A foldable new iPhone is one of the worst kept secrets in the tech rumour mill, with whispers that Apple was working on a folding phone breaking cover as early as 2017 and re-emerging frequently ever since.
Since then, we've seen all sorts of designs (most based on official Apple patents) hit the internet, with the slick example above, named the "iPhone Flip", the most recent. You can watch the iPhone Flip video trailer in full below:
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Now, though, a fresh leak from one of the biggest Apple leakers in business today has revealed more details than ever about what Apple is up to in terms of folding phones.
That leaker is Jon Prosser, who now has a pretty solid track record in accurately leaking info about Apple's unannounced hardware. And this latest leak all started when someone on Twitter asked him directly if Apple was working on a folding iPhone.
Jon was asked to "blink twice" if Apple was making one, and his reply was very, very clear:
Blink twice if they’re making one.June 13, 2020
Another Twitter user then followed up on that answer and asked Prosser directly if this foldable iPhone was set for reveal this year. Presumably the Twitter user was wondering whether we could expect to see the device launch alongside the Apple iPhone 12.
Prosser responded and, once more, his answer was very, very clear:
Blink twice if is coming this year!?June 13, 2020
Unfortunately, that was a big no, we are not going to see a folding iPhone this year. However, Prosser also took to Twitter to drop some really interesting details about the phone in its current state, revealing that the foldable iPhone is at a prototype stage, has round, stainless steel edges and no notch.
He also revealed the very interesting detail that the foldable iPhone currently consists of "two separate display panels on a hinge".
Apple’s “foldable” iPhone isn’t really a foldable. 🧐 The current prototype has two separate display panels on a hinge. Round, stainless steel edges like current iPhone 11 design.No notch — tiny forehead on outter display that houses Face ID.June 15, 2020
Now, we've seen a design like that before, in the form of the LG G8X, which could act as a normal phone or, with the purchase of a second add-on screen, a dual-screen foldable phone with central hinge.
Prosser was keen to point out though, when quizzed about this hinge, that "even though they’re two separate panels, when the displays are extended, it looks fairly continuous and seamless." Clearly, then, Apple has been working on hiding that central hinge as much as possible.
At this early stage it is almost impossible to judge the foldable iPhone, and there is just no way of knowing if it is going to stand up to the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate Xs. It also sounds like it is at least a year away, so by the time it is released who knows what sort of folding phones we will have on the market.
One thing is for certain, though, we were not expecting Apple to go with that sort of dual display design, so it will be interesting to see how any "iPhone Flip" device will develop.
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