint Research, although Samsung did report record numbers of preorders for its most recent foldable. Clearly, Apple feels it has yet to miss the boat.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a superb phone. But what if it could bend? Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Apple has always found success in biding its time, observing the industry and launching its own take on a product when it's ready. Apple didn't invent phones, tablets, smartwatches or computers, but it found ways to take existing products and make them more useful, more valuable in day-to-day life and -- dare I say -- more exciting. It's why the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac lines dominate the market today.
For me, I need to see Apple's take on the foldable phone. I've written before about how disappointed I am in foldables. I've been a mobile reporter for 15 years, and phones have become increasingly dull as they've converged into slight variations of the same rectangular slab.
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