We Need a Clamshell iPhone Now That Android Has Figured Out Foldables

Foldables are far more brittle than traditional phones, and that’s a problem when you’re spending between $1,800 and $2,000 on a single device. Finally, in 2025, the flip-out, tablet-style, foldable phone may get the remodel it needed to stick it out with cheaper devices. New leaks suggest the next Google Pixel foldable will be able to better survive a mote of dust. Samsung’s next Z Fold 7 “Ultra” may have similar staying power when we finally get to see it on July 9.

Another leak for the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, published by Android Headlines, suggests Google’s next book-style foldable will be more resistant to dust and debris. If accurate, Google’s phone would be the first with an IP68 rating, meaning it’s resistant to dust and can survive being submerged in water up to three feet for 30 minutes. Rumors suggest Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 may achieve a similar level of durability, though we’ll see it much sooner than Google’s device, which Android Headlines said is slated for an August 20 debut.

Additionally, the sequel to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold may sport a smaller hinge, according to current and past leaks. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold could have a 6.4-inch cover display compared to 6.3 inches on last year’s model. The next Samsung foldable could be thinner and contain an off-center hole-punch internal camera, according to earlier renders published by Android Headlines and frequent rumormonger OnLeaks. Whether Google and Samsung have done any work to limit the size of the crease caused by the folding mechanism is another matter entirely. The crease is one of the most glaring pain points of using a foldable device, especially when you’re trying to read content in bright light or scroll lengthwise across the screen.

The leak suggests Google has tried to alleviate one of the most concerning things about foldables—the thinner internal screen can be damaged when just a little bit of dust gets trapped between the layers. Current Samsung foldables like the Z Fold 6 are rated IP48, which means they are protected against some dust, but dirt will still cause wear. U.S. brands have notably lagged behind the innovations coming out of China from the likes of Oppo and Huawei, but nobody has yet achieved a higher rating for dust resistance.

Oppo currently boasts the slimmest book-style foldable with the Find N5, measuring 8.83mm, or 0.34 inches, when closed up. You probably haven’t seen it in action since you can’t buy it in the U.S. Oppo’s sister company, OnePlus, has effectively quashed any hope that it would launch a sequel to one of Gizmodo’s favorite foldables of the past two years, the OnePlus Open. Huawei currently has the world’s only commercial tri-fold phone, which—again—is not available to buy directly in America. Samsung is reportedly working on a new “G Fold” that fans out into a larger tablet, but it probably won’t be around for 2025.

Durability is one of the big factors why foldables haven’t carved as big of a niche in the smartphone market dominated by candy bar-style devices. The other major factor is price. None of these new rumors suggest these devices will be any more affordable. We’ll have to see if Samsung can release some kind of FE—aka “fan edition”—version of its Z Flip to compete with the latest $700 Motorola Razr. Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for any real sign Apple will launch its own foldable iPhone. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last week that we may finally see its debut in 2026, which is the same suggested timeline as other recent rumors. Apple being late to the game may work to its benefit, at least if it can make a device that folds as thin as a typical, non-”Air” iPhone and has an internal display that lacks any sign of a crease. We still need to see it to believe it.