The review of theSamsung Z folds and flips with refined folds
Apple’s Greenlit Project: Towards a Folding Smartphone by the Year 2026, and the Persistence of the Indented Lip
Apple’s move comes at a time when the popularity of folding smartphones is soaring across the world. Analytics firm Counterpoint Research reports that the folding phone market grew by 49 percent year over year in the first quarter of 2024, its highest rate of increase in six quarters. In the first quarter, shipments of iPhones were down 13 percent, so a folding iPhone might be what Apple needs to raise sales.
If you scratch the internal screen on your folding device one year after you purchase it, you will get a replacement screen for free, or if you break the display in two years you can get a $200 screen repair. That helps remove some apprehension when dropping wads of cash on a phone with a hinge.
The Flip6 continues this impressive build quality, though I wish there were an indented lip to more easily open the device with one hand (I don’t have long nails, so this could be a me problem). You need to do more work to make the FLIP6’s cover screen compatible with your preferences, but the outside screen of the new Razr+ is easier to navigate. Samsung has added a vapor chamber to dissipate heat and cool the Flip6 during intense processing. A notification was sent to me when I was in the Paris heat with it, saying that the device needed to cool down.
Apple has reportedly tested products in two sizes, but this greenlit project is for a folding flip phone, much like the Razr from Motorola or Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip6. These kinds of flip phones allow you to enjoy a full-size smartphone, and then fold it in half to stuff it in a pocket or bag. You get the same smartphone experience but in a tiny package. Apple will likely create a way to access certain features on the external cover screen, such as notifications, and even its own Siri service, with upcoming enhancements.
The Android world has enjoyed folding smartphones for six years, but Apple stans may soon be able to take part—a folding iPhone might arrive in 2026, according to a report from The Information.
