Apple could very well usher in a true mainstream era for foldable phones if the latest Business Korea report that it is working on both clamshell and vertical folding models (think Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3).
Slated for a 2023 release, just as credible Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasts, too, Apple’s first foldable is, however, said to be of the clamshell type, tentatively dubbed the iPhone Flip.
The design team from Cupertino is allegedly going to minimize the curse of the thick foldable (when closed) by “etching” the display into the body, and is working hard with LG to make it a screen supplier so as to avoid Samsung’s near-monopoly on foldable OLED panels.
Apple foldable iPhone display size
The “industry sources” even mention the display size of one of Apple’s two foldable phone prototypes – 7.5 inches – though it is not immediately clear of that is for the vertical or the horizontal folding type. That’s very near the rumored 7.6″ screen size of the upcoming Google Pixel Fold, too, though that one is said to be supplied by Samsung, not LG.
If Apple’s first foldable iPhone is going to be in a clamshell style like the Samsung
Galaxy Z Flip 3, we’d assume that’s where the 7.5″ panel is destined for, which would make it much larger than the 6.7-incher that the Z Flip 3 specs unfurl.
That doesn’t automatically mean that the foldable iPhone will be much larger than the Z Flip 3, as by the time it ships there might be advancements in bezel and hinge design that will increase its screen-to-body ratio. Moreover, as mentioned, Apple will be trying to etch the panel into the body to achieve a slimmer and more elegant foldable phone when closed.
According to the industry insiders, “Apple will not be able to lead the foldable smartphone market for a while with the market being led by Samsung Electronics and Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi releasing such products” yet a foldable iPhone is sure to turn the new form factor’s popularity up, way up. What do you think?
