Apple’s September invite has landed, and while the tagline “Surprise and Shine” doesn’t confirm that the company will introduce its first folding phone – especially given the long-rumoured device will hardly be a surprise (we’ve had longer-running theories about it than some conspiracy podcasts) – we at least now know the official date it is expected to appear.
The “surprise” element could be anything from the long-rumoured HomePod Display to AirPods with built-in cameras, but while unlikely to shock, the folding iPhone is expected to steal the show. After waiting eight years for Apple to catch up with Samsung on the folding phone scene, there are a few things I want to see before I give up my iPhone Pro Max.
1. Cameras that match the iPhone Pro
The Apple iPhone Air is a great phone, and it performed better than I expected in terms of battery life, but the camera setup isn’t its strongest suit. For a phone that cost nearly $1,000, it could at least have offered the same camera setup as the iPhone 17. Instead, you make do with a single lens. While it’s very capable, you do feel a little short-changed – like ordering the tasting menu and only getting one, admittedly great, dish. I don’t want that from the folding iPhone.
I fully appreciate the iPhone Pro is Apple’s star pupil, but if the folding iPhone is going to cost anywhere near the price it’s rumoured to, I want Pro cameras on the back. Ideally, all three, including the telephoto sensor, but at the very least the 48-megapixel main and ultrawide cameras. Even Samsung hasn’t matched the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera setup on its Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, so if Apple does, it would give the folding iPhone something to shout about.
2. A format that matches the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
I love the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 – its new squarer shape is adorable. The colours are great, it’s lovely and compact for a folding phone, and it reminds me of my BlackBerry Bold, which I loved so much back in 2012, only without the physical keyboard and with the added advantage of unfolding into a device similar to the iPad mini.
The build quality is excellent, too, reflecting the expertise of a company that has been in the folding-phone market much longer than others. It’s slim, even when folded, not overly heavy, and much easier to open this year. A low bar, maybe, but not something previous folding phones could claim.
Apple is rumoured to follow suit with the shape of its folding phone, and I very much hope it does. The taller, narrower shape of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra just isn’t as appealing or as useful for consuming content when unfolded. The square display is good for spreadsheets, but that’s about it. Who can justify $2,000 for a phone that’s handy for Excel? The Galaxy Z Fold 8 delivers a far better reading and watching experience, though. Fingers crossed the folding iPhone has been making notes all these years.
3. Optimised software
This is something I do think Apple will get right, but it really needs to. Most current folding phones go from being a normal phone when folded to unfolding to then offer two columns rather than a bigger screen.
It means that rather than getting more space to write your email, as you would on a traditional tablet or laptop, you get the same amount of space as on the main external display, plus a column showing the rest of your emails or messages. That’s just one example of where I don’t think the software has been properly optimised for folding phones.
With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, another area where the software could be better is the keyboard. On the external display, it takes up most of the screen, so when entering a username and password on a website, for example, half of the input fields are covered by the keyboard. Very much hoping Apple finds a way around that if it does opt for the same format as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, as a keyboard that uses up half the display is no use to anyone.
One thing Samsung does well, however, is offering a back button in the toolbar at the bottom of the display, and I’d love to see Apple adopt something similar. Otherwise, having to stretch a thumb up to the top left corner to go back is going to be rather irritating.
4. Fast charging and a decent battery life
This one might sound obvious, but a folding phone really does require fast charging, at least 45W, like the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and ideally faster if possible. It was one of the best upgrades Apple made to the iPad Pro (M5) last year when it jumped to 60W, and it would make a big difference to a phone that will presumably have the biggest battery Apple has offered in a phone.
Speaking of big batteries, I do hope the folding iPhone will be capable of getting you through the day and into the evening without issue. It’s of little use to have a phone capable of unfolding into a tablet if it’s dead before lunch.
5. Proper dust resistance
I like the beach and want to be able to take my phone. An IP48 dust rating, like Samsung’s Galaxy Z series, just isn’t going to cut it for me. If I am moving away from my iPhone Pro Max, which has happily accompanied me on many a beach outing, I want a phone that can match it.
At the moment, only Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Pixel 11 Pro Fold offer IP68, showing that it is possible to include on a folding phone. Hopefully, it’s something Apple will consider important as having a phone that you have to think about where you take it isn’t particularly user-friendly.
6. Apple Pencil support
This one is a bit of a wild card, and I wouldn’t say it’s the be-all and end-all if the folding iPhone didn’t offer Apple Pencil support, but I’d love it as an option. If you’re going to have the advantage of being able to open it into a bigger display, it would be great to be able to use it as a note-taking device, as you can with the iPad mini.
Samsung dropped S Pen support last year on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, so it’s not currently offered on its folding phones, or on Google’s, but it would make for a nice differentiator for anyone looking to dabble in a little drawing or note-taking on the larger display. When you’re arriving late to the party, too, it’s nice to arrive with something the other guests didn’t bring.
Read more: What I hope Apple’s upcoming iPhone Fold has learned from Samsung’s same-size foldable
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