The "least Apple-like" foldable iPhone blatantly copies Samsung's ideas and is sold at a lower price than Huawei's triple-foldable phone.

The "least Apple-like" Apple product is coming!

According to a report by Zhidongxi on July 21st, well - known Apple insider and Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman recently revealed that Apple will launch its first foldable iPhone by the end of next year, which has been described as "the least Apple - like product in history". This time, Apple won't introduce a revolutionary interaction method or a disruptive hardware design.

Meanwhile, the iPad Pro equipped with the M5 chip will add a second front - facing camera on the portrait side to enhance the portrait shooting experience. Regarding rumors about Apple's successor, Gurman said that current Apple CEO Tim Cook won't step down in the short term, but a broader top - level restructuring is in the works.

01.

Costing $2,000 each

Apple Plans to "Replicate" Samsung's Foldable Screens

Gurman revealed that Apple's foldable phone will adopt a design similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series and use the same core components, including foldable OLED screens supplied by Samsung Display.

This means that Apple's first foldable phone won't break any technological boundaries or redefine the category.

▲ Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series (Source: Bloomberg)

To some extent, Samsung's seven - year exploration has paved the way for Apple's success. When the foldable form finally matured, the iPhone entered the market at the right time.

However, this may not be bad news for Samsung. Its component division may benefit from the growth in iPhone sales, and the market enthusiasm may attract more Android users to try Galaxy foldable phones.

Actually, Apple's foldable phone isn't completely lacking in innovation. As Gurman reported months ago, Apple is working on solving two major pain points of foldable screens: significantly improving the visibility of inner - screen creases and comprehensively upgrading the hinge mechanism. The upcoming iOS 27 system, which is about to start development, will also prioritize the development of exclusive software features for the new form.

Putting aside the Vision Pro, Apple's high - end hardware marketing ability may enable it to quickly dominate the foldable screen market. There is a real pent - up demand among a large number of loyal iPhone users who have long been looking forward to foldable devices but are reluctant to switch to the Android camp, and Apple is well aware of this.

Another important reason for Apple to enter the foldable screen market now is that this category is particularly popular in the Chinese market, which is a crucial battlefield where Apple urgently needs to reverse its decline. Domestic brands such as Xiaomi, Honor, Huawei, and vivo have all launched foldable phones, and consumers clearly prefer the book - style design over the emerging clamshell design.

It is estimated that the starting price of this foldable iPhone will be no less than $2,000 (about 14,000 RMB). Even if the sales don't reach the peak, it can easily boost iPhone's revenue.

02.

Apple Wins the Market by Redefining Product Forms

The foldable phone category was pioneered and dominated by Samsung Electronics, Apple's biggest hardware competitor, and it has been around for seven years.

Apple often claims that "although not the pioneer of a category, it can always be the final winner." In fact, Apple has redefined the modern forms of several important categories, including music players, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and wireless earphones.

Take the mobile phone market before the iPhone's launch as an example. Although there were smartphones at that time, no product had a large - size multi - touch screen, a virtual keyboard, and a minimalist design. The same goes for the smartwatch field. It was the appearance of the Apple Watch that truly achieved the integrity and appeal of the product experience. As for tablets, Apple was the first to turn this industry dream into reality.

Even the commercially under - performing Apple Vision Pro brought unique innovations to the mixed - reality headset. Although not the first product in its category, it pioneered a new interaction method centered on eye and hand tracking, combined with high - resolution and expensive display technology.

The common feature of these products is that Apple entered the market at the embryonic stage and redefined the mainstream form of the products. The iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods not only participated in the market competition but also reshaped their respective categories. That's why Apple's next major press conference is particularly special.

03.

The iPad Pro to Get a Second Front - Facing Camera

In addition to the news about the foldable screen, Gurman revealed that the Apple iPad Pro will also have an important upgrade.

The iPad Pro equipped with the M4 chip, which was launched in May 2024, not only features a faster chip but also has a thinner body and moved the FaceTime camera from the vertical position to the horizontal position.

This is a thoughtful improvement for users who have long used the landscape mode. Face ID unlocking is smoother, and the selfie and video - conferencing experience has been significantly enhanced. However, this change has caused trouble for portrait - mode users.

Apple's solution is quite ingenious. It is reported that the upcoming iPad Pro with the M5 chip will add a second front - facing camera on the portrait side to ensure that FaceTime users and selfie enthusiasts can have the same experience whether holding the device horizontally or vertically. Gurman commented that although it's not a revolutionary innovation, it is a practical improvement.

▲ iPad Pro (Source: Bloomberg)

Additionally, on July 31st this year, Apple will release its third - quarter financial report. This is likely to be the last fiscal quarter this year that doesn't include the revenue from the iPhone 17. The fourth fiscal quarter ends in September, which usually coincides with the launch of new iPhones and will include a small amount of sales data for new products.

The upcoming earnings conference call is expected to be extremely active. Apple may face multiple inquiries about its AI progress, tariff policies, and supply - chain adjustments. Cook may even be asked about the company's succession plan.

04.

Conclusion: Apple's Foldable Phone is Making a Strong Entrance

Ultimately, Apple's foldable phone won't immediately reshape the industry landscape.

Although Apple is adopting a relatively conservative design this time, with its strong supply - chain integration ability and brand influence, it is still expected to gain an important share in the foldable screen field.

Apple may once again turn a niche product into a global trend, but this time it won't be the disruptive innovation we're familiar with.

Source: Bloomberg

This article is from the WeChat official account "Zhidongxi". Author: Wang Han, Editor: Moying. Republished by 36Kr with permission.