{"id":209,"date":"2024-10-09T08:04:06","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T08:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/?p=209"},"modified":"2024-10-09T08:04:06","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T08:04:06","slug":"apple-iphone-fold-will-there-be-a-foldable-iphone-and-will-apple-flip-or-not-flip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/2024\/10\/09\/apple-iphone-fold-will-there-be-a-foldable-iphone-and-will-apple-flip-or-not-flip\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple iPhone Fold: will there be a foldable iPhone and will Apple Flip or not Flip?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Will Apple finally make some waves and flip out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"iPhone<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Android world was quick to turn sci-fi folding displays into tech reality. Samsung<\/a>, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi<\/a>\u2026 almost every brand has a flip-style or book-style foldable on their books \u2013 or is about to, looking at Stuff\u2019s list of upcoming smartphones. So when can we expect Apple to follow suit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iPhone fans are in the dark as to whether Apple is experimenting with folding or flipping designs, and will likely stay that way until the firm makes it official \u2013 unless the leakers and tipsters get their way before the grand reveal, that is. Here\u2019s everything we know so far about a potential \u201ciPhone Flip\u201d or \u201ciPhone Fold\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 related\uff1aA2830 Battery for Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Apple join the fold?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Apple
Apple hasn\u2019t made any significant design changes to the iPhone range for a few years now. The iPhone 16\u2018s vertical camera bumps and new colour options are the biggest departure, but the flat sides, flat screen and rounded corners are very similar to previous efforts. Not even the new camera control touch button breaks the iPhone\u2019s distinctive lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patents awarded to Apple related to foldable phone concepts don\u2019t give much away, with rather generic-looking handsets shown in the diagrams filed to the US patent office. Patent number US10955880B2 describes a hinge mechanism for foldable phones, while patent number US11550369B2 describes a multi-layered construction for flip phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Apple has obtained at least five US patents related to a possible iPhone Fold. Among these, patent number US10694624B2 describes a foldable smartphone with an exposed display region. Another depicts a foldable phone with a self-healing crease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The fact Apple holds these patents doesn\u2019t even guarantee a foldable iPhone is on the way, but does suggest the company is considering it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

related\uff1aEB-BF741ABE Battery for Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When might we see an iPhone Fold or iPhone Flip?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Have<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that a foldable iPhone would not launch until at least 2025. Another influential Apple analyst, Bloomberg\u2019s Mark Gurman, said an \u201ciPhone Fold\u201d would eventually arrive, but \u201cit may be quite a while.\u201d This was seemingly backed up by industry analyst Trendforce, indicating it will now be 2027 at the earliest. This is reportedly because foldable displays don\u2019t meet Apple\u2019s standards for reliability, and a visible crease is deemed unacceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the latest news brings things forwards a little. A new report from Digitimes reveals that Apple has signed a contract with Samsung for display panels. Typically, this happens two years ahead of a product\u2019s release, which would put the first foldable iPhone on the cards for 2026. This report also revealed that Apple will opt for a top-down folding design, like the Galaxy Flip. It should be around the same size as current iPhones when unfolded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple likes to stay up-to-date with what\u2019s hot in the market, and usually does so in a way the wider world quickly forgets another brand did it first. If foldable smartphones become the norm, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Apple decided to keep up with the competition and offer a foldable iPhone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros and cons of foldable displays<\/strong>
Flexible OLED panels let gadget makers squeeze much larger screens into smaller devices \u2013 either letting you carry a larger screen around more easily (see every book-style foldable on sale right now), or shrinking the device down without entirely compromising on screen space (the modern take on the flip phone).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Durability and price are the biggest concerns right now, though both are improving with each new generation of panel. It has to withstand lots of repetitive flexing, and the hinge makes it very tricky to achieve the same water and dust resistance ratings as a traditional phone. The added complexity of manufacturing makes costs much higher than a regular flat OLED panel, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also the matter of the crease. Every foldable phone we\u2019ve tried has some form of crease; it\u2019s more visible on some than others, but it\u2019s always there. Whether Apple considers this acceptable, or if it wants to engineer a folding screen without a visible crease appears to be the biggest cork in the iPhone Fold bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do we want to see in an iPhone Fold?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"iPhone\"
The iPhone Fold\u2019s most significant selling point would undoubtedly be its unique design, setting it apart from all previous iPhone models. However, attention would quickly shift beyond the design to how iOS operates on this new device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make the most of the larger display, it would be best for Apple to have a future version of iPadOS available when the phone is fully opened. When unfolded, the phone should look like any other iPhone. After all, iOS is one of the significant reasons why iPhones are so popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line: Apple needs to provide more than just the ability to fold to make it a worthwhile purchase.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will Apple finally make some waves and flip out? The Android world was quick to turn sci-fi folding displays into tech reality. Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi\u2026 almost every brand has a flip-style or book-style foldable on their books \u2013 or is about to, looking at Stuff\u2019s list of upcoming smartphones. So when can we … Continue reading Apple iPhone Fold: will there be a foldable iPhone and will Apple Flip or not Flip?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-iphone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210,"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209\/revisions\/210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.batterymap.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}