It’s been a while since we heard anything significant about a foldable iPhone, and now we may have a reason why: the project is apparently on hold for now, as Apple can’t find a foldable screen it’s happy with.
From Digital with fixed focus on the Chinese social network Weibo (via MacRumors), Apple has been busy researching and testing screens that bend in the middle, but hasn’t been able to find one that meets the required standard for a foldable iPhone.
Samsung is thought to be one of the manufacturers that supplied foldable displays to Apple but failed the tests for whatever reason. Samsung, of course, makes its own foldable phones, most recently the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Whether Apple is unhappy with the screen’s aesthetics or durability (or both) is not immediately clear. Additionally, even though this tipster is a well-known tech vlogger, he hasn’t offered any Apple leaks before, so keep that in mind.
The waiting game
The sheer volume of rumors we’ve seen surrounding an iPhone Fold suggests that such a device must be in development somewhere at Apple, although it remains to be seen whether it will ever see the light of day.
Apple has traditionally been happy to let the likes of Samsung introduce new mobile technologies before adding them to their own handsets – like fingerprint sensors and wireless charging – and it looks like this will be no different with foldable displays.
Another possibility is that Apple will introduce a foldable iPad before a foldable iPhone, but there is also a lot of uncertainty surrounding that device. It would definitely be bigger, which might make it easier to develop a display that Apple is happy with.
Take a look at our Google Pixel Fold review to see some of the benefits of foldable phones, even if you have to pay a significant amount of money to get your hands on them. At least for a while, it looks like Apple won’t join in.