Speculation is growing that Apple is working on a foldable iPhone – which may or may not be called an iPhone Flip – and now reports from Asian supply chain sources suggest that two prototypes have just passed the necessary durability tests.
According to the United Daily News, these prototypes are just phone casings, which we assume include the boxes and displays, but not the various internal components. They were reportedly tested in China, in a factory run by Apple’s regular supplier, Foxconn.
A prototype is said to use a shell shape, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or the Motorola Razr. When opened, the phone has a single, continuous screen, then the top half folds down over the bottom half.
The second prototype apparently uses a dual-screen design, more like the Microsoft Surface Duo: it opens like a book, with a hinge in the center of two separate monitors. For now, it is not clear whether Apple has a preference for one design or another.
Another hinge patent appears
Meanwhile, a new patent application has been published, showing the hinge mechanism that Apple may be using in one of its foldable iPhone designs. In fact, it would allow the phone to fold both ways inwards (like the Galaxy Z Fold 2) and outwards (like the Huawei Mate Xs).
Entitled “Foldable electronic devices with interlocking hinges”, the patent explains the need to give users as much space on the screen as possible without making the device too bulky – which is where the folding screen comes in.
As always with patents, this one shows a potential design instead of a final product, and there is no guarantee that Apple will end up opting for this dual direction hinge. We’ve already seen different hinge designs, potentially for a foldable iPhone, covered in previous Apple patents.
With so much information leaking, it seems clear that Apple is at least seriously considering a Flip model of the iPhone, if it can meet the necessary standards of quality and durability. However, don’t expect the device to appear before 2022, at the very least.
Via MacRumors, AppleInsider