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The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Return of the flip phone: does Apple's foldable iPhone signal a new era in design?
Back in 2005, nothing felt more high-powered and sophisticated than ending a call by snapping shut a clamshell flip phone. Now, two decades since they hit peak popularity, they're back – with Apple rumoured to be working on its first ever flip phone. Little is known about how it will look. It could resemble Samsung's Flip design – closer to a 2000s-style clamshell phone – or its Fold, more like a foldable iPad. A JPMorgan report has suggested that the first foldable iPhone will be revealed in September 2026, priced at $1,999 (£1,474), and will likely expand a foldable phone market expected to reach 19m units in 2025. The rectangular tablet has been a mainstay of phone design for the last 15 years, but could Apple betting on the flip phone be a sign that's about to change? Tech experts said the new product launch probably reflected the fact that people now mostly access the internet on their phones, rather than laptops or tablets, and are looking for a device that optimises that experience – but the high price point suggests it will remain a premium product. 'Apple and all other smartphone makers are somewhat stymied by the fact the smartphone has become somewhat of a boring category – it's absolutely essential in people's daily lives, but it no longer has the excitement of the next big thing,' said Ben Wood, an analyst at the tech consultancy CCS Insight. This is why Apple has been reaching for new designs that can get people talking – for example, the ultra-thin iPhone, expected to be launched in September. Wood thinks Apple is entering the foldable market because other companies have experimented first. Samsung's initial Galaxy Fold designs were bedevilled by screen problems, but next week's Galaxy Flip and Fold 7 triple release, featuring slimmer designs and bigger screens, is expected to represent the 'next generation' of foldable phones, which Samsung will be hoping reverses the flatlining sales in 2024. 'Apple is rarely first to anything – it's not typically a company that dives in with both feet – it likes to take its time, see how it can refine and optimise it, and deliver the best, most reliable experience, then it jumps,' Wood said. He noted that Samsung's flip phone has been more popular than the fold model 'because it's cheaper and has captured imagination of the population who like the idea of having something different from everyone else'. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion But he thinks that Apple producing a foldable mini-tablet has the most potential to 'move the needle' by giving people the opportunity to unfold a larger screen where they can easily watch videos, show off photos and browse documents when working remotely. Margarita Panayiotou, a tech researcher at the University of Manchester, said academic research had identified that people prefer bigger screens for browsing and gaming. This, combined with the fact that young people, especially, tend to use smartphones to go online, suggests that the foldable design could offer an ideal compromise for future consumers. Prof Ben Carter, who researches how smartphones impact our lives at King's College London, agreed that video watching was 'one of the wins' for foldable phones, especially since videos constitute a growing proportion of the content that people consume. Foldable phones can have larger screens and can also be propped up for easier viewing. He thought there could be mental health benefits to a design resembling a 'mini-laptop that you can close down'. His research shows that disabling notifications is highly effective in reducing screen time and tackling smartphone addiction. If the screen is not visible, it removes the 'variable reward scheme' – the same process by which gambling addiction works, whereby not knowing when you will receive a reward makes something more compelling. 'If you can switch it off, more like a laptop, that distraction has gone,' he said, though he noted there waws not yet evidence that people are using foldable phones in this way. This might be especially beneficial for children, who receive on average more than 200 notifications a day – though the high price point of foldable phones makes it unlikely that many will have access to them until their parents pass on secondhand models several years after launch. Prof David Ellis, the chair of behavioural science at the University of Bath, said that other draws include the fact that screens are better protected and fit into a smaller pocket, as well as the 'sense of nostalgia that comes with a flip phone'. But he added that it might not be the gamechanger people are expecting: Apple doesn't have a '100% success rate – the Vision Pro [headset] has been a spectacular failure'.
Leader Live
44 minutes ago
- Leader Live
‘Alarming' drop in UK consumer confidence over last year – Which?
Confidence has tumbled by 31 points over the last year, from an average of minus nine between May and July 2024 to an average of minus 40 between May and July this year, Which?'s Consumer Insight Tracker shows. On average between this May and July, 56% of people thought the economy would get worse and just 16% thought it would get better. Which? said the figures showed a 'significant fall' to some of the lowest levels seen since early 2023, when the cost-of-living crisis was in the headlines and inflation was in double figures. Confidence in the future economy declined sharply last autumn and was particularly low between February to May, when global events such as the US tariff policy contributed to the pessimism. Confidence had recovered a little since, but remained considerably lower than 12 months ago. Pensioners have been the most pessimistic group, with their confidence in the future UK economy falling dramatically from an average of minus five between May and July last year to a current average of minus 63. Pensioners' confidence dropped dramatically in autumn last year – shortly after the Government's first announcement of scrapping the winter fuel allowance for most pensioners – and has remained low since, in spite of the Government U-turn on fuel payments. Which?'s figures suggest that financial difficulties from the height of the cost-of-living crisis are yet to return to the pre-crisis levels. In the month to July 18, an estimated 2.1 million households missed at least one essential payment such as rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, credit card or loan payments. An estimated 13.9 million households (49%) also made at least one adjustment to cover essential spending such as utility bills, housing costs, groceries, school supplies and medicines in the last month – such as cutting back on essentials, dipping into savings, selling possessions or borrowing. Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: 'Our research shows consumer confidence in the future of the UK economy has dropped alarmingly over the last year. 'The Government has rightly focused on growing the economy and raising living standards but in doing so, it must not overlook the importance of consumer protections in restoring confidence. 'People are sick to the teeth of having to dodge fraudsters when shopping online, watching out for rogue traders when making home improvements and needing to keep an eye out for dodgy pricing practices which mean that offers aren't as good as they first appear. 'The right consumer protections give people the confidence to spend and the Government must place these protections at the heart of its plans to grow the economy.'
South Wales Argus
44 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
‘Alarming' drop in UK consumer confidence over last year – Which?
Confidence has tumbled by 31 points over the last year, from an average of minus nine between May and July 2024 to an average of minus 40 between May and July this year, Which?'s Consumer Insight Tracker shows. On average between this May and July, 56% of people thought the economy would get worse and just 16% thought it would get better. (Source: Which?) Which? said the figures showed a 'significant fall' to some of the lowest levels seen since early 2023, when the cost-of-living crisis was in the headlines and inflation was in double figures. Confidence in the future economy declined sharply last autumn and was particularly low between February to May, when global events such as the US tariff policy contributed to the pessimism. Confidence had recovered a little since, but remained considerably lower than 12 months ago. Pensioners have been the most pessimistic group, with their confidence in the future UK economy falling dramatically from an average of minus five between May and July last year to a current average of minus 63. Pensioners' confidence dropped dramatically in autumn last year – shortly after the Government's first announcement of scrapping the winter fuel allowance for most pensioners – and has remained low since, in spite of the Government U-turn on fuel payments. Which?'s figures suggest that financial difficulties from the height of the cost-of-living crisis are yet to return to the pre-crisis levels. In the month to July 18, an estimated 2.1 million households missed at least one essential payment such as rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, credit card or loan payments. An estimated 13.9 million households (49%) also made at least one adjustment to cover essential spending such as utility bills, housing costs, groceries, school supplies and medicines in the last month – such as cutting back on essentials, dipping into savings, selling possessions or borrowing. Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: 'Our research shows consumer confidence in the future of the UK economy has dropped alarmingly over the last year. 'The Government has rightly focused on growing the economy and raising living standards but in doing so, it must not overlook the importance of consumer protections in restoring confidence. 'People are sick to the teeth of having to dodge fraudsters when shopping online, watching out for rogue traders when making home improvements and needing to keep an eye out for dodgy pricing practices which mean that offers aren't as good as they first appear. 'The right consumer protections give people the confidence to spend and the Government must place these protections at the heart of its plans to grow the economy.'
