r/ipadmini • u/puppeto • 13d ago
Could iPhone Fold replace your Mini?
I see a lot of posts and rumors around the upcoming Mini 8, but has anyone thought about the possibility the Fold or its successors may take its place in the market?
With a nearly 7.8" screen and 4:3 dimensions if the Fold is actually good I could totally see it eliminating the need for a Mini altogether for many. Guess time will tell.
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u/JustHereForDumbSht 13d ago
Not really
The aspect ratio for either the outer screen or the inner screen is fucked, and its gonna be $2000+ so I’m good.. just waiting for the OLED Mini
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u/SillyGoose3939 13d ago
I saw that OLED rumor (that seems to be certain at this point) and I'm honestly just hoping that they'll release a cheaper lcd version... I was in the marker for a mini and it would be a bummer to have oled only for me
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u/johnlusher 13d ago
Yeah not for me. Too expensive and I doubt that it will have pencil support.
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u/StarrySkies6 13d ago
We’ll see
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u/Qasim57 13d ago
And smell
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u/Alternative_Horse757 13d ago
And taste
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u/Extension_Canary3717 13d ago
And feel
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u/ashraf_bashir 13d ago
And hear
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u/Mammoth-Plane-6890 13d ago
and transcend?
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u/baerp 13d ago
If it folds out to roughly the same screen size and it's true that it'll be virtually creaseless then yeah to me that's a solid replacement. Especially considering they'll give it ProMotion while the mini sits on 60hz forever.
Only thing I'd be concerned about is I'm not gonna rough up and throw around a $2k foldable the same way I do with my iPad mini.
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u/Gamer12Numbers 13d ago
The purported shape of the fold is odd. Too squat while folded for my liking. Of course, since foldables sit around 2,000 dollars, my liking is irrelevant
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u/PARTINlCO 13d ago
I’m actually holding off on getting the mini specifically cuz i’m waiting for the fold. I cannot wait for it lol!
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u/Forward_Froyo_429 13d ago
if it had pencil support, i’d throw my mini out the window and order one instantly
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u/Ok-Limit-9726 13d ago
High chance it could.
I give zero shits about cost if its good enough.
If it plays all my mobile games, i can watch movies, do my invoices, work calendar 📅, and do what mini does and fold in half!
Thats a yes from me!
(Will replace my work ‘air’ phone and ipad mini a17)
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u/phasepistol 13d ago
No. My phone is my phone, and my iPad is for reading or creating in a distraction-free environment. No alerts, notifications or alarms. I even have a shortcut on my iPad to turn the screen black and white for e-reading.
The kicker is that I already own my phone and iPad, and I’m not paying thousands of dollars to essentially buy them again (rumors peg the Fold as VERY expensive, even by Apple standards).
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u/Wooden-Writing-6843 13d ago
The fold will not be less than 2k, and won't support pencil, and won't run iPad OS.
I'm very curious how Apple will sell this.
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u/AquaKiwiPrime 7d ago
Oh yes. I would love the portability of my phone but the size of a mini in my pocket. It would be the dream. An iPhone Pro series phone and Mini 7 cost about 2k anyway, so it would be the same for me. I am excited for it!
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u/twotonekevin 13d ago
Full screen folding/flip phones are one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in any market. They can take my mini from my cold dead hands.
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u/PARTINlCO 4d ago
What’s dumb about them? genuine Q, not being snarky. It’s like having a mini… but in your pocket… w/o the obligation to carry/stow/charge a 2nd device.
I spent like an hour and a half the other day at best-buy playing with the galaxy fold 7 & the pixel 10 fold phones. I think they are such fascinating gadgets and it evoked that feeling of… nerdy excitement? Like the year is 2001 and we just got a new computer type feeling. Haven’t felt that in a loooong time. I am so excited for apple to (hopefully) bring a folding phone. I travel for work and my bags are packed enough as is, I just don’t have any more room to bring/stow/charge another device. I’ll be over the moon if the device that’s always in my pocket has the capability to expand into a mini-tablet similar to the ipad mini.
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u/twotonekevin 4d ago
I honestly just don’t like the crease in the center from the fold.
In the same way that these devices invoke this unbridled enthusiasm in you, seeing the crease in the screen activates something visceral in me. I’m also fond of the idea of getting home and putting my phone away and then picking up the tablet to do whatever—watch a show or a movie, answer any incoming messages, read, etc—instead. Like, I don’t mind having “dedicated” devices. To me, it feels like winding down when I’m able to use the tablet instead of the phone. I know it’s all pretty much the same, especially in the Apple ecosystem, but I come from the time of the iPod, so I don’t mind it.
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u/Cheap-Cockroach-2805 13d ago
I somewhat considered not getting my mini and holding off for the fold because of this exact thought. It sure would be nice to be able to unfold my phone into a tablet and have a "mini" with me all the time since that's basically the dimensions it will fold out to. Less devices to alternate between, charge, and keep track of. It would be a full replacement for me assuming they gave this thing a tank of a battery.
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u/Competitive-Fox-3050 13d ago
I wavered too until I saw the proposed price tag. Plenty happy with my mini!
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u/RamaShakle 13d ago
Even if it folds to the exact screen size of the mini it’s an odd fold..creates a square? What’s the point of a square? Being the same width doesn’t make it easier for stowability. My mini fits in most of my back pockets and leaves the bit out that I can grab. A square will just get lost in there.
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u/Usual_Award 13d ago
I don't see it. Still need something affordable and options on specs. People want an OLED mini but do you foresee an OLED fold anytime soon? At what cost?
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u/Daglers 13d ago
wdym all folds are OLED ?
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u/Usual_Award 13d ago
I'm saying people like pick a device based off of specs and the mini will have (or potentially get) specs the consumer wants that the fold will not have. Specs determine sold and Apple uses that to offer different products. The newest iPad air could have offered 120hz but they held it back at 60hz for example.
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u/PrestigiousInsect305 13d ago
Nope, I don’t want an iPhone at all, I’m happy with the phone I have.
And I like my mini as a separate device entirely.
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u/Ackrodisiac 13d ago
No because I use my mini and phone simultaneously while travelling. Mini playing Netflix and use phone to reply to messages, check info whilst on the move.
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u/Scorpion101325 13d ago
Personally I don't think so.
for now the dimensions of ipad mini is already good enough for me to play rhythm games, I don't think the responsive of the screen will be on par on ipads. Furthermore If I want to combine my 60++ rhythm games app with my social app together (spoilers: I don't do that and this is too messy), buying 2 separate devices gives me cheaper price (and more space) then just buying 1 iphone fold.
It can be a revolutionary product, just not suitable in my daily life.
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u/TickleMyRide 13d ago
I think alot of ppl already thinking about this... and we're all waiting for the reveal party and pricing.
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u/ginji0513 13d ago
i will consider the iPhone fold only if it is $499 or similarly priced to the Mini
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u/LifeDaikon 13d ago
I’m betting it will cost a lot more than buying both an iPhone and a mini so no.
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u/BillionthDegenerate 13d ago
The notion of the "one device" is an interesting one. Your phone can basically turn into your iPad mini.
But I actually enjoy having them be two separate devices. They can charge separately, I can keep different things on them and I can use them each for different purposes as opposed to everything on the one device.
This is why I love the iPad mini and generally am not interested in a folding phone.
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u/rickhuizinga 12d ago
And two devices can have the same notifications that you have to triage twice. You can configure them to have certain notifications go to one device, and other notifications to the other, but then you often have to grab both devices.
Having one device just makes everything simpler.
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u/trancetechno 13d ago
I use Android folds for last 5 years. They have replaced all sizes of tablets for me.
I am currently on Vivo Fold 5 and it's just outstanding. However no doubt software is not that polished but that's the compromise one had to make to get this form factor.
I am these days thinking can I go back to mini phone plus ipad mini and tried that for a week but carrying two devices in a jeans pocket was difficult and had to keep mini in hand always and that had its novelty at start but after few near misses in metro and busy streets I went back to fold and it's software imperfections.
So yeah I think fold iphone can be good provided it is on par with other fold pricings or slightly more.
Google fold was a failure btw due to their ridicolous pricing and subpar Tensor chips.
Chinese phones can no longer be called playing catch-up instead some of them are in league of their own.
Read some where China may have started by copying other but now that's where innovation is really happening with world playing catch-up. So iphone fold will have a tough competition.
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u/Primary-Angle4008 13d ago
I was really excited about a iPhone fold until I saw the size of it and it just looks odd when folded
Besides that it would have to have pencil support at any cost to replace my mini
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u/Additional_Photo_269 13d ago
I’ve thought about this, but the thing I like about my mini is using it as a separate device. For instance I have a 12.9 iPad and I could do multitasking but it gets weird depending on what I’m doing. But with a secondary device each runs what I want like it’s supposed to. So I can have notes open on one and a book… video… mail… whatever on the other.
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u/ElSasori69 13d ago
If it’s more like the Surface Duo, yes, if it is like all the foldables then no… wait, I still don’t have a mini… nevermind
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u/Downtown_Ambition680 13d ago
If it didn’t cost the price of a phone and two minis maybe. But that’s going to be hard for people to ignore.
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u/rensuchan 11d ago
For me, no.
If I’m out of the house in any normal situation I don’t want or need a device that becomes bigger. If I’m out of the house for an extended amount of time, or traveling, then I will just pack a bigger device for when I’m able to relax with it.
Ideally I want to charge my phone at night while I use the mini to consume media / play light games. I also have longevity concerns and think the fold will cost more than I’m willing to spend for a phone anyway.
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u/overachievingtmrw 8d ago
Even the Galaxy Fold still looks weird to me honestly. Feels like both Android and Apple keep copying each other now more than doing truly new thing/ being innovative
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u/PARTINlCO 4d ago
For my use-cases, yeah. I just need the ability to split screen multitask on my device, preferably my phone that fits in my pocket. Torn right now between buying a mini to enjoy the convenience of improved productivity, or waiting a few more months for the fold that is allegedly coming out.
I’m definitely a day-1 buy for the fold, regardless of the price or concessions on the camera. Being able to whip out my phone, turn it into a mini tablet, and actually multitask = huge for me.
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u/Phelsuma04 13d ago
If the pencil doesn’t work on the fold it won’t work for me as a replacement.