Over the years, Samsung’s annual August Galaxy Unpacked events have elicited the same question from iPhone fans: When will Apple release something like the Galaxy Z Flip 4 or Galaxy Z Fold 4?
For years, rumors about Apple’s work on foldable iPhone technology have circulated. Regardless of how much we hear about Apple’s research and development on this legendary device, it always seems to be both right around the corner and years away at the same time.
The only thing that appears to be certain is that Apple is testing at least one foldable iPhone deep within its skunkworks. Beyond that, it’s unclear what an “iPhone Flip” might look like or when we’ll see one. Nonetheless, here’s what we know about the rumored iPhone flip phone after piecing together various clues over the years.
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iPhone Flip design
There is very little information available about the design Apple may use for its first foldable iPhone. With the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4, Samsung has covered the two most obvious styles — but that doesn’t mean Apple has to follow suit. Apple has filed dozens of patents indicating designs for a foldable iPhone, but there are so many possibilities that it’s anyone’s guesses what direction the company will take right now. They cannot all be correct.
Apple is known to be actively developing foldable prototypes. According to multiple reports, Apple has been developing and testing foldable OLED screens and hinges since at least 2017, with research and development continuing. LG began mass-producing foldable displays in 2016, indicating that it intended to supply them to a number of companies, including Apple. That theory gained traction in late 2017 when sources claimed Apple and LG were actively collaborating to develop specific foldable display technology for a future iPhone — a collaboration that is still ongoing.
Display
By 2020, Apple and Samsung Display were said to have reached an agreement in which the display company would supply a “large number” of foldable display samples over the course of a year to be used for testing foldable iPhone prototypes. At the same time, Apple was said to be testing hinges, looking for a display as well as a hinge that could withstand up to 100,000 folds. To put this into context, most laptop hinges are rated for between 30,000 and 50,000 folds. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 can, on the other hand, withstand at least 200,000 folds. We haven’t heard if Apple has since raised its bar to match Samsung’s.
Apple appears to be testing a few distinct designs as well. Leaker Jon Prosser claimed to have seen a prototype device in early 2020 that used a two-screen design similar to Microsoft’s Surface Neo and Surface Duo rather than a single foldable display. However, by the following year, Prosser claimed that his sources had informed him that, once the first round of hinge testing was completed, Apple would focus all of its efforts on a clamshell foldable iPhone with a design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip. Prosser also stated that this iPhone would be available in more “joyful” colors to appeal to “more mainstream customers.”
Meanwhile, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple’s first foldable device would be much larger and might not even be an iPhone. Instead, Kuo predicted a completely new class of devices with 7.5 to 8-inch displays, blurring the line between the iPhone and the iPad. Kuo, unlike Prosser, claims to have seen no examples of this device.
Although Prosser has frequently been correct about Apple’s product release dates, he has a much less reliable track record when it comes to Apple products because he relies primarily on sources claiming to have inside information on what’s going on inside Apple. Kuo’s forecasts typically come from the opposite direction, as he examines trends in Apple’s supply chain and the types of components in demand. Of course, Apple, like Samsung, may have two devices in the works: a fun clamshell foldable “iPhone Flip” and a more serious business-class “iPhone Fold” or “iPad Fold.”
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Flip software
While the majority of leaks and reports have focused on the hardware and design of a folding iPhone, Apple is also likely working on the software side of things. Neither iOS nor iPadOS will easily translate to a foldable design as they currently exist. This year, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 demonstrated that the software interface is just as important as the hardware design when it comes to foldable devices.
Given Apple’s meticulous attention to user experiences, a foldable version of its mobile operating system is almost certainly in the works. Depending on where the iPhone Flip goes, we may see an entirely new version of iOS appear on it.
Cameras and other specs
A report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in early 2021 may cast doubt on leakers who claim to have seen folding iPhone prototypes. Apple’s development of a foldable iPhone, according to Gurman, has not progressed beyond the display, and the company “doesn’t yet have full handset prototypes in its labs.”
We’ve heard little more than the occasional confirmation that Apple is still experimenting with multiple designs in the nearly two years since that report.
There has been no word on what we can expect in terms of cameras, processors, and other features. That’s not surprising at this point, given that Apple hasn’t even made these decisions. Of course, there’s a lot of speculation, but it should all be taken with a grain of salt.
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iPhone Flip release date
Despite the fact that Apple is actively testing designs for one or more foldable iPhones, multiple sources have indicated that the company isn’t completely sold on the concept just yet. A foldable iPhone is, at best, years away; at worst, we may never see one.
Gurman stated in his early 2021 report that Apple had not “solidified plans to actually launch a foldable iPhone.” In early 2022, MacRumors published a message from leaker “Dylandkt” in which he stated that Apple was still concerned about the viability of foldable display technology and whether there was even a market for foldable smartphones.
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