Foldable iPhone could 'save' Apple

The foldable iPhone could be an important device, easing the pressure on Apple in the current difficult context.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. Photo: Bloomberg .

Just launched in early July, the Galaxy Z Fold7 has a thin and light appearance. Samsung hopes the new design will help the product reach more people, including customers in the US market, where Apple has a 56% market share compared to Samsung's 25%.

Meanwhile, Apple still faces challenges as global iPhone sales stagnated, growing only 1.9% in the first quarter, down 0.8% from the previous quarter. Analysts had predicted a “super cycle” would come thanks to a series of AI tools, but that did not happen.

According to Bloomberg writer Dave Lee, the current situation has many people questioning whether Tim Cook is still suitable for the position of CEO of Apple. The turning point may come next year when the foldable iPhone appears. In terms of hardware, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold7 may give the first look at a foldable smartphone from Apple.

Apple is not threatened yet

Samsung entered the foldable smartphone market in 2019 with the Galaxy Fold. At that time, technical limitations were still an obstacle, with poor screen durability, creases becoming more and more obvious with long-term use, not to mention the thickness when folded up to 15.5 mm.

“The initial launch of the Galaxy Fold was delayed after the tech industry discovered serious reliability issues.

Despite improvements over the years, foldable smartphones still account for less than 2% of the total smartphone market. According to analyst Ben Wood from CCS Insights , only 22 million foldable smartphones will be sold by 2024,” Lee said.

However, the Galaxy Z Fold7 shows that Samsung has the ability to make foldable smartphones more attractive to ordinary users. The device is highly appreciated by the expert group. The price of 2,000 USD is quite expensive, but can be reduced if taking advantage of the old program and some incentives.

According to Lee, the highlight of the Galaxy Z Fold7 is its thinness. When folded, the device is only 0.6 mm thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro.

“Of course, not everyone is willing to give up the ecosystem and convenience of the iPhone to switch to a foldable smartphone. For many, switching from iOS to Android is like learning to write with the wrong hand,” Lee added.

Folded thickness of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold models from the first generation to the present, compared to iPhone 16 Pro. Photo: Bloomberg .

Some believe the AI ​​trend could be enough to disrupt Apple’s position, especially given its recent setbacks. Tariffs have also been a concern since the start of the year, making investors less optimistic about the company’s future. Apple’s stock is down more than 14% since the start of the year.

However, Lee believes that these concerns are overblown in the short to medium term. He stressed that no AI company is capable of creating a product that can compete with the iPhone in five years or more. Even rival Samsung is not a major threat.

“Looking at the launch of the Z Fold7 and other Samsung devices, it's notable that the company has yet to make a big splash in AI, despite all the talk about Apple's similar strategy.

The prominent AI features are actually developed by Google, a company that aims to bring AI to as many people as possible, which means most of the functions still work on iPhone,” Lee emphasized.

Additionally, the impressive AI features on Samsung devices require sending data to cloud servers, something Apple has always opposed in the interest of privacy and performance.

The potential of a foldable iPhone

That doesn’t mean Apple can continue to lag in the AI ​​race. Longtime analysts even consider this a “shame,” but in fact, the Apple may be facing a big moment when the iPhone is about to add a folding screen version.

“The iPhone is about to get a truly significant upgrade, a leap forward from the incremental changes that users have become accustomed to in recent years,” Lee said.

The last time the iPhone received a major design upgrade was in 2017 with the iPhone X. At that time, analysts thought that users would not spend $1,000 on a smartphone. However, the reality turned out to be the opposite.

Rumors suggest the foldable iPhone could cost $2,000 or more. Initial unit sales may be low, but the appeal of the foldable iPhone could “immediately add millions of dollars to the market value,” analyst Ben Wood said.

iPhone 16 Pro Max. Photo: Tech Advisor .

Analysts at Consumer Intelligence Research Partners also cited the success of the large-screen iPhone, which was first released in 2014 when Android manufacturers had already produced it.

“Compared to Samsung and others, Apple was late to launch large-screen devices. Now, large-screen models account for more than a third of iPhone sales in the US,” the analysts said.

If launched, the foldable iPhone could compete directly with the iPad, although Apple is gradually repositioning the device as a small computer instead of a large smartphone. However, opportunities open up for the Apple in the movie and gaming services segment, as users tend to entertain more on large devices.

“These factors have the potential to create a real supercycle of upgrades. If not the first generation of foldable iPhones, it will happen in subsequent versions.

It won't take much time to convince a large number of Apple users to spend the equivalent of two iPhones to buy one," Dave Lee emphasized.

Source: https://znews.vn/iphone-gap-co-the-cuu-tim-cook-post1571554.html