Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Ultra, will be officially released this September. However, as Apple's first foldable device is about to debut, a recent survey shows that most American consumers are not very interested in purchasing this product.
CNET commissioned YouGov to conduct an online survey from August 13 to 17, involving 2,605 American adults. The results showed that75% of respondents expressed no interest in purchasing a foldable iPhone, with only about one-quarter showing willingness to buy.
Looking at different age groups, the foldable iPhone does not have high appeal across generational lines. Among them,Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) showed the highest lack of interest at 83%, followed by Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) at 77%.
Even among younger user groups, 69% of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and 68% of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) stated they would not consider purchasing a foldable iPhone.
Compared to the foldable form factor itself, price may be a more significant factor influencing consumers' purchase intentions.
The survey showed thatThe average American adult is only willing to pay $781 for a foldable iPhone, which is even lower than the starting price of $799 for the standard iPhone 17, showing a significant gap from the current market rumors of pricing above $2,000.
Specifically, Gen Z had the highest acceptable average price at $919, followed by Millennials at $859, Gen X at $690, and Baby Boomers at only $572.
This means that even though younger consumers have relatively higher acceptance of foldable products, there is still a large gap between their psychological price point and the rumored product positioning of Apple's foldable iPhone.
Meanwhile, rising smartphone prices are also affecting the overall willingness of American consumers to upgrade their devices.
In the survey, 41% of American adults said they are reconsidering their original upgrade plans due to expectations that phone prices will continue to rise;Another 22% of respondents stated that they have no plans to upgrade their phones in the near future, regardless of what new products Apple releases.
Furthermore, 5% of respondents considered buying older or cheaper models, 4% considered switching phone brands, and another 4% planned to turn to refurbished or second-hand phones.
Additionally, 9% of respondents stated they would only consider upgrading if trade-in deals or carrier promotions could cover part of the cost.
However, from another perspective, for foldable phones, which are currently a niche category, about one-quarter of American adults still expressed interest, which is not a low proportion.
Ultimately, beyond the foldable form factor, factors such as price, durability, and actual user experience may be key to whether Apple's first foldable iPhone can succeed in the market.