William Gallagher
A new leak about the possible iPhone Fold includes yet another release schedule, and screen sizes that disagree with previous rumors.
It has recently been reported that Apple was on the verge of choosing a manufacturer for a foldable display screen, although there are now always rumors about an iPhone fold. The latest one does back up previous claims that there won't be a folding iPhone until at least 2026, but otherwise it disagrees with the most recent rumors.
"Exclusive information, Apple's large folding, 5.49-inch outer screen is a bit like [the Otto] Find N, but it is shorter and fatter," writes "Digital Chat Station" on Weibo (in translation). "The 7.74-inch inner screen unfolds like an iPad."
The most recent report about screen sizes claimed that it would be "comparable to two 6.1-inch iPhones folded together." That was said to mean the iPhone fold has "a total size of over 12 inches."
That rumor came from a leaker with no track record. The new claim of a folded out screen being 7.74-inches, comes from Digital Chat Station, which has been accurate about at least camera details before.
As well as claiming to have screen dimensions for an iPhone fold, Digital Chat station also purports to have more details about a release schedule for the device.
"Apple folding mobile phone + folding tablet, according to the current sampling progress, is expected to start new next year," the leaker continues.
That reference to "folding mobile phone + folding tablet," could be taken to mean that Apple is working on more than one folding device. However, it could also just be a machine translation issue, and the leaker was referring to a phone that folds out to iPad size.
Apple has, though, been rumored to be about to release a folding device since at least 2019. That was when Samsung launched its first, and problematic, folding phone.
After six years without releasing an iPhone fold, it's possible to imagine that Apple never will. But the only certain thing is that Apple has been researching the idea, since it has gained many patents on folding technology.
Charles Martin
Wesley Hilliard
Oliver Haslam
Marko Zivkovic
Amber Neely
1 Comment
I call BS on an Apple folding phone. Some lowly flack in Samsung or LG probably processed Apple orders of flex screens for its R&D department then put two and two together and got "Apple Folding Phone is Coming soon".
Until a flex screen mfr announces that they have solved the crease durability problem, Apple will not sell a device that buyers will complain about after a few months.
What Apple is doing though is it's developing prototypes of foldable phones so that when the day comes that durable flex screens become a reality, it won't take too long for them to roll out their own foldable device.