There are many myths and legends around the folding iPhone: some say that it will appear almost any day, others that it will never come out. But the fact remains: folding iPhone it will definitely happen, the only question is when will it happen? Insiders constantly talk about this, and, as you know, there is no smoke without fire. So analysts say that Apple will release a foldable iPhone, and even an iPad. True, the deadlines are again shifted. We understand When is the foldable iPhone coming out? and why could Apple be several years behind Samsung?
When will the foldable iPhone come out?
Companies are definitely interesting flexible screen smartphones: they are at the very beginning of their development. However, there is no doubt that one day a foldable iPhone will come out, because Apple will not leave this niche for Samsung. A year ago, insiders speculated that iPhone with flexible screen will appear no earlier than November 2022 and even called the price – $ 1499. The company has even patented a self-healing folding screen. But it has already been noted that the transition to a new form factor may take several years.
True, there is still no exact data on the release of the foldable iPhone: analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously reported that Apple plans to release an iPhone with a flexible screen as early as 2024, but has now adjusted its forecast. According to him, Apple will release such a smartphone no earlier than 2025. Perhaps even later. At the same time, the insider notes that it can be either a folding iPhone, or a hybrid of iPhone and iPad, which is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold.
Folding iPad
Kuo notes that the company will first focus on a device with a medium-sized flexible screen, and only then switch to a large and compact one. Particularly surprising is Apple’s interest in the latter: it seemed that the iPhone 13 mini would put an end to the history of compact devices. Apparently not.
There is information that the company is now testing flexible OLED screens With a diagonal of about 9 inches, this is already more than the iPad mini 6 and slightly less than the basic iPads of past generations. True, testing of just such a diagonal is necessary to verify key characteristics, so this does not mean that the iPhone will receive just such a screen. The insider himself is not at all sure that in the end Apple will release a foldable iPhone.
Recall that last year Apple patents foldable iPhone, similar in characteristics to the Galaxy Z Fold. Experts even admitted the possibility that the displays in such a smartphone could be removable: if we are talking about a large gadget, then two iPhones can act as screens at all. For this, they allegedly even developed a special system of magnets.
Flexible Apple Screen
As it happens, Apple does not develop the screen itself, but jointly with another company. The company is working on this in cooperation with LG, which understands something about this: sources say that the South Korean company is creating a new type of OLED screen using ultra-thin protective glass. In this case, it’s likely that the company is designing a 17-inch panel that folds into an 11-inch screen.
Say, here it is – proof that there are plans for foldable iPad or let’s say a Macbook! But Apple is more interested in the technology itself, as well as the integration of such a panel and protective glass. So far, rumors have linked the development of a flexible screen for laptops from HP and other manufacturers.
iPhone with flexible screen
According to Kuo, foldable iphone coming soon: Apple doesn’t rush to release new technologies, testing them for years beforehand. Take the iPhone X for example: frameless smartphone from Apple was released only in 2017, although similar Android smartphones had already appeared by that time.
In the case of a folding iPhone, the wait will be much longer: flexible smartphone from Samsung was shown in 2019, which means that according to the most optimistic forecasts, Apple will lag behind competitors by 6 years. In addition, compact devices from the company from Cupertino are always in last place, so they will have to wait a very long time.
