Waiting on an iPhone Flip or some version of a foldable iPhone? We have bad news. A new survey revealed that owners of Apple's smartphones are the least interested in purchasing a foldable device, compared to Samsung and LG smartphone owners.
According to the survey, conducted by YouGov, only 13% of iPhone owners are 'very interested' in buying a foldable phone. Meanwhile, 26% of the same demographic is 'not interested at all' in folding devices. Another 22% of respondents said they are 'not very interested.'
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More Samsung and LG owners want foldables, with 15% of Samsung phone owners and 31% of people with LG phones saying they're very interested.
The contrast in results is curious, considering there are already several foldable Samsung phones, including the Samsung Z Flip and Samsung Z Fold 2. There's also a rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Samsung Z Flip 3 on the way.
And since the survey acknowledges LG is shutting its phone business down, it could makes sense that its existing users are looking to switch to a different Android brand with foldables.
This is just speculation based on the survey results. Similarly, YouGov's findings don't mean Apple will simply stop working on a folding iPhone. That said, if nearly half of your customers don't want a folding phone, would you feed time and resources into creating one?
Will Apple customers want a foldable iPhone?
The survey results are more telling of shopper attitudes right now. In a few years, when a foldable iPhone could actually be ready for sale, people might be more attracted to devices with foldable displays.
I think iPhone owners would need to see an actual iPhone Flip, or some kind of folding iPhone, before knowing they want it. The iPhone's design has inspired intense brand loyalty, mostly because the latest iPhone 12 lineup look is still reminiscent of the first-generation. You know an iPhone when you see an iPhone, no matter the year it came out.
A folding iPhone would deviate from the product's iconic design. It's complicated to ask someone if they're interested in buying something unfamiliar — something that would look significantly different from what they already know.
That said, Apple has found success selling its customers on an all-new device. We hadn't seen any of the best wireless earbuds that look like Apple AirPods before, and now AirPods are the category's gold standard.
Apple customers, including myself, need to see the company's first foldable smartphone as a finished product before being convinced to buy one. Sure, there are people who will buy anything Apple sells, no questions asked. But the reason its new launches usually triumph is because Apple brings complete products to market. It wouldn't risk another Samsung Galaxy Fold fiasco.
So yes, Apple customers will probably want a folding iPhone, as soon as Apple says why they should want a folding iPhone. The YouGov survey results merely show that Apple hasn't given its users a reason to show interest in foldable devices — yet.
