Apple is reportedly testing a foldable iPhone design that is said to be a clamshell-type device following the relatively successful Vision Pro launch.
The rumored foldable versions of the tech giant's flagship device have reportedly had their fair share of setbacks. The issues revolve around durability and the ever-present crease where the fold is said to have caused the company to put the development on hold, for now.
Apple's Potential Foldable iPhones
However, a new report suggested that after several delays, Apple could finally be going back to the drawing board with its foldable mobile devices. The tech giant may be doing what it did with spatial computing, which has been mulling the notion of foldables for quite some time.
The root of these efforts could date as far back as 2018, which is a year before Samsung released the Galaxy Fold, which is the first viable foldable smartphone. However, the launch of that device was fraught with its own issues and Samsung was forced to learn the hard way that lab testing can only get you so far, as per TechCrunch.
Foldable mobile devices are hardly ubiquitous but Samsung's Fold and Flip devices were able to prove that demand is still there. This culminated in the phone company's decision to retire the Galaxy Note and promote the new device to flagship status.
There are several other companies who also have their hands in the game, including Huawei, Oppo/OnePlus, Motorola (Lenovo), and Google. Many see the models made by Google and OnePlus to be the best ones that are currently on the market.
By now, durability issues for foldable phones have largely been addressed by manufacturers. However, this does not mean that these types of devices can necessarily stand up to the same degree of wear and tear as other flagship devices.
Rising Demand for the Category
Apple's new mobile devices in testing are said to be clamshell-types that fold in a way similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip series rather than phones that become tablets like the Galaxy Z Fold or Google's Pixel Fold, according to ArsTechnica.
The foldable Apple devices are also said to be "in early development" or "could be canceled" and if they do make it into the market, the earliest could be in 2025 or beyond. The phone company has faced a variety of issues when it comes to foldable devices.
These include that they are too thick when they are folded, they are easily broken, they cost more than non-foldable devices, the seam in the middle is too visible and feelable, and the hinge on an iPad-size product would prevent it from sitting flat on a table.
Apple has reportedly been in discussions with at least one manufacturer in Asia over which components to use for the two foldable iPhones. If the prototype of the devices does not meet Apple standards, the project in its entirety could be scrapped.
A technology market research firm, Counterpoint, revealed that global shipments of foldable phones will approach 19 million units in 2023, which would be a 45% increase from the year prior. This level of demand is mainly fueled by rising consumer demands in China, said the New York Post.
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