Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

How Much Will the iPhone Fold Cost?

January 30, 2026

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  • The ecosystem of 
  • mirrors that of Tech YouTube, featuring large channels dominating coverage and smaller channels seeking unique angles on major events like winter storms. 
  • The reported $2,899 U.S. price for the Samsung Galaxy Trifold sets a high benchmark for foldable pricing, leading to speculation that the rumored Apple iPhone Fold will likely launch above the $2,000 mark. 
  • Apple's new AirTag update, featuring a louder speaker (changed from F to G) and improved range, is sarcastically highlighted as the most significant news of the week, overshadowing other expected product updates. 
  • Apple's approach to foldable phones will likely prioritize simplicity and fluid operation, contrasting with the current Android offerings, as they leverage iPad OS as a fallback. 
  • The hosts speculate that Apple's foldable phone must offer unique, demonstrable use cases beyond just a larger screen to justify its existence to typical iPhone customers. 
  • The recent partial ownership change of TikTok to US-based investors (Oracle, Silverlake, etc.) has coincided with significant platform instability, including loading issues and confusion over content moderation policies. 

Segments

Weather YouTube Genre Analysis
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(00:01:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Weather YouTube content creators exhibit structural parallels to Tech YouTube, featuring large channels providing detailed updates and smaller channels seeking unique angles on the same meteorological events.
  • Summary: Meteorologists on social media provide frequent, formatted updates detailing snow projections for specific regions, similar to coverage of major tech launches. Smaller weather channels often differentiate themselves by offering counter-narratives or unique data points not covered by the larger outlets. Traditional media weather reports offer a higher-level, less nuanced view compared to the dedicated online meteorologists.
Weather App Data Accuracy Rant
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(00:08:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Stock weather applications on mobile platforms, while visually appealing, often pull less accurate data compared to dedicated third-party apps like Carrot Weather when using specific data sources.
  • Summary: The default Google Weather app on Pixel devices was noted for providing inaccurate snow accumulation forecasts compared to other sources. Many dedicated weather apps are criticized for having poor user experience (UX), making the visually pleasing stock apps tempting despite data discrepancies. Carrot Weather is recommended for iPhone users as it allows switching between accurate data sources like AccuWeather.
Khaby Lame Valuation Discussion
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(00:12:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Khaby Lame’s reported $900 million valuation stems from selling image/likeness rights to a company, Rich Sparkle Holdings, which plans to monetize his digital twin via AI, projecting $4 billion in annual live commerce sales.
  • Summary: The deal involves partial ownership in the managing company, valued at $900 million, rather than a direct cash payment of that amount. The hosts express skepticism regarding the projected $4 billion annual revenue, noting that the company’s projected earnings exceed those of established Fortune 500 companies. The core of the deal involves authorizing the use of Lame’s non-verbal gestures and likeness for endless AI content generation.
Google Search Image Download Removal
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(00:20:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Google has seemingly removed the direct download feature for images found via the Google Search widget or app, forcing users into a browser or relying on the ‘Save to Collection’ feature.
  • Summary: Users can no longer easily save images directly from the Google Images results within the main Google application interface. The ‘Share’ option only provides a link, and the ‘Save to Collection’ feature does not allow direct downloading of the image file. This change is interpreted as a deliberate tactic to keep users within the Google ecosystem rather than allowing them to save assets locally.
BBK Electronics Disbandment Revelation
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(00:25:02)
  • Key Takeaway: The umbrella brand BBK Electronics, which previously encompassed Oppo, OnePlus, and Vivo, officially disbanded approximately three years prior to the recording.
  • Summary: The hosts were unaware of the BBK dissolution, which was pointed out by a Reddit user. This organizational change is viewed as similar to corporate rebranding efforts, such as DJI’s relationship with Hasselblad, where the underlying structure may remain similar for optics. Oppo and Vivo remain, with OnePlus and Realme continuing as sub-brands.
New AirTag Features and Sound Change
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(00:26:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The second-generation Apple AirTag features a 50% further precision finding range, an improved Bluetooth chip, and a significantly louder speaker, changing its tone from an F note to a G note.
  • Summary: The new AirTag maintains the same price point as the original despite the hardware upgrades, including a 1.8-decibel louder speaker. Precision finding is now supported on Apple Watch Series 9/Ultra 2 and later models, allowing for haptic feedback when locating the item. The hosts sarcastically suggest the sound change is the most significant innovation, noting the old sound is an F and the new sound is a G.
Samsung Trifold Pricing and iPhone Fold Speculation
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(00:42:31)
  • Key Takeaway: The Samsung Galaxy Trifold is priced at $2,899 in the U.S. and is only available directly from Samsung, raising the price ceiling for foldables and suggesting the iPhone Fold might exceed $2,000.
  • Summary: The Trifold’s high price positions it more like a niche, hype-generating device similar to the Vision Pro, rather than a mass-market item. The hosts believe Apple’s iPhone Fold will aim for wider adoption, likely pricing it between $1,900 and $2,199. A key question remains whether the iPhone Fold will run a unified OS or separate iOS/iPadOS experiences based on the screen state.
Apple Foldable Philosophy
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(00:49:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Apple’s foldable strategy must offer unique utility beyond what Android already provides, potentially leveraging iPad OS capabilities.
  • Summary: Customers paying a premium for a folding phone might expect more flexibility than the usual simplicity-focused iPhone user. Apple generally waits longer than Android manufacturers to release new hardware categories, ensuring features are well-tested and integrated into the existing ecosystem. The device needs a compelling, demonstrable use case, perhaps involving Final Cut Pro for iPad, to differentiate itself.
Touchscreen MacBook Debate
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(00:53:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts are divided on the utility of a touchscreen MacBook Pro, with some seeing it as useful for quick scrolling and others fearing the wobble and inconsistency of touch interfaces on laptops.
  • Summary: The discussion touched on rumors of a MacBook with a touchscreen, potentially featuring a new OLED display. While some hosts see value in quick touch interactions like scrolling on the couch, others worry about the practical drawbacks like screen wobble and fingerprints. The evolution of iPad OS suggests Apple is already blurring the lines between its device categories.
Samsung S26 Privacy Display Teaser
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(00:56:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Samsung is teasing a hardware-level privacy display feature for the S26 series that can selectively black out parts of the screen from off-axis viewing.
  • Summary: This new feature aims to prevent ‘shoulder surfing’ and appears to be customizable, allowing users to fine-tune or switch off the protection entirely. The technology might utilize polarization layers controlled by electric current, similar to electrochromic glass found in some high-end vehicles. This impressive feature, however, raises concerns about increased repair costs for the advanced display.
Samsung G2 Chip Confirmation
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(01:02:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts are confident the Samsung S26 series will include the G2 (or Chi2) magnetic standard, driven by competition with Google’s Pixel line.
  • Summary: The consensus is that the S26 will feature G2 compatibility, similar to how Google integrated the standard into its recent Pixel devices. This feature is seen as necessary for Samsung to remain competitive in the high-end Android market against Google. The hosts expressed hope for this inclusion, suggesting it is a near certainty.
TikTok Ownership Transition Issues
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(01:03:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The transition of TikTok’s US operations to new ownership has resulted in immediate technical failures and ongoing confusion regarding content moderation and user data policies.
  • Summary: Following the divestiture to investors like Oracle and Silverlake, TikTok experienced massive loading issues and zero-view counts, which Oracle attributed to a power outage. Reports surfaced about banned words blocking DMs, though testing yielded inconsistent results, fueling conspiracy theories about algorithm suppression. Many users are temporarily migrating to alternatives like Upscrolled, though the hosts predict a return to TikTok due to platform stickiness.
Waveform Game: Wavelength Tech Edition
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(01:10:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts played a custom tech-themed version of the game Wavelength, testing their shared knowledge across categories like tech CEOs and smartphone characteristics.
  • Summary: The game involved teams guessing a number between 1 and 10 based on a clue related to a scale (e.g., ’least sold Apple product’ to ‘most sold Apple product’). The first round saw the team of Ellis and Adam score one point by correctly guessing a number related to Larry Page’s recognition level. Marquez and David scored five points by correctly guessing the number associated with the iPhone 12 Pro’s fingerprint resistance.
Tech Product Need Scale Game
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(01:38:51)
  • Key Takeaway: The initial trivia round established a 1-to-10 scale for tech products, where 10 means ’need more’ and 1 means ’need less,’ with the first clue being ‘Mastodon.’
  • Summary: The game rules defined a scale for tech product desirability, ranging from one (least needed) to ten (most needed). Ellis provided a final answer of ‘one’ for the clue ‘Mastodon,’ which was the complete opposite of the other team’s expected answer. The scoring system involved ties and potential wins based on proximity to the hidden number.
Smartphone Pricing Scale Game
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(01:40:55)
  • Key Takeaway: The second game round rated smartphones on a scale where one is the cheapest possible phone and ten is the most expensive possible phone, leading to a guess of ‘five’ for the base Pixel 10.
  • Summary: The clue for the second round was a smartphone, with the scale anchored by a $2 track phone (one) and a $50,000 Caviar phone (ten). The guess of ‘five’ for the base Pixel 10 was based on its $799 price point being relatively overpriced compared to the iPhone but mid-range overall. This guess proved correct, leading to a tie-breaking scenario.
Likelihood of 2026 Tech Release Game
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(01:43:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The third game round rated tech products on a 1-to-10 scale for likelihood of release in 2026, where 10 is most likely and 1 is least likely, resulting in a guess of ‘six’ for the Pixel 11 Mini.
  • Summary: The clue required rating a product’s probability of launching in 2026, with Adam giving the clue ‘Pixel 11 Mini’ and guessing a ‘six.’ The hosts debated the plausibility of a mini phone release, noting that mini phones generally do not sell well, making a high rating unlikely. The segment concluded with the hosts moving to the final trivia question.
Apple Chip Letter Word Trivia
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(01:48:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The final trivia question challenged participants to find the longest word using only letters present in Apple chip names (like S, U, M, etc.), which allowed for plurals, leading to a seven-letter word being submitted.
  • Summary: The trivia required forming the longest word using only letters found in Apple chip designations (e.g., S1, S5, U1). David submitted ‘warts’ (five letters), Andrew submitted ‘Saturn’ (six letters), and Marquez submitted ‘untrust’ (seven letters). ‘Untrust’ was ultimately accepted as a valid, albeit obsolete, word, giving Marquez the point.
Samsung Heavy Equipment Trivia
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(01:55:05)
  • Key Takeaway: A final trivia question revealed that Samsung manufactures heavy construction equipment, specifically the Samsung SE130LC-2, which is a crawler excavator.
  • Summary: The final question focused on non-consumer products made by Samsung, specifically identifying the item associated with the model number SE130LC-2. Guesses included microwave and bulldozer, but Marquez correctly identified the product as an excavator. This fact highlights Samsung’s vast industrial manufacturing portfolio beyond consumer electronics.