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Here’s why I want a foldable iPad before a tri-fold smartphone

Published Sep 4th, 2024 7:23PM EDT
Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold phone: Tablet mode.
Image: Tecno

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I’m a fan of foldable devices, and I thought the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2 concept (pictured above) was exciting when I first saw it last week. While the Tecno phone will not get a commercial release, Huawei is about to launch a similar phone of its own.

The Chinese handset vendor will challenge the iPhone 16 launch event by holding a press event on the same day. The Huawei Mate XT will reportedly feature a 10-inch screen and cost about $4,000. It’ll likely only be available in China initially.

Now that I’ve had more time to consider it, I’ve changed my mind. Yes, these tri-fold phones will be amazing feats of engineering, packing sophisticated components that let you turn a traditional phone into a 10-inch tablet. They’re exciting because the companies making them will come up with many innovations that will be useful elsewhere.

I would not want to use a tri-fold foldable, however. You know what would be even cooler than that? A foldable iPad that could double as an iPhone.

Tecno’s tri-fold is proof that you can make foldable devices that feature two hinges and three screen regions. The phone packs a high-end display and incredibly thin batteries. The cameras on the back are also quite thin. When folded, the Tecno tri-fold is thinner than a folded Galaxy Z Fold 6, which is saying something.

All that innovation comes with a price. There’s a reason Tecno won’t be selling the Phantom Ultimate 2. The point is to prove that Tecno is able to create high-end, complex hardware. Tecno demoed its phone before Huawei got a chance to send out invites for its tri-fold phone launch event.

I expect Huawei’s phone to match Tecno’s innovation. It has to be as thin as possible. It also has to feature a high-end display and a good-enough camera module on the back.

Using the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold phone in laptop mode.
Using the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold phone in laptop mode. Image source: Tecno

But I have to say I’d be even more concerned about the durability of such a device. Tecno said its tri-fold phone would feature a state-of-the-art hinge design. The dual-hinge system would support 2,100Mpa strength and over 300,000 folds.

Even so, I don’t want to imagine what happens when you drop an ultra-thin tri-fold phone. How do you protect the screen in any way? After all, if rumors are correct, the Mate XT will cost about twice as much as the Galaxy Z Fold 6. If they’re wrong, I still expect a price of well over $2,000, which is what the Fold 6 costs.

Why pay that much money for a device with so many moving parts? Yes, dual-fold foldable like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 also risk breaking. But they feature fewer moving parts. Also, current foldable phones only have a single crease we have to get used to. There is no point in dealing with two creases, which will happen with tri-fold devices.

That said, I do think there’s a future for larger foldable devices. A few years ago, I said that the 8.3-inch iPad mini 6 is the perfect device to turn into a foldable iPhone. Now that the thin M4 iPad Pro exists, I’d want to be able to fold an 11-inch iPad Pro into something smaller. 

Since then, the M4 iPad Pro has proved that Apple can make incredibly thin devices. That’s a key detail for dual-foldable phones. Then again, the thickness of a foldable iPad would not matter as much.

The whole point of a tri-fold phone is to be more productive and enjoy better entertainment on the go. But an 8- to 11-inch foldable tablet would be so much better. It would rock a laptop-grade chip rather than a mobile one and more RAM. Add a SIM card, and the foldable tablet becomes a phone as long as you use VoIP apps with it.

Sure, you’d have to carry a foldable iPad in a bag rather than your pocket. But I’d still take that over a tri-fold phone.

Interestingly, rumors do say that Apple will release a foldable iPad before a foldable iPhone. That device is often called a foldable MacBook, as it should feature a much larger screen than an iPad Pro or iPad mini. Still, I’ll probably buy a foldable MacBook/iPad before considering a tri-fold phone.

As for a foldable iPhone, I certainly wouldn’t mind if Apple were to create a clamshell foldable like the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.