Given foldable smartphones are poised to be the next big thing in the somewhat stagnant handset industry, it makes sense that Apple would, at the very least, be experimenting with different foldable iPhone designs.
YouTuber Jon Prosser, a relatively new leaker that has a strong record of accuracy, recently tweeted that Apple has built a foldable iPhone prototype that features two displays connected by a hinge rather than an actual foldable screen. This would make the device more like Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Duo dual-screen smartphone, rather than a smartphone with an actual foldable screen like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip.
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.
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) June 15, 2020
Prosser goes on to note that the foldable iPhone prototype features an iPhone 11-like design with rounded edges and not the flat-sided iPad Pro-like look the iPhone 12 is expected to adopt. Further, the phone doesn’t feature a notch, with the front-facing camera instead being moved to the device’s outer display.
It also seems like the dual-screen iPhone prototype doesn’t look like the Surface Duo when unfolded. While the Surface Duo looks like two displays attached together, the foldable iPhone prototype reportedly looks like one larger screen.
It seems Apple is likely working on a way to manufacture a foldable smartphone that avoids the durability issues early devices like the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip have suffered from, like the crease in the middle of the screen, or the display cracking due to dirt getting underneath it.
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.
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) June 15, 2020
This corroborates information gathered from an early Apple patent related to a foldable smartphone with two displays aligned by magnets.
Of course, it’s important to note that this is just a rumour and that there’s a possibility this prototype may never actually be released. Still, Apple’s take on a foldable smartphone definitely sounds compelling, especially if its really able to combine two screens into one seamless larger display when unfolded.
Source: @jon_prosser
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