iPhone Fold 2020 - New Flexible iPhone Trailer _ Concept Introdution Video
- 5 years ago
With manufacturers including Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, LG, Lenovo and Motorola unveiling foldable phones, will there ever be a foldable iPhone?
It looks likely - although Apple probably won't get there as soon as those other smartphone companies. Apple has filed for patents relating to foldable devices, has apparently secured provision of the bendy displays, and is believed to have run tests of its own - but the company isn't expected to unveil a folding iPhone until 2020 or maybe 2021, if at all.
In this article we look at when and if Apple will launch a foldable iPhone, and whether it should jump on that bandwagon or focus on other features that people want. For more general predictions about Apple's phone plans, read our roundup of iPhone 2019 rumours, and take a look at Best iPhone deals for buying advice related to the current range.
Why should Apple make a foldable iPhone?
One reason why a foldable iPhone could be a good thing is perfectly illustrated by this concept illustration made by Dutch industrial designer Roy Gilsing on behalf of Foldable Phone News.
Those images perfectly illustrate how an iPhone could be unfolded to become, in effect, an iPad. Of course, the question is whether anyone would really want an iPhone that could transition into an iPad.
Would such a device encourage more people to purchase an iPhone, or would the price be prohibitive? Would those of us who own both an iPhone and iPad prefer it if they were combined into a single device? Would the device cannibalise iPad sales? These are complex and potentially troubling questions, and we're not totally sold on the idea.
But this hasn't stopped Apple's competition from jumping on the foldable phones bandwagon. Samsung and Lenovo demoed phones with foldable screens as early as spring 2018... although the Samsung Fold famously developed a fault and has been recalled. Remember, kids: it isn't always cool to be first to market.
And Ed Hardy, writing for Cult of Mac, believes that if anyone can make the folding smartphone work, it's Apple. "Deciding today you don't want a folding iPhone based on the high prices and clunky designs of the first foldable Android models is the equivalent of someone in 1886 stating they'll never get an automobile after looking at the Benz Patent-Motorwagen," he writes.
Evidence for a foldable iPhone
Whether a foldable iPhone is a good or a bad idea, there's no escaping the fact that Apple has at least considered it - as shown by the evidence gathered in this section.
Screen orders
The foldable iPhone rumour isn't new. It's been ongoing since 2016 when it emerged that Apple had placed an order with LG for its folding OLEDs.
Citing anonymous industry sources, The Bell, via The Investor, claimed in October 2017 that LG was working on a foldable iPhone with Apple. According to that report, foldable iPhone production was expected to start in 2019.
It looks likely - although Apple probably won't get there as soon as those other smartphone companies. Apple has filed for patents relating to foldable devices, has apparently secured provision of the bendy displays, and is believed to have run tests of its own - but the company isn't expected to unveil a folding iPhone until 2020 or maybe 2021, if at all.
In this article we look at when and if Apple will launch a foldable iPhone, and whether it should jump on that bandwagon or focus on other features that people want. For more general predictions about Apple's phone plans, read our roundup of iPhone 2019 rumours, and take a look at Best iPhone deals for buying advice related to the current range.
Why should Apple make a foldable iPhone?
One reason why a foldable iPhone could be a good thing is perfectly illustrated by this concept illustration made by Dutch industrial designer Roy Gilsing on behalf of Foldable Phone News.
Those images perfectly illustrate how an iPhone could be unfolded to become, in effect, an iPad. Of course, the question is whether anyone would really want an iPhone that could transition into an iPad.
Would such a device encourage more people to purchase an iPhone, or would the price be prohibitive? Would those of us who own both an iPhone and iPad prefer it if they were combined into a single device? Would the device cannibalise iPad sales? These are complex and potentially troubling questions, and we're not totally sold on the idea.
But this hasn't stopped Apple's competition from jumping on the foldable phones bandwagon. Samsung and Lenovo demoed phones with foldable screens as early as spring 2018... although the Samsung Fold famously developed a fault and has been recalled. Remember, kids: it isn't always cool to be first to market.
And Ed Hardy, writing for Cult of Mac, believes that if anyone can make the folding smartphone work, it's Apple. "Deciding today you don't want a folding iPhone based on the high prices and clunky designs of the first foldable Android models is the equivalent of someone in 1886 stating they'll never get an automobile after looking at the Benz Patent-Motorwagen," he writes.
Evidence for a foldable iPhone
Whether a foldable iPhone is a good or a bad idea, there's no escaping the fact that Apple has at least considered it - as shown by the evidence gathered in this section.
Screen orders
The foldable iPhone rumour isn't new. It's been ongoing since 2016 when it emerged that Apple had placed an order with LG for its folding OLEDs.
Citing anonymous industry sources, The Bell, via The Investor, claimed in October 2017 that LG was working on a foldable iPhone with Apple. According to that report, foldable iPhone production was expected to start in 2019.