For skeptics of foldable phones, the biggest question has always been: “Why buy a foldable phone at all?”

Supporters often point to easier multitasking, enhanced productivity, and a more flexible app experience. Unfortunately for Apple, iOS is not yet ready to deliver those promises.

Remember Samsung’s first-generation Galaxy Fold? Its large inner display merely magnified the smartphone interface, leading to distorted and poorly optimized apps. It took years of collaboration between Google and Samsung before Android could seamlessly display both tablet and phone versions of apps on foldable devices - a critical step to making foldables truly useful.

Android has the advantage of using a unified app base across phones and tablets. Apple, by contrast, maintains a clear separation between iOS and iPadOS. iPhone and iPad users often download entirely different versions of the same app.

This leads to a pressing question: what operating system will the iPhone Fold use? Most likely, it will still run iOS. If so, Apple will need to overhaul its app design standards to accommodate dual-screen functionality.

Naturally, this requires time and buy-in from developers. Not all developers are eager to redesign interfaces for a niche, expensive device. Just look at how slowly third-party apps have adopted Apple’s Liquid Glass design - it’s a telling sign that foldable optimization could lag as well.

As a result, the iPhone Fold’s biggest weakness could be the very “added value” its foldable screen is supposed to offer. A bigger display is appealing, but size alone may not be enough to make it mainstream.

Will iPhone Fold still sell out?

Despite these hurdles, the iPhone Fold marks a historic shift - it would be the first shape-shifting iPhone in nearly two decades. That alone is enough to drive Apple fans wild.

It doesn’t need to outsell the iPhone 18 or iPhone 18 Pro. As long as it beats Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, it will be considered a success. Currently, foldables account for less than 5% of the global smartphone market, and Apple has the brand power to dethrone Samsung.

Samsung has already perfected the foldable form factor with the Z Fold 7. But Apple has a secret weapon - its fiercely loyal fanbase, ready to spend thousands of dollars on a new product even if it’s not perfect. Samsung has shown that there is a willing market for foldables. Apple just needs to capture that momentum.

Experts believe Apple will match - or even surpass - Samsung’s build quality. That alone could trigger a frenzy within the iPhone community.

The iPhone Fold’s secret weapon

Apple’s biggest advantage in the foldable race is its closed ecosystem.

For years, users intrigued by Samsung’s foldables hesitated to leave iOS. Now, Apple’s iPhone Fold gives them the best of both worlds - a foldable experience without having to leave Apple’s seamless ecosystem of devices, services, and apps.

These users have heard about foldables for years. With Apple’s entry, they may quickly propel the iPhone Fold to become the best-selling foldable in the world - at least initially.

However, the real challenge will be sustaining growth.

If the iPhone Fold launches with under-optimized software or shaky performance, Apple risks repeating the short-lived excitement of the Apple Vision Pro - a product that made a splash but quickly faded due to a lack of practical applications.

To succeed, Apple must nail the software

To avoid becoming a “one-season wonder,” the iPhone Fold needs an operating system as flexible as - or even better than - Android’s on foldables.

If Apple pulls this off, it won’t just surpass Samsung. It could redefine the future of foldable smartphones.

A premium price tag may deter some, but for Apple, pricing has rarely been a barrier.

The real test lies in convincing users that a foldable screen brings meaningful, lasting value.

If Apple can overcome the software and app optimization challenge, the iPhone Fold could become the iconic device of the post-traditional smartphone era - once again proving that Apple may be late to the game, but it still knows how to change the rules.

Hai Phong