A CNET survey of 2,605 US adults found that 25% are interested in a foldable Apple smartphone, while the expected price could become the biggest obstacle. Respondents said they would spend an average of $781 on such a device, far below the roughly $2,000 price analysts have predicted for the rumored iPhone Ultra. The findings offer a useful snapshot of consumer spending sentiment at a time when buyers considering an iPhone 18 Pro or another new iPhone may already be reassessing how much an upgrade is worth.
The survey show a broader change in the way US consumers are approaching expensive smartphones, particularly as higher device costs put pressure on upgrade budgets.
Apple’s foldable idea has interest, but price changes the conversation
One in four US adults surveyed expressed interest in a foldable iPhone. That may appear modest at first, but foldable phones remain a relatively specialised segment of the smartphone market.
Interest also varies across generations. Among Boomers, 83% said they were not interested in a foldable Apple phone, while 77% of Gen X respondents said the same. Lack of interest remained high among younger consumers too, reaching 69% for Gen Z and 68% among millennials.
The bigger challenge for Apple, at least according to the survey, could be turning curiosity into a purchase.
Consumers put the average amount they would spend on an Apple foldable at $781. Gen Z respondents had the highest budget at $919followed by millennials at $859. Gen X averaged $690while Boomers were willing to spend an average of $572.
That creates a striking pricing problem. Even among the generation prepared to spend the most, the average budget remains well below the rumored $2,000 level.
For Apple, that difference matters because the challenge may not simply be convincing people that a foldable iPhone is interesting. It may be convincing them that a new form factor is worth paying substantially more for.
The $781 figure says more than the 25% interest number
The most revealing number in the survey may not be the share of respondents interested in the foldable phone at all.
It is the $781 average spending level.
CNET’s Patrick Holland pointed out that this figure sits nearly $50 below the starting price cited for the base iPhone 17 in the report. His assessment was that a foldable Apple device would likely be expensive to manufacture, making a much higher retail price difficult to avoid.
That tension creates a potentially important backdrop for Apple’s wider smartphone lineup.
A customer considering an iPhone 18 Proa standard iPhone or a future foldable model is not necessarily making each decision in isolation. Every additional model competes for the same consumer upgrade budget. The survey suggests that many buyers are becoming considerably more sensitive to where that budget ends.
Again, the study does not establish what consumers will pay for the iPhone 18 Pro itself. It does, however, provide evidence that enthusiasm for new hardware can quickly run into financial limits.
41% say memory-related price pressure is affecting upgrade plans
The foldable pricing debate is only part of the story.
The survey found that 41% of US adults said recent memory chip shortages and resulting price increases were affecting their plans to upgrade to a new iPhone. Some consumers are delaying purchases, while others are looking at cheaper devices, trade-in offers or used phones.
Among respondents, 10% said they were delaying an upgrade entirely and keeping their existing phone longer. Another 9% said they were already holding onto their current device longer than originally planned.
Price is also influencing people’s buying behavior. Five percent were contemplating buying an older or cheaper version, 4 percent were thinking about brand switching, and 4 percent were considering purchasing used or refurbished models. Nine percent indicated that they would upgrade only if the cost was offset by an operator offer or trade-in offer.
Perhaps more significant is the group that has stepped away from the upgrade cycle altogether. Twenty-two percent said they do not plan to upgrade anytime soon, regardless of Apple’s new devices or the effect of the memory shortage.
What the survey means for the iPhone 18 Pro conversation
For anyone following the iPhone 18 Prothe survey provides a broader consumer backdrop rather than product-specific evidence.
What can be said with confidence is that Apple is approaching its next round of smartphone upgrades in a market where many consumers are questioning how much they want to spend, how long they can keep their existing phones and whether premium hardware still justifies a large jump in price.
That could make value increasingly important across Apple’s entire range.
The foldable iPhone illustrates the issue particularly clearly. A quarter of surveyed adults showing interest is meaningful, but interest alone does not erase a gap of more than $1,200 between the average amount respondents say they would spend and the rumored $2,000 price.
For Apple, a new category may therefore face two tests at once: whether consumers want the product and whether they want it badly enough to pay the premium attached to it.
A consumer market that is becoming harder to upsell
The survey captures an unusual contradiction.
Consumers have not stopped paying attention to new technology. A meaningful group is interested in Apple’s possible entry into foldables, and younger buyers are willing to spend more than older generations.
Yet the numbers also suggest that curiosity is being filtered through much tighter spending decisions.
That matters beyond the rumored iPhone Ultra. Whether a customer is looking at an iPhone 18 Proconsidering a cheaper model or deciding to keep an existing phone for another year, the purchase decision is increasingly shaped by price rather than novelty alone.
If that pattern holds, the most important battle in Apple’s next upgrade cycle may not be over which device has the newest form factor. It may be over how much consumers believe that upgrade is actually worth.
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