Apple’s foldable phone isn’t officially in Apple’s plans. However, plans can change over time. While it appears doubtful that Apple would release a foldable iPhone this year. there are several hints that Apple may challenge Samsung and others with its own folding gadget. If nothing else, Apple’s interest in foldable is clear from many patents.
Foldables, after all, is still a developing part of the smartphone market. Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Flip 3 Bespoke Edition shortly after the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 were released. Allowing you to mix and match colors on your foldable. Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 with dual displays is also now available. Clearly, the competition to make the best foldable phone is on.
So, when will Apple join in the fight? The company usually holds off on releasing new items until it is confident that it can win the competition. Apple’s patents for folding phones as well as concept designs from independent designers. Imply that the iPhone Flip/Fold has a lot of promise.
In this iPhone Flip guide, we’ve collected the most recent reports and concepts. When it does ultimately see the light of day.the light of day. We hope to get a better view of what will surely be the most creative iPhone yet.
What will you see here?
Release date
Apple’s foldable phone release date is unknown. However, the most recent reports suggest a 2023 or 2024 release date.
Apple could release a foldable iPhone next year. According to display expert Ross Young, who has a track record for being spot on with such statements. He also stated that the year 2024 is the most likely launch date for such a device.
Apple’s foldable phone display size
According to expert Ming-Chi Kuo, the first Apple foldable phone would have an 8-inch display. That’s bigger than the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which has a 7.6-inch display when fully opened. An 8-inch display would be nearly as big as the iPad mini’s 8.3-inch display.
According to another report, Apple is working with LG on a 7.5-inch OLED foldable display panel.
Apple’s foldable phone design
Apple has tested two types of iPhone Flip. According to Jon Prosser: a fold-out dual tablet, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Galaxy Z Fold lineup, and a box flip phone, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip range. Apple will also go ahead with the handset. According to those sources, it’s still early in the development process, so things could change.
Another Apple design, detailing a “joint working mode”. That would allow a single-screen device to be supported by a strong magnetic secondary display. This was located in 2020. This mode, in principle, would allow different devices to combine to form a single shared space. But it has nothing to do with the singular Apple’s foldable phone display concept. It resembles the Microsoft Surface Duo more than the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
A video of an iPhone Flip idea that looks a lot like an Apple version of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was also released by ConceptsiPhone. It has a smaller gap than the iPhone 12. A 120Hz display and a Touch ID sensor are hidden in the screen. It also has an M1 chip. This sounds too far, but we’ll have to wait and see whether Apple maintains its A-series naming policy for iPhones in the future.
But what if Apple used a dual-panel technique. Like the Surface Duo instead of a flexible display for its first folding iPhone? Who says Cupertino has already developed and tested such a design. Prosser says that this gadget has the same rounded look as the iPhone 11. Recall, that the iPhone 12 introduced flat corners to Apple’s lineup — but that it also has a hinge. And that the 2 different displays join together quite smoothly when extended.
Durability
In October 2020, we noticed a design that showed Apple’s foldable phone. It would have four layers: a cover layer, a hard coat layer, an inner surface, and a transparent support layer. All of which would be specially designed for a flexible display. For further stability, the support layer might be made of glass or sapphire.
There’s also talk that the display will be able to “repair” itself. Owing to an “identity material” layer. That will minimize the look of minor scratches.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Apple would release such a device. But Prosser’s news reminds us that the company’s first foldable phone might take a variety of forms. While flexible screens are all the new rage, dual-screen technology may win out in the end.
The screen would bend out inside the frame, creating a smooth bend or a hard fold. The goal is that such a design will aid in the display’s stability and longevity. It’s worth mentioning that the Galaxy Z Flip has a design that’s very similar to this.
Apple has recently filed a new work describing how to make the iPhone Flip more permanent by using a fire display.
Apple’s foldable phone price: What will it cost?
This is the most difficult question to answer, both because the price has never been mentioned in the few foldable iPhone rumors. That has turned up — another sign that the iPhone Flip will reach later instead of sooner.
Remember that the Galaxy Fold launched with a 7.3-inch tablet-like display. The 4.6-inch screen on the outside for $1,980. For $600 less, the Galaxy Z Flip was introduced six months later with a more upward. Ultra-Thin Glass protects the 6.7-inch screen. The price difference between the most current Galaxy foldable devices has stayed the same, with the Z Fold 3 costing $1,799 at launch and the Z Flip 3 costing only $999.
If Apple decides on a smaller and less expensive Apple foldable phone. The phone’s pricing might be similar to premium phones like the $1,099 iPhone 13 Pro Max. If, like the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The price may easily reach that of Apple’s more regular devices.
The competition
The Galaxy Z Fold is now in its third version. And there’s also a new Galaxy Galaxy Z Flip – both phones are also performing well. And the price may be a problem; the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the first foldable phone to cost less than $1,000.
If Motorola keeps developing the Motorola Razr as a foldable phone, the iPhone Flip will face stiff competition by the time it launches. And that’s before any other Android phone makers release their own versions.
At least one real contender looks to be leaving the race to develop the greatest Apple’s foldable phone. Google was said to be working on a Pixel Fold. This was expected to come ahead of whatever Apple had planned. While one source suggested that Google was discontinuing the Pixel Fold. Following reports say that the project is still on, with the phone expected to be released by the end of 2022. We’ll have to wait and see whether anyone other than Samsung can make foldable phones work.
Apple has hardly ever been the first to market with its iconic products. Instead released iPods, smartphones, and iPads after finding that they had solved the faults of Samsung devices. With the iPhone Flip, Apple may use a similar approach.
Conclusion
There’s still a lot we don’t know about Apple’s foldable phone ambitions. But one thing’s clear: whichever technique the company takes in developing its first foldable phone will likely decide the industry’s future.
Samsung may have been the first to market with the Galaxy Fold. But the company is still trying with other form factors in order to figure out what phone buyers actually want.
Apple has a history of rolling in serious changes in the mobile industry with each release. The headphone jack’s end. Given the fact that 5G devices are more readily available than ever before.
Finally, how Apple addresses the idea of a foldable iPhone will have a big impact on foldable technology and the smartphone market overall.
