Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple has reportedly begun testing on clamshell-style folding phone hardware.
- It’s not obvious whether the company has decided on releasing a clamshell foldable.
- Apple’s first folding phone, a book-style device like the Galaxy Z Fold, is expected later this year.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that in addition to the so-called iPhone Fold, Apple was also weighing the possibility of releasing a clamshell-style foldable in the mold of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Moto Razr lines. Today, a new report suggests that the company has already tested such a device.
Spotted by MacRumors, a post on Weibo by user Fixed Focus Digital claims that Apple has already done some amount of work with hardware for a clamshell-style folding iPhone. It’s still not clear whether the company plans to release that type of device, however.
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Fixed Focus Digital’s post doesn’t say all that much. A translation of the post by Google reads that Apple has tested a flip-style design. As for whether that design will make it to market, the post says to stay tuned. This information purportedly comes from sources within Apple’s supply lines.
This roughly lines up with Gurman’s earlier reporting, which said that Apple was weighing its options when it comes to clamshells and that the release of a flip-style iPhone is “far from guaranteed,” depending largely on the success of the company’s first foldable, which will be a book-style folding device more in line with the Galaxy Z Fold series.
Apple’s first foldable is expected to launch later this year alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series. A flip-style iPhone release would presumably come in 2027 or later.
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