Apple famously isn’t concerned with being the first company to enter a market. Rather, Apple is more interested in releasing the best product in a given market, even if that means releasing a product years after rivals. We saw this play out with both the iPod and the iPhone. In both instances, Apple entered a competitive market later than everyone, but quickly came to dominate the market due to a best-in-class design. Looking ahead, we may see a similar dynamic play out in the realm of foldable smartphones.
Foldable smartphones are of course nothing new. Samsung has been releasing foldable smartphones for more than six years now. And though Samsung’s foldable smartphones — both the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip — have a relatively small but loyal customer base, foldable devices haven’t taken the world by storm. One reason for this is because foldable devices, over time, develop a crease at the point where the display bends. For users looking for a premium smartphone, that design flaw is often a deal breaker.
Apple’s foldable iPhone, however, will reportedly feature a display that isn’t prone to creasing. Citing sources within Apple’s supply chain, the Economic Daily News reports that Apple managed to address the crease issue. Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone, therefore, may be the first foldable smartphone to hit the market with a “crease-free design.”
We’ve heard rumblings of Apple’s work on a crease-free iPhone design for a few months now, but the latest report claims that enough progress has been made such that the technology is no longer in the “experimental stage” and is now in the “engineering verification and pre-mass production process.” What’s more, Apple production partner Foxconn has already set aside a production line exclusively for Apple’s foldable iPhone which, according to some, may be dubbed the iPhone Fold.
How the iPhone Fold’s crease-free design might work
Apple’s solution to combat display creasing reportedly involves using a metal plate that will be integrated into the display itself. To this point, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier this year explained that the metal plate will help “distribute and control bending stress, preventing the display material from exceeding its elastic limit and thereby minimizing the likelihood of creases.” Kuo adds that the iPhone Fold production process will utilize laser drilling “to create microstructures that better guide stress distribution and enhance crease resistance.”
The Economic Daily News report claims that the hinge components on the device may be comprised of Liquidmetal, a material that is easily molded but has a tremendous strength to weight ratio while remaining incredibly light. Speaking to the durability of Liquidmetal, it’s said to be 2.5x more resistant to deformations than titanium alloy. Display aside, other rumored specs for the iPhone Fold include Apple’s C2 modem for faster network speeds while using less battery power. It stands to reason that the iPhone Fold, in addition to being the first foldable smartphone without a crease, will also deliver best-in-class battery life.
Aesthetically, the iPhone Fold will open horizontally and expand into a device that resembles a small iPad. When closed, the device will reportedly look like two iPhone Air models stacked together. User authentication will reportedly be via a Touch ID module on the side as opposed to Face ID. Assuming there are no last-minute production or design hiccups, it’s widely believed that Apple will release the device in September 2026.
