Foldable iPhones already being tested, possibly launching in 2022

Apple is reportedly working on several prototypes of a foldable iPhone. This is what insiders tell the Chinese Economic Daily News. Apple is relying on Hon Hai and New Nikko for the foldable iPhone, according to this source. Devices would be tested with an OLED screen but also a variant with a micro-LED screen. The latter is a variant of OLED but without an organic component. At present, there are no smartphones or other products with micro-LED screens yet, but the first televisions with micro-LED will soon appear on the market. 

There is talk of a September 2022 launch, which therefore still gives enough time for the foldable iPhone to be tested and finalized. However, it is still unclear whether it will be an iPhone with two separate screens, or one foldable screen. OLED and micro-OLED are both foldable, but there are also foldable devices that connect two separate screens with a hinge such as the Microsoft Surface Duo. The main focus would be testing how often the device could be folded open and closed without problems. 

For example, Samsung's first foldable device, the Galaxy Fold, passed a test in which 200,000 times folding was no problem. However, the foldable Motorola Razr gave up after only 27,000 times. 

There have been rumors about the arrival of a foldable iPhone for some time, for example, well-known YouTuber Jon Prosser already claimed earlier this year that Apple was working on such a device. Apple was also already granted a patent for folding phones. However, folding devices are unfortunately not yet very successful in terms of sales. According to a market analyst, Samsung is currently the market leader with about one million folding devices sold, while it sells hundreds of millions of "normal" devices. 

[SOURCE]

Image: © Roy Gilsing