Will Apple get into the foldable phone trend? What we know is as follows:

Will Apple get into the foldable phone trend? What we know is as follows:

Numerous foldable display patents are held by Apple, and there are reports that the company is working on an iPhone that folds.

With the launching of its own folding phones, Samsung, Motorola, and even Google have joined the fold with the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Motorola Razr Plus Reboot, and Pixel Fold. Despite years of evidence suggesting the corporation has been playing around with not only a folding gadget but even a name: iPhone Flip, Apple has yet to release its own foldable phone as the market becomes more crowded with Android models.

With the release of the iPhone 15 series, September 2023 came and went, but there was no evidence of foldable phones. Rather, it seems like Apple is concentrating on the Apple Vision Pro AR/VR headset, which is expected to be on sale in early 2024. Although it's uncertain whether the firm will concentrate on launching the iPhone Flip, there are claims that it will need years of study into the science of folding phones.

According to the most recent reports, Apple is reportedly developing iPhone Flip variants in two distinct sizes, despite production challenges in meeting Apple's exacting specifications. It's possible that the corporation is developing a folding tablet that would have an iPad Mini-sized screen.

Apple may not release its own flexible screen gadget until 2025, according to earlier speculations. However, Samsung hasn't let phone enthusiasts forget this by creating an app that allows Apple phone users to place two iPhones side by side. will provide a similar experience to Fold. On the side.

People had anticipated back in 2017 that a foldable iPhone will be released in 2020, but that year didn't come to pass. Since then, analysts and leakers have been reducing the window of time for release, and while phone enthusiasts maintain their optimism, rumors and wishlists have proliferated. Here's everything we currently know about Apple's upcoming foldables venture, pending confirmation from the corporation.

Two flippable, foldable iPhones?

Supporters of foldable iPhones will be relieved that Apple is still making tweaks to the iPhone Flip design. The Information reports that the business is developing two-sized folding iPhones, which would explain previous speculations that the phones will have a clamshell design similar to the Motorola Razr Plus or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

However, it seems like Apple is having trouble living up to the hype: With an outward-facing display that folds down when the device is folded and closed, the iPhone Flip is intended to be half as thin as current iPhone models, according to the company's design team. Make yourself known. Write a report.

According to the source, work on the iPhone Flip was put on hold in 2020 in order to concentrate on a new project: the folding iPad. The 8-inch display on this gadget will be comparable in size to the iPad Mini. Since the foldable tablet wouldn't have to fit in a pocket like the iPhone Flip, it was thought to have less strict durability and thickness criteria. Apple was still figuring out how to make the iPad entirely flat and lessen the wrinkle in the center of the folding display.

Release date: 2025 may see the release of the iPhone Flip.

Apple's efforts to create a foldable iPhone seem to be well-known. The business has been submitting patent applications for foldable technology for about ten years. Although there is no assurance that a patent will be obtained from all of this research (recall AirPower?), there is still debate and possible delivery dates. Persistent over time, but yet not strong enough to be enthusiastic about.

Although there was no sign of a foldable iPhone in 2021, early speculations suggested that year as a potential target date. As the year draws to a close, it's getting less plausible, but a March 2021 forecast from veteran Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo (via MacRumors) said that 2023 would be more feasible. Kuo claims that Apple will have to wait to release such a gadget because it still has to resolve technological and mass manufacturing concerns. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg speculated later in 2021 that the foldable iPhone would not come out for another two to three years, which was consistent with Kuo's forecasts. Gurman made this claim in his Power On newsletter.

However, other speculations have subsequently surfaced suggesting an even later release date. The foldable iPhone has been delayed until 2025, according to Trusted Display expert Ross Young's February report. Kuo verified his projected release date in a tweet, stating that it will occur in April 2022.

"Apple could launch its first folded product as soon as 2025, which might consist of a foldable iPad or a hybrid of iPad and iPhone," Kuo said in a tweet.

Since then, the rumors have subsided, but it still doesn't seem likely that we'll see a foldable iPhone by 2024—especially in light of a story from The Information that implies the release date may be postponed. One more year remains till Kuo's prophesy comes to pass.

Design: How could an iPhone that folds look?

Note that Apple already has a functional prototype of a foldable iPhone display type, according to a 2021 Bloomberg article. It's an improvement over a patent, which is what we had seen up until then, even if it's not a functional model yet.

When it comes to foldable screens, such as wraparound, flip-up, and origami-style folding displays, it seems that Apple has thrown off every patent. Furthermore, both Kuo and Bloomberg concur that the present prototype outperforms the conventional fold-out design, even if we are unsure of who will make the final cut.

Apple's Surface Duo will feature a continuous display with a concealed hinge mechanism similar to the Galaxy Fold, in contrast to Microsoft's Surface Duo, which has hinges on the outside.

Nonetheless, early in 2021, Apple leaker Jon Prosser said that the iPhone Flip will probably have a clamshell form and be available in a variety of "fun colors." A variety of playful hues for Apple's first foldable gadget are undoubtedly a possibility, given the contrast between the deep blue of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the vivid pastels of the iPhone 15 and Plus.

The concept picture of a foldable iPhone in blue, red, gold, and green hues provided by YouTuber ConceptsiPhone also offered us a preview of what the iPhone Flip would look like.

Obstacles: What obstacles does Apple still face?

Apple is analyzing how to utilize its foldable devices and learning from the issues with Samsung and other companies as they test the waters.

Creases are one of these sore spots. When folded to full screen, several of the current cover materials exhibit a noticeable crease, including the glass and plastic combination utilized by Samsung for the Z Fold and Z Flip. Apple's glass supplier Corning will likely need to wait to produce a foldable Ceramic Shield screen in order to prevent this. Although the business has not yet disclosed a debut date, it is currently developing flexible glass.

According to a tweet by Kuo in April 2022, Apple is testing foldable OLED screens. Apple and LG are collaborating to create a foldable OLED screen, according to a claim from the Korean tech news site The Elec.

Cost: Foldable phones are not inexpensive

Another major issue with this kind of equipment is price. While the Samsung clamshell Z Flip 5 is currently the most cheap foldable phone in the market at $999, the majority of other book-style foldables in the market cost almost twice as much as most flagship phones, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold. It makes no sense for the foldable iPhone to be less expensive than its competitors. If Apple wants to compete with other companies and convince iPhone customers to forgo their single-screen smartphones and pay more for foldables, its foldable device has to be comparable to current foldable and nonfoldable models.

According to a survey from last year, half of US consumers are interested in purchasing a foldable phone, yet Apple users are somewhat less likely to do so than Samsung or LG users. If a foldable iPhone is ever made a reality, however, maybe the "Apple effect" would alter those numbers.

See all of the iPhone 15 series' models for further information. Additionally, you may look at the most anticipated phones of 2024.