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Speculation is growing that Apple is working on a foldable iPhone, which may or may not be called the iPhone Flip, and now reports from supply chain sources in Asia suggest that two prototypes have just passed the necessary durability tests.
According to United Daily News, these prototypes are just phone cases, which we assume include the cases and displays, but not the various internals. They have reportedly been tested in China, at a factory run by Apple’s regular supplier Foxconn.
A prototype is said to use a clamshell form factor, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or the Motorola Razr. When opened, the phone has a single, uninterrupted screen, and then the top half folds over the bottom half.
The second prototype apparently uses a dual-screen design, more akin to the Microsoft Surface Duo: it opens like a book, hinged in the center of two separate displays. So far, it is not clear if Apple has any preference for one design or another.
Another hinge patent appears
Meanwhile, a new patent application has been published, showing the hinge mechanism that Apple could be using in one of its folding iPhone designs. It would actually allow the phone to fold both ways, inward (like the Galaxy Z Fold 2) and out (like the Huawei Mate Xs).
Entitled “Folding Electronic Devices with Gear Hinges,” the patent explains the need to give users as much screen space 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 rather than a final product, and there is no guarantee that Apple will end up choosing this two-way hinge. We’ve already seen different hinge designs, potentially for a folding iPhone, covered in earlier Apple patents.
With so much information leaking out, it seems clear that Apple is at least seriously considering an iPhone Flip model, if it can meet the necessary standards for quality and durability. However, don’t expect the device to show up before 2022 at the earliest.
Via MacRumors, AppleInsider
