The Apple tablet range right now starts with the iPad Mini 6 though that seems set for a change what with rumors of a foldable iPhone joining the line-up soon. According to a report in the Display Supply Chain blog, analyst Ross Young claimed that Apple could be in a position to launch a foldable iPhone as early as 2023 or latest by 2024.
Of course, there isn’t a lot of things that we know about the foldable iPhone at the moment, except that it will open up to reveal an 8-inch sized tablet. Samsung is known to have supplied some of the foldable displays for Apple to test early prototypes of the iPhone though there have also been reports of Apple being in close touch with LG as well for the supply of foldable panels.
According to reports available right now, the foldable iPhone will have an 8-inch OLED panel and might also come with support for the Apple Pencil as well. However, what seems a surety is that Apple isn’t pursuing a dual-screen display approach of the likes of the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 or the now defunct LG dual-screen phone range. Both essentially involved a clamshell structure that holds two separate displays together.
Instead, the upcoming foldable iPhone will come with a single display that folds in the middle. Samsung currently uses the ultra-thin glass enabled Infinity Flex Display on its latest Galaxy Fold 2 device and the same could be seen on the foldable iPhone device too. LG too had showcased a foldable display this fall which it had claimed has the flexibility of plastic but the hardness of glass displays.
Apart from the display, there have also been reports of Apple being particularly keen on a reliable hinge design to ensure the foldable iPhone turns out to be just as durable and strong as what the current range has proven to be over the years. The company will also have to work on the operating system to come up with something that supports both tablet and smartphone operations. It’s like coming up with something that can be described as a cross between iOS and iPadOS.
Also, if Apple is able to deliver an iPhone device that can open up into an 8-inch tablet, it remains to be seen if it will want to continue with an independent tablet range of roughly the same screen dimensions. If that be the case then the current iPad Mini 6 could well be the last to come our way though that depends if Apple is able to iron out the supply chain and technical issues that are holding up the foldable iPhone concept at the moment.
That said, the price could be an important consideration as a foldable iPhone could come for a premium when launched and might well be priced twice that of what the iPad Mini 6 sells for right now. Sure we will have a clearer picture in the coming days. Keep watching.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
