(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Rumors have circulated for years that Apple is considering a foldable iPhone, and even folks who don’t follow every smartphone rumor have become curious enough to ask me about it.

‘Is Apple really making a foldable iPhone?’ was the most common phone question I got over the holidays, and the answer had me thinking. Apple doesn’t need to make a foldable phone. The rumors about Apple’s foldable phone are doing a good enough job of beating the competition.

The OnePlus Open is a gorgeous phone, even with the crease (Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

Still, it seems like a very Apple complaint, doesn’t it? By leaking rumors that it won’t build a foldable phone that has a noticeable crease, Apple directly calls attention to the biggest apparent flaw in all of its competition.

I say "apparent" because it’s only a flaw if you’ve seen a foldable phone but you’ve never used one. The crease is no bother, but it is visible, so Apple can highlight the issue for its own fans, who will never realize it’s not a problem for foldable owners.

It’s a little bit genius, and a little mean-spirited. Apple gets to float along on the rumors that it wouldn’t deign to create a foldable phone. Foldable phones have an inherent flaw, and by implication, Apple only creates flawless phones. It gets to win at the foldable phone game by calling the game stupid, packing up its ball, and going home alone.

When I'm wrong about Apple's foldable, send me this story

The Samsung Galaxy Round was the first curved-glass smartphone from 2013

Will Apple ever make a foldable phone? I’m less convinced than ever. If the rumors are true, Apple is holding out for a material that is as strong as glass, but can fold in half without revealing a crease. I don’t see how this is possible (please send me this story in five years when I’m proven wrong!).

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