Is there a foldable iPhone coming in the foreseeable future? Apple actually seems to have been dedicated to the topic for a long time – rumors of this kind have been haunting the scene for months. Now a business paper published in Taiwan reports that the group has successfully completed durability tests with a total of two design prototypes of an “iPhone Foldable”.

Folding device and model with two screens Like the Economic Daily News report at the turn of the year, the inspections were carried out in a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen. The models differ in their structure. The first variant should be a folding device, as it is known from the Lenovo Moto Razr or the Galaxy Z Flip from Samsung. This is a “clamshell” design in which the entire screen is opened.

The second tested design prototype again consists of two individual displays that have a hinge are connected to each other. The screens should still look “largely seamless”, as leaked Jon Prosser said in the summer. Apple has already patented a corresponding design.

Durability is important Apple works cautiously when it comes to flexible displays. While competitors such as Samsung have already brought several generations of this design onto the market, Apple first wants to ensure that the necessary durability is given. The design prototypes tested at Foxconn are said not to have been complete iPhones, instead the main focus was on the functionality of the planned folding mechanism and the hinges. Apple has not yet decided which variant will be pursued further, according to the EDN .

With The paper does not expect a quick market start – “at the earliest 2022” this is forecast “in the market”, possibly not until 2023. In the summer it was leaked that Apple had ordered a “large number” of flexible OLEDs from Samsung. Initially, however, these only seem to be used for test purposes. Apple apparently wants to avoid technical flops like the first Galaxy Fold. Samsung had to take this off the market again after the first testers discovered serious durability problems. Apple is always cautious about new technology; The first iPhone was delivered without UMTS and the group has only been offering 5G technology since the iPhone 12 from last autumn.

(bsc)

2023