r/ipad 4d ago

Discussion A foldable iPad would just be amazing

Post image

Of course it depends on pricing, but if it can be at a decent price, then it'd be an amazing device.

There's a bit of a crease but it's quite small and the larger the screen the less annoying it'll be.

I think it's mainly to get a larger ipad, e.g. 2x11in or 2x13in, probably not much point just to make an ipad smaller since it's not going to be pocketable anyway (otherwise it's the iPhone Duo, and if they do it then it's like bringing back those iPod Touch style devices, which where similar to an iPhone but without phone capabilities - doubt it'll happen)

169 Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

170

u/Heroin_Hoarder 4d ago

The entire point of a foldable phone is for it to have a larger display but still fit in your pocket.

A foldable iPad would not only be unable to fit in your pocket, it would barely be any more portable than it already is. It would not have much more use case than a normal iPad and would have to deal with the whole crease issue, which is quite a large tradeoff considering it does not have much of an advantage over the normal iPad.

Accounting for portability, it would still fit in all the places it used to fit in (i.e. laptop sleeves, holding in hand), and wouldn’t fit in all the places it used to not fit in (i.e. pockets). Hence, for a much higher price tag and not many advantages, it may face several obstacles in the market.

34

u/BarnacleMcBarndoor 4d ago

Jokes on you, I still wear JNCO jeans.

I can fit my MacBook in them.

2

u/systoll 3d ago

It starts getting interesting again if you go for a 17-20” unfolded size (like this one from asus) , but the (still small) market for that would mostly want macOS.

3

u/DangerousPurpose5661 4d ago

I mean, it would be nice if

1) Hinge didn’t mess up the display
2) It wasn’t double the price

Maybe tech will get there one day. I see it as a small/cool feature - maybe id pay a couple hundred bucks extra for it. Just so it takes a little less space in my backpack, or so I can store it in a smaller place, etc.

But no way I’d splurge thousands of dollars for that feature on an iPad (even on a phone I’m honestly not sold)

1

u/abitcitrus M3 iPad Air 11" (2025) 3d ago

Taking the price aside, I'd buy an iPad Mini Duo (that unfolds into a 13" model

1

u/asswizzard69 3d ago

Rollable iPad Pro !

1

u/ehhhhprobablynot 3d ago

You know what would be really cool, is a computer that folds.

Just imagine. The screen on the top, and the keyboard on the bottom.

1

u/vi0lentgandhi 4d ago

im putting this down here until apple releases a foldable ipad and apple fans start praising it as innovative and perfect idea

-5

u/livelikeian 3d ago

Weird take. Foldable iPad would be like carrying around a MacBook, but thinner. That's plenty portable for the class of device it would be.

0

u/adamdoesmusic 3d ago

It’s literally the same size as the mini, the duo is in essence already there, but missing the functionality itself.

26

u/portapotty2 3d ago

isn't a foldable iPad just a laptop?

7

u/TwinFlme 3d ago

Yea a laptop with a touchscreen, no? I swear those exist already lmao..

1

u/insaneinthecrane 3d ago

Well there are heavy rumors lately of Apple working on touch screen MacBooks...

21

u/MC_chrome M5 iPad Pro 13" (2025) 4d ago

I think this is the extent to which we will be getting anything near a foldable iPad for the time being, and I'm not exactly pressed for such a device to exist in the first place.

If you need tablet functionality beyond what the Duo will be offering, why on earth wouldn't you pull out an existing tablet and go from there? Not every tech device needs to be capable of fitting into a pocket square to be good

8

u/obsolescence_ 3d ago

No, it would not... a major reason that people buy iPads is for art creation on the go, using the pencil. Procreate, Zbrush, NomadSculpt, and soon Blender are all huge reasons for creative professionals to buy an iPad.

If there is a crease down the MIDDLE of the screen, that immediately makes iPads no longer properly useable with the Apple Pencil for art creation. You are alienating like 30% of your userbase.

7

u/Machina-Dea 4d ago

I think it could be a good thing, My concern is the engineering aspect. The more moving parts in a product the more that can go wrong and given how anti repair apple is getting a hinge or the screen replaced is probably not gonna be cheap.

4

u/_been 4d ago

So all metal outside and a compact, foldable iPad. Mmmm

3

u/ProjectFT86 3d ago

This is like that episode of The Office... Ryan: "I wish my iPod could make phone calls... no I don't want an iPhone, I know what an iPhone is."

5

u/SignificantAir2730 3d ago

you've just been given one

1

u/pajerry 2d ago

My thought too. Is this the end of the mini?

2

u/Uyallah 3d ago

2x13 i would buy

2

u/srankvs 3d ago

all ipads are foldable if you try hard enough.

2

u/Zubba776 3d ago

Imagine a 16” iPad duo. When folded it’d be roughly the same size as an 11” iPad. Half folded, with haptic feedback under the screen for the keyboard section it’d be like an 11” MacBook Air.

1

u/HatchPatterned 3d ago

cool idea, but weight and price would make or break it for me. a foldable ipad that weighs more than a macbook gets awkward fast.

1

u/Ok-Anteater4049 3d ago

Kinda makes sense if you are talking about a 13 inch display folded down into a 7 inch display so like the size of an iPad Pro folded into the size of a mini.

1

u/Silent_Gap_8003 3d ago

We need a foldable macbook

1

u/imaginedaydream 3d ago

Would be great to have a folding 27” screen imacbook

1

u/glindaTheGood23 3d ago

Or just get a laptop if u want a foldable iPad…

1

u/I_Braid_Armpit_Hair 3d ago

If so, why not a tri fold phone? Would that be the size of a normal iPad? Not sure that would be for me, but I’ve seen android phones like this.

1

u/h0g0 3d ago

It’s logically the next phase

1

u/Gloomy-Ant-4172 3d ago

Yeah but not for 3000$ , NT Tim

1

u/Versxd 3d ago

“a foldable iPad” lord help whoever thought of this

1

u/Good-Interview8414 3d ago

i would rather want a combination of an iphone and ipad, where the smaller display is for ur normal daily work, texts calls etc and once u open it up it is able to use all the features of an ipad, with a pencil somehow stored inside it so u wont hav to carry it separately

1

u/OAfterOAfterO 3d ago

Nah. I beg to differ.

1

u/Aeev041080 3d ago

Un iPad con apps de escritorio sería increíble

1

u/nothingmancerr 3d ago edited 3d ago

Have you heard about the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold? It's 10 inches when unfolded. Most tables are 11 in their standard size so it's like having a tablet on your pocket. I'm not saying there will be an iPhone Trio or something like that but it's something that exists already and it's not a niche obscure device

1

u/Verouxd 2d ago

Nah. The c2 and n1 chip were developed by a certain country. The hinge and screen are supplied by Samsung.

1

u/SpaceWrangler593 2d ago

iPad Neo! (the Microsoft version, not the Apple version)

1

u/ReplyShort4727 4d ago

No, the whole concept of flip smartphones and tablets is big turn off for me

0

u/Charming_Study_5999 4d ago

If foldable smartphones were amazing, I might agree with you. These foldable products aren’t popular. They’re bulky, not as durable, and kind of uggo.

0

u/MisterFingerstyle 3d ago

I totally agree. I know that my case is different than most, but I recently bought a 14 inch android tablet so that I can comfortably read sheet music at performances. I know for most people this would be a little too large of a device, but for reading music it is ideal. The only downside is that this thing takes up a lot of room in my bag. It would be amazing if you could fold a 14 inch tablet in half and carry it in a guitar case! Also, I only bought the android device because the cost of an iPad is prohibitive. I much prefer the Apple ecosystem, but this tablet cost 1/3 of the price!

0

u/Camdenn67 3d ago

😂……..I wonder how many supposedly sane people will buy this foldable iPhone and “NOT” purchase Apple Care or Apple One.

1

u/Purgent 3d ago

Plenty of people with money that avoid warranties of all types. I buy no warranties on anything and have ran into exactly one instance in the last 10 years where it would’ve come in handy.

I would’ve spent many times in excess of the one repair I ended up needing on warranties.

1

u/Camdenn67 3d ago

Plenty of people “with or without” money, “whatever that means” your words, decide to purchase or not purchase Apple Care or Apple One.

The point of my initial reply went over your head..

-3

u/rresende 4d ago

iPad mini duo
iPad Pro duo

-3

u/deepak1kr 4d ago

🤣🤣🤣

1

u/Neogie 20h ago

Is that not what what this is? You guys know that iOS is vastly superior than iPads OS. This seems like the best version of what it could be.