American multinational technology company, Apple has reportedly started work on a foldable phone, for which it has begun prototyping foldable screens. Though a final device might be a faraway reality, Apple is working on just the display for now. According to The Verge, the initial prototypes sound similar to the foldable screens we’ve seen used by Samsung, Motorola, and others. Apple is looking at making foldable screens with a “mostly invisible hinge” that could unfold to around the size of the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Though the company rarely signals its interest before entering a new product category, Apple hasn’t yet publicly indicated any interest in making a foldable phone. Its Major competitors have a head start on foldable devices, with Samsung and Motorola already releasing multiple generations of folding phones. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold came out in April 2019. Other than this as per The Verge, Apple’s long-rumored Tile competitor, AirTags, is finally planned to launch this year, Bloomberg reports, and the iPad Pro could be refreshed with a Mini LED display. A thinner entry-level iPad is reportedly in the works as well.
Will get Touch ID support
According to an online report, Apple has approved testing of the screen prototype of the foldable iPhone. But it is not yet decided whether the company will go ahead with the same prototype of the iPhone. Also, it is not known whether the prototype of the foldable iPhone will be included in the year 2021 lineup. In the new line-up of Apple iPhone models, fingerprint scanning and touch ID can be supported in the display. In this case, facial recognition technology can be removed.
A number of patents for foldable smartphone design have been filed by Apple in recent times. Last year, the company received a patent for the foldable SmartPhone Heinz. This hinge will be at the bottom of the screen. According to the leaked report, the screen can be folded in the design of the foldable smartphone. The phone’s display will be horizontal folded. Similarly, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphone can be horizontally folded. It has a 6.2-inch screen. According to the prototype of Apple’s foldable phone, the phone’s screen will be larger than the current iPhone model’s screen of 6.7 inches.
Foldable phones are still new and evolving. Samsung has made two — Fold and Fold 2 — but both of them are work-in-progress products and for most consumers a regular phone is still a better bet. This year, LG has already expressed its intention to launch a rollable phone by the end of this year, and just a few days ago we saw a prototype of a Xiaomi phone with foldable phone leaked on the web. With big smartphone companies looking at foldable screens, it seems Apple too is exploring how it can include a flexible or foldable screen in its top selling device.
But even if Apple decides to move to foldable screens for the iPhone, it is unlikely to happen before 2022 or even 2023 or 2024. We have seen in the past that Apple often moves to a new technology only when it is certain that the technology is ready for regular use and that it enhances the product. Currently, the phones with foldable screens are not better than a regular high-end phone.
Apart from the in-display fingerprint sensor, the iPhone 13 is likely to come with only minor changes compared to the iPhone 12. This means it is likely to have a similar design, similar display size, similar cameras — although it may gain a telephoto lens like Pro iPhones — and similar connectivity options.
Follow TelecomByte for the latest tech news, also keep up with us on Twitter, and Facebook.
