Apple's folding iPhone - What to expect from the 'iPhone Fold'

Apple's folding iPhone - What to expect from the 'iPhone Fold'

WesleyHilliard|48CommentsFacebookTwitterReddit

AppleInsiderissupportedbyitsaudienceandmayearncommissionasanAmazonAssociateandaffiliatepartneronqualifyingpurchases.Theseaffiliatepartnershipsdonotinfluenceoureditorialcontent.

Appleisexpectedtoannouncean"iPhoneFold"withaflexibleOLEDdisplayby2024,andAppleInsiderhascreatedexclusiverenderstoshowwhatitmaylooklike.

RumorsandpatentsshowthatApplehasbeenworkingonafoldingiPhonedesignforyears.However,thetechnologyrequiredforsuchadeviceisstillinitsinfancy,anditisn'tclearwhatformthedevicemaytake.

Eachyear,morerumorsarrivepushingtheexpectedlaunchdateofthe"iPhoneFold"backfurther.InSeptember2021,wellknownanalystMing-ChiKuosaiditmaynotarriveuntil2024.

UnlikeApple,SamsunghasbeendevelopingitsfoldingtechnologyinpublicwiththeSamsungGalaxyFoldandSamsungGalaxyFlip.Appleistestingbothformfactorsforitsfirstfoldable,butmaybeleaningtowardstheflipdesign.

Apple's folding iPhone - What to expect from the 'iPhone Fold'

EvenasflagshipAndroiddevicespioneerfoldingtechnology,Appleiscontentbidingitstimewhilethetechnologymatures.Devicesbeingreleasedtothepublichaveencounteredissuesfrompoorsoftwareoptimizationtocreaseddisplays.

The'iPhoneFold'designcouldborrowfromthe'iPhone14'

PatentsshowthatAppleexpectstoovercometheseissueswithcomplexhingesanddisplaytechnology.AppleInsiderbasedourrendersoffofafewofthesepatentsandtheSamsungGalaxyFold.

Sincethe"iPhone14"mayintroducearadicalredesignin2022,therendersofthe"iPhoneFold"takeonthosenewelements.Flatsidescombinedwithahole-punchselfiecameraandflushrearcameramodulemakeupthebasicelementsofthisdevice.

Thedisplayshouldn'tshowacreasewhenfullyopen

WeexpectApple'sfoldabletoopenandclosewithoutacreaseorseaminthedisplay.FullyclosedthethicknessofthedeviceshouldbeonlyslightlythickerthancurrentiPhones,whileopenitshouldbesimilartothesizeoftheiPadmini.

Itisn'tyetclearhowApplewilloptimizeiOSoriPadOSforthefoldingdevice.Littlemayhavetochangeifthedisplayonlyworksinafullyopenposition.ThereisachancethatApplecouldallowathree-quartersopenorhalf-openmodeforgamingorchatappsaswell.

iOSoriPadOSmaybeusedforApple'sfoldable

SomefoldingAndroiddeviceshavemultiplepositionsforoperationandevenanexternaldisplayforusewhenthemaindisplayisclosed.However,itisn'tclearifApplewilladoptthesemorecomplexformfactors.

ForApple'sfirstfoldable,expectittobeaniPhonethatcansimplyfoldopenandshut.Beyondthat,Applemaynotwanttosourtheexperiencewithexperimentalfeaturesorhardwareadditions.

The"iPhoneFold"isrumoredtolaunchsometimein2023or2024.StaytunedformoreexclusiverendersoffutureAppleproductsonAppleInsider.


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George Washington

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