The iPhone Air makes much more sense than any foldable. Here’s why

Foldables are pretty cool. There’s no denying that. Back in 2019, when the folding craze started, I was genuinely excited. My sci-fi dreams were becoming reality. I thought, “There’s the next smartphone revolution! What the first iPhone did back in 2007 is about to be repeated by this new folding form factor.”

And yet, more than five years into the foldable smartphone idea, one big company is still reluctant to hop on that train. And I think I know why.

What’s behind the iPhone Air philosophy?

But why do I think the future belongs to thin, lightweight phones rather than foldables? There’s one fundamental reason.

Foldables still feel like prototypes (and we’re lazy, too)

Let’s talk foldables. They’re fascinating pieces of tech—hinges, flex glass, clever engineering—but they also require one thing people get tired of real fast. The physical act of unfolding and folding them. Great to show off, but not something you want to do dozens of times a day.

Foldables are also heavier, thicker, more fragile, and more expensive. And more than five years in, foldables still feel like a compromise. The creases are still there, water resistance is quite sketchy, and screens suffer damage.

And here lies the answer to the foldable iPhone question. Does all of the above sound like Apple?

The company’s philosophy has always been to offer devices that enhance your daily life, seamlessly integrate into your routines, and make your life easier, not more complicated.

When the iPhone Air was first announced, opinions were quite polarized. Some thought it was a gimmick bound to fail with no practical purpose whatsoever, while others hailed it as an amazing design innovation.

On paper, the Air is full of compromises—there’s just one camera, the battery is rather small, and charging isn’t the fastest. But once you start using the device, you can feel that the experience more than makes up for all of the above.

You don’t need to fold and unfold the iPhone Air. It’s so light and easy on the hand (and pocket), the 6.5-inch screen size is the perfect middle ground, it’s fast, and it still costs much less than a foldable. Do people really need a weird aspect ratio screen with a crease in the middle?

The real people problem

Most people don’t need more screens—they need less hassle. Foldables solve a problem few people actually have while introducing a few more: durability, usability, and price.

Actually, “solve” is a bit of an overstatement. The rectangular screen offers no benefit for media consumption, it kind of enhances productivity, but mobile operating systems are not built for multitasking in the first place, and in the end, foldables are just glorified internet browsing devices.

 
I know this might sound a bit radical, but I’ve heard testimony from many foldable users saying they end up using the cover screen most of the time. Which defeats the purpose of having a foldable in the first place. Why carry around a bulky and heavy device when you’re not even using it as intended?

An iPhone Air, on the other hand, solves a universal problem—the modern smartphone’s slow drift toward bulk. Every year, devices get faster, smarter… but also bigger and heavier. An Air model could be Apple’s reset button—the “this is how light your phone should feel” statement.

Are we even getting a foldable iPhone?

That’s a good question. In their current state, foldables are still unpolished and still suffer from first-gen problems. They are getting there, but Apple doesn’t sell prototypes and gimmicks. Every product is a well-thought-out piece of the puzzle and must fall into place perfectly.

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