{"id":294929,"date":"2026-02-21T09:09:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T09:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/294929\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T09:09:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T09:09:21","slug":"why-iphone-fold-can-do-what-even-google-pixel-fold-couldnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/294929\/","title":{"rendered":"Why ‘iPhone Fold’ can do what even Google Pixel Fold couldn’t"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Foldables opened the door to a whole new world of smartphones just a few years ago, but somehow the entire Android market has settled into just two form factors \u2013 clamshell flip phones and book-style devices that just open up to double the width of a normal smartphone screen. As the inevitable \u201ciPhone Fold\u201d approaches, though, it seems Apple is looking to revive a form factor that Android brands, including Google Pixel, once tried, but failed to keep around, and there\u2019s a clear reason why that happened.<\/p>\n

Pixel Fold, Oppo Find N, and the form factor we lost<\/p>\n

In the early days of foldables, there were a few key form factors floating around. Samsung\u2019s Galaxy Fold had a tall outer display that opened to a vertically-oriented inner display. Huawei and others playing around with foldables that opened from the outside and were wider when folded, similar to a standard smartphone. <\/p>\n

But Oppo took a different route with its original Find N foldable.<\/p>\n

That device was a short and stubby little booklet. It was thick, but it delivered a pretty tremendous hardware experience. The phone\u2019s outer display was wider and shorter than most smartphones, leaving the inner display to be much wider and more tablet-like. It wasn\u2019t necessarily a perfect 16:10 for media consumption, but the wider aspect ratio left the door open to some fun experiences. Oppo stuck with this for the Find N2 a year later in 2022, which was a truly awesome piece of hardware.<\/p>\n

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Fast forward another year, and we got the first foldable from Google, the Pixel Fold. <\/p>\n

While that device was inherently flawed in a few key ways (that only worsened with age), the Pixel Fold still delivered a pretty incredible experience.<\/p>\n

It took that same design that Oppo had been using \u2013 short and stubby outer display that opens to a wider canvas \u2013 and just made it a bit bigger. That really opened the door to this whole idea of putting a tablet in your pocket. Google\u2019s aspect ratio made this a better media device compared to the Galaxy Z Folds of the time, and also left a bigger horizontal canvas for apps to stretch out into their tablet layouts.<\/p>\n

It was just ahead of its time.<\/p>\n

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\"google<\/p>\n

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Samsung led the charge, but apps created today\u2019s reality<\/p>\n

That lost form factor was a brilliant idea, but it didn\u2019t stop Samsung from chugging along with its tall and narrow Galaxy Z Fold design, which was often criticized for the lack of outer display usability. <\/p>\n

But, as I discussed in a post back in 2022<\/a>, the problem with the form factor used by Oppo at the time and later by the Pixel Fold came down to apps. The simple fact of the time was that, despite a lot of Android apps being really good on larger displays, the aspect ratio often caused a lot of problems. For every app that worked well on the wider canvas of a wide foldable, there were several others that were bordering on unusable. <\/p>\n

To me, it was clear back then that the Galaxy Z Fold setup was better for the apps that existed at the time, and that remained true for a while. In my later Pixel Fold review, I talked about<\/a> how Google had optimized a lot of its apps for the Fold\u2019s wider display, but how third-party apps just left a gaping hole in how you would use that phone. <\/p>\n

A taller, slightly more square inner display might not be ideal for some things, but the inherent truth was and still is that these displays work better on average for apps. When an app struggles to adapt to a bigger canvas, it usually comes down to the horizontal layout. Unless it\u2019s a full-fledged tablet screen, a lot of Android apps just don\u2019t know what to do with the wider in-between setup of the Pixel Fold\u2019s form factor. But a wider canvas that\u2019s still portrait-oriented? That\u2019s a lot more forgiving. Don\u2019t get me wrong, as a Galaxy Z Fold 7 owner, I run into weirdness in apps all of the time, but the experience is on average pretty solid nowadays.<\/p>\n

\"\"A wide, but still portrait-oriented display is still easier for Android apps to work with<\/p>\n

If we could go back, I think there are a few things that could have been done differently, but it mainly comes down to timing. Google has made a big push in Android over the past few years to make apps more adaptable to different display sizes. That\u2019s important for foldables, and all of the other form factors Android runs on both today and in the future \u2013 glasses, desktops, etc. Had Google made that same push 5 years ago, before the Pixel Fold made its debut, I think the switch from the \u201cpassport\u201d shape to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold\/Pixel 10 Pro Fold form factor simply wouldn\u2019t have happened. <\/p>\n

Google confirmed to 9to5Google that the reason for the change<\/a> was for apps on both displays because, ultimately, Google had to concede that Android apps at the time \u2013 not even that long ago \u2013 weren\u2019t ready for that design.<\/p>\n

Apple is changing the game in a way only it can\u2026<\/p>\n

But now, that wider form factor is making a comeback.<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s iPhone Fold is coming, and all leaks point to it reviving the form factor that the Pixel Fold first tried and ultimately failed to succeed with.<\/p>\n

The iPhone Fold, as you can read about on 9to5Mac, is said to have a wider aspect ratio<\/a> with a 5.3-inch outer display and 7.7-inch inner display. Compared that to the original Pixel Fold \u2013 5.8-inch outer and 7.6-inch inner \u2013 and it helps to picture what\u2019s coming. <\/p>\n

It really sounds like Apple is just aiming to make an iPhone that unfolds to be an iPad. It looks a little funky compared to the form factor we\u2019re used to from Android foldables, but that\u2019s not really a bad thing.<\/p>\n

\"\"A 3D-printed \u2018iPhone Fold\u2019 mockup<\/a><\/p>\n

So, why can the \u201ciPhone Fold\u201d succeed where even Google Pixel failed?<\/p>\n

Apps.<\/p>\n

Where Google struggles to implement sweeping changes to the Android app ecosystem, developers tend to adopt changes from Apple immediately. That\u2019s not to say Android developers aren\u2019t looking at what\u2019s new, of course, it just tends to take a lot longer for big new changes to make their way to everyone. As such, Android devices have to be built around apps, where the script is flipped for iOS \u2013 the apps are forced to adapt to the devices. Not every new change Apple puts out into the world gets mass developer adoption, but changes in form factor, especially, are generally taken quite seriously, as we\u2019ve seen in the past from new iPhone and iPad sizes.<\/p>\n

\u2026and, as usual, everyone is trying to copy it<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges mentioned with this form factor and Android apps, Apple\u2019s push into this market is, of course, pushing a bunch of brands to immediately copy it.<\/p>\n

Samsung is working on a \u201cWide Fold.\u201d<\/a> Honor is said to be working<\/a> on its own version too. And Oppo, the brand that basically came up with this form factor, is expected to launch a Find N7 with a wide aspect ratio<\/a> later this year after three generations of Galaxy-like devices.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s almost comical, to be honest.<\/p>\n

Android brands came up with this form factor a few years ago, quickly threw it away with seemingly zero interest in bringing it back, but are now rushing to make their own just because Apple is stepping into the game.<\/p>\n

Will it work this time? Maybe! Android apps, as mentioned, have gotten a lot better on foldables over the past few years since the Oppo Find N2 and Pixel Fold were in play. Those improvements should translate quite nicely to this new batch of devices. I think there\u2019s a good chance we\u2019ll see some of these \u201cwide\u201d foldables for a while to come.<\/p>\n

But having two variations simply isn\u2019t sustainable. The foldable market, while growing, is still a niche, and it\u2019d be simply ridiculous for every foldable brand to produce two of these devices every year. In the long run, I think we\u2019ll see some brands stick to the current setup, while others focus on the new form factor.<\/p>\n

It just feels very reactionary, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Then again, that\u2019s been the playbook for a lot of Android brands over the past few years. Just look at Samsung. 2025 saw the company push out the thin Galaxy S25 Edge just to beat Apple to market, with the device ultimately flopping. Now, the Galaxy S26 series has forgone all of the overdue upgrades that were expected to arrive just in the name of matching Apple\u2019s iPhone 17 prices.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Are you looking forward to these wide foldables? Do you think Android brands will stick with the new form factor? Do you think apps are ready? Let\u2019s discuss in the comments below!<\/p>\n

More on Foldables:<\/p>\n

Follow Ben:\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>,\u00a0Threads<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

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