We have not seen a foldable iPhone by 2021. Display analyst Ross Young said that the foldable iPhone will not be available until 2023 at the earliest. That is to say, it is not surprising that it will not appear at Apple's September or October conference. However, this has not stopped people from speculating about the foldable iPhone.
Earlier there were rumors that 2021 was a possible target date, but as the end of the year approaches, this seems unlikely. A report by Apple’s senior analyst Ming-Chi Kuo pointed out that if it can be achieved in 2023, it may be more realistic. Guo Mingchi said that before launching this device, Apple still needs to solve technical and mass production issues, so it needs to wait two years.
In Power On Newsletter, Gullman said that the foldable iPhone may not be available for two to three years. Yang’s recent rumors claim that a foldable iPhone may be available as early as 2023, but it is more likely to be available in 2024.
The timetable for 2023 will coincide with a Bloomberg report earlier this year, which stated that Apple already has a working prototype of a foldable iPhone display. Although this is not yet a viable model, it is an improvement, from a patent until then, everything we have seen.
In terms of foldable displays, Apple seems to have taken away all patents, including origami-style foldable displays, clamshell displays, and even wrap-around displays. Although we don’t know which one it will eventually be, both Guo Mingchi and Bloomberg seem to believe that the current prototype is more like a traditional folding design and will use a 7.5-inch or 8-inch main display.
Unlike Microsoft’s Surface Duo, Apple’s Surface Duo has a continuous display and has a hidden hinge mechanism like the Galaxy Fold.
However, Apple leaker Jon Proser reported in early 2021 that the iPhone Flip may have a clamshell design and have several "interesting colors." From the dazzling purple iPhone 12 to the new blue and pink iPhone 13, Apple’s first foldable device is likely to appear in a series of interesting colors.
YouTuber ConceptsiPhone also lets us see the appearance of the iPhone Flip through the blue, red, gold and green folding iPhone concept map.
But creases have always been a pain point of folding phones. Many current cover materials, including the glass and plastic hybrid materials used by Samsung Z Fold and Z Flip, will show obvious creases when folded in full screen. To avoid this, Apple may have to wait for its glass supplier Corning to develop some kind of bendable ceramic shielding screen. The company is already developing a bendable glass but has not announced its release date.
A report in April this year found that half of the American consumers are interested in buying foldable phones, but compared with Samsung or LG users, Apple users are slightly less willing. But if the foldable iPhone becomes a reality, the "Apple effect" may change these data.
