{"id":636429,"date":"2026-10-20T16:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636429\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T16:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T16:00:13","slug":"foldables-are-about-to-get-huge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636429\/","title":{"rendered":"Foldables are about to get huge"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a reminder,\u00a0Inbox\u00a0is the tech newsletter that goes beyond the news cycle. We cover the most important 9to5Google stories from the last couple of days along with a few highlights from around the web. We publish every Tuesday and Thursday, and if you like what you read, please subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Inbox is written by Daniel Bader.\u00a0Read previous issues here<\/a>, and then catch up with Ben Schoon\u2019s excellent Weekender column<\/a> published every Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u2b50\ufe0f Starred<\/p>\n

Over the course of Friday, it quickly became clear that demand for the iPhone Duo far outstripped initial supply. Apple\u2019s first foldable went on sale at 8am on the 16th, and delivery dates immediately got pushed back to November, then December, and now January. Analysts had warned that Apple wouldn\u2019t be able to keep pace with interest, despite the phone\u2019s $2,000 price, but the company called it \u201cnothing short of extraordinary\u201d<\/a> in a statement released to the media.<\/p>\n

Samsung was benefiting before Apple even opened the order books. Its UK mobile leadership says purchases of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 family are up 16% since launch<\/a>, while Google searches for Samsung foldables rose 300% over the preceding month.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The big question, though, is whether the Duo\u2019s existence will bring the book-style foldable \u2014 and by extension, the $2,000 smartphone \u2014 into the mainstream. Samsung has been beating this drum since 2019, but foldable share still sits at a mere 2% of the overall smartphone market<\/a>, and most units sold are the smaller, cheaper flip-style variety. The Duo is expected to give Apple a 25% share of the entire foldable market by the end of 2026, which should broaden acceptance of the form factor across the industry.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not surprised by the uptick in interest; the Galaxy Z Fold 8<\/a> is undoubtedly my favorite foldable ever, owing to its novel and pocketable design. I\u2019ve always enjoyed reading on book-style foldables, but with the Fold 8 I often forget I\u2019m using a phone entirely.<\/p>\n

Will there be a day when, say, a decade from now, foldables are the conventional smartphone choice and slab phones of any kind are considered budget alternatives? In a world where component prices stay elevated and companies continue to pad their margins with premium options at the expense of the entry class, that\u2019s a real possibility. Either way, the Duo validates far more than Samsung\u2019s decision to experiment with foldables all those years ago; its unprecedented demand hints at a sea change in how people want to use their phones, and the compromises they\u2019re willing to accept in order to get there.<\/p>\n

\u2709\ufe0f Inbox<\/p>\n

The biggest reason not to buy a Googlebook is all about timing<\/a>. Ben\u2019s Weekender essay focuses on how the Googlebook OS fiasco is exacerbated by the fact that every Googlebook laptop is like $300 too expensive.<\/p>\n

XREAL 1 Pro+ has exactly the right hardware upgrades at the same $599 price<\/a>. If the $1,279 XREAL wants for the Aura feels steep, this entertainment-focused option is a perfect alternative.<\/p>\n

Google rolling out Universal Cart that lets you shop the web and find deals with Gemini, Search<\/a>. I suspect we will look back on the introduction of Universal Cart as the beginning of the end of traditional Google Search.<\/p>\n

YouTube reportedly \u2018looking\u2019 into adding audiobooks to Premium<\/a>. Competition in the market? We love to see it.<\/p>\n

Google AI Mode and AI Overview updates work to elevate links<\/a>. I continue to be skeptical that this move will enrich anyone on the publishing side, but at least the additional link visibility is an ethical win that we can all get behind.<\/p>\n

Amazon launches two Bee AI recorders to remember everything you say<\/a>. Nope. Absolutely not.<\/p>\n

Google updates Android earthquake alerts with more info, expands to 200+ regions<\/a>. This is a good news story for anyone in a region commonly affected by earthquakes, and I hope it saves lives.<\/p>\n

Gemini 4 Argon is now rolling out to Google\u2019s Antigravity for AI Pro subscribers<\/a>. Paid AI Pro subscribers. Paid. <\/p>\n

Nest\u2019s Halloween doorbell chimes are live now through November 1<\/a>. I love these chimes and I hope one day we\u2019ll be able to vibe-code our own.<\/p>\n

ChatGPT gets deeper Google Chrome integration including control over tabs<\/a>. I\u2019ve been using this for a few days and it\u2019s fantastic. Must-install if you\u2019re a paid ChatGPT user.<\/p>\n

Android 17 QPR2 Beta 7.1 rolling out for Pixel<\/a><\/p>\n

Walmart\u2019s $60 Google TV streamer might be the only good deal left in streaming<\/a>. The days of cheap streamers are gone (see the new $300 Apple TV 4K), so get it while it\u2019s hot.<\/p>\n

Google support pages start defaulting to AI chatbots \u2013 it might be for the best<\/a>. This felt inevitable.<\/p>\n

The COROS Pace 4 is a smartwatch for running and clear reasons to buy over Wear OS<\/a>. Nicholas Sutrich is our newest contributor and this is his first post! Go welcome him in the comments.<\/p>\n

Wyze\u2019s latest weight scale has a display you can actually see, Google Health sync<\/a>. Why did it take so long for someone to figure this out?<\/p>\n

Google TV shows off its \u2018new\u2019 features in fullscreen roundup when you turn on your TV [Gallery]<\/a><\/p>\n

Android Auto \u2018Work Account\u2019 support would allow for easy switching in work vehicles<\/a>. This is a good, albeit niche, idea.<\/p>\n

Spotify\u2019s \u2018QR code verification\u2019 cracks down on sharing and could ban you for a year<\/a>. Yikes, that\u2019s not particularly customer-first, is it?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a busy week for Samsung news<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd1d Cc: Ben Schoon<\/p>\n

Welcome to Cc:, where I ask interesting people in the community about what\u2019s making them happy both inside and outside the world of tech. This week, I\u2019m speaking with Ben Schoon<\/a>, 9to5Google\u2019s Senior Editor and one of the best disc golf players I know.<\/p>\n

Who are you?
Ben Schoon<\/p>\n

What do you do for work?
I am the Senior Editor at 9to5Google, covering daily news, reviews, and more.<\/p>\n

What do you do for fun?
Disc golf has basically taken over my non-work life. I\u2019ve got a 170-plus-week streak of playing at least once a week, I frequently play in and even run tournaments, and I\u2019m absolutely hooked.<\/p>\n

What is your relationship like with technology these days?
I still deeply enjoy tech, but the AI era has certainly changed my outlook, and not always in the best ways. On the bright side, it\u2019s cool to see the explosion of what tech can do. On the downside, let\u2019s just say that humanity tends to take the path of least resistance, and AI enables that in some frightening ways.<\/p>\n

What are three apps you can\u2019t live without and why?<\/p>\n

Nourish<\/a> has been a huge part of my weight-loss journey over the past couple of years, helping me log food more easily while also connecting with an actual nutritionist. <\/p>\n

UDisc<\/a> might as well be in my dock row given how frequently I\u2019m out on the disc golf course.<\/p>\n

Beeper<\/a> continues to be indispensable given my multi-device lifestyle.<\/p>\n

What is a gadget that you love right now?
The Fitbit Air<\/a> has been a refreshing bit of simplicity in a busy tech life.<\/p>\n

How does AI fit into your life right now?
As mentioned, my relationship with AI isn\u2019t always positive. Lately I find myself more and more frustrated by the impact it\u2019s made on day-to-day life for everyone, and wishing we could go back. Ultimately, I barely find myself using AI in my own life, but I do appreciate those occasional bits of delight that come from finding a good use for it.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a TV show you recently watched and loved?
Recently started listening to the \u201cHow We Made Your Mother\u201d podcast<\/a> and it\u2019s unlocked a fresh rewatch of the early seasons of HIMYM<\/a> with some new perspectives.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a movie you recently watched and loved?
Project Hail Mary<\/a> hasn\u2019t left my mind all year. It continues to be a source of joy from its excellent visuals and plot, and the vocal stims that still find their way into daily conversation with my wife and me.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a game you recently played and loved?
Star Wars: Galactic Racer<\/a> has me hooked right now. I love a good racing game, and this one delivers a real challenge.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s something offline you do every day that brings you joy?
Spend time around my crazy doggos.<\/p>\n

\u27a1\ufe0f FWD:<\/p>\n

This section has some of our favorite stuff from around the internet. Great videos, weird memes, fun reads, recommended apps, whatever.\u00a0Send us your recommendations<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, I caught up on some podcasts and just happened to listen to an episode of The New York Times\u2019 The Daily from a few days ago. \u201cWhen A.I. Comes for Your Purpose in Life\u201d<\/a> features an interview with mathematician and Cornell University professor Steven Strogatz, and is among the most poignant and honest conversations I\u2019ve heard about how AI stands to reconfigure everyone\u2019s jobs \u2014 even the ones we previously considered unassailable.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s recently been an abundance of great reporting on how AI is changing the fields of mathematics<\/a> and science<\/a>. But I think some of it lacks the emotional intelligence to acknowledge that LLMs are not just disrupting jobs and preempting discovery; their seemingly infinite potential undermines what it means to be a human solving problems for their own sake. As people become increasingly comfortable offloading their cognition to machines, what happens to their relationship with their own brains?<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddd1\ufe0f Trash<\/p>\n

Anthropic recently announced that it would set aside 5% of its shares<\/a> to be used for the \u201cpublic good,\u201d a vacuous claim that has shades of effective altruism. Elon Musk, who is practically single-handedly bankrolling the Republicans\u2019 midterm election<\/a>, then came out with a similar, more direct offer<\/a>: \u201cNext year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many.\u201d<\/p>\n

The moves are a direct result of a growing public backlash against AI\u2019s negative impacts on culture, on employment, and increasingly on the environment, but laundering one\u2019s reputation with the promise of future beneficence often has the inverse effect.<\/p>\n

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Inbox<\/a> today and get it in your email every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Got feedback? Send us an email<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also support us by becoming a 9to5Google Pro member<\/a>, starting at just $5\/month. You get bonus podcast episodes, access to our members-only Discord server, and lots more.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading, and have a great day. I\u2019ll talk to you on Thursday.<\/p>\n

-Daniel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As a reminder,\u00a0Inbox\u00a0is the tech newsletter that goes beyond the news cycle. We cover the most important 9to5Google…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636430,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[342,111,139,69,145],"class_list":["post-636429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}