Apple is reportedly exploring plans to use the rumoured book-style iPhone Fold as a pre-cursor for a flip-style foldable too.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – as reliable as they come when it comes scoops out of Cupertino – reports Apple may follow the Samsung playbook if the iPhone Fold proves to be a mainstream success. In his Power On Newsletter, published on Sundays, Gurman added that once the iPhone Fold has proven a hit among iPhone users, other foldable form factors could follow. That includes a clamshell phone akin to the Galaxy Z Flip range, pioneered by Samsung, and the Razr series from Motorola.
In his report, Gurman said there’s no concrete plans to release such a device, but it will be considered if the desire is there from customers.
“Now there’s another foldable device under consideration inside Apple labs: a square, clamshell-style foldable phone,” the erstwhile Apple watcher writes. “The product is far from guaranteed to reach the market. Still, Apple is betting that its first foldable iPhone will be successful enough to generate real demand for the category and that customers will want additional shapes and sizes, much as they have with traditional slab-style iPhones.”
The first-generation iPhone Fold could arrive as soon as this summer-autumn season according to reports, including those from Gurman. Speculation suggests it’ll feature a 7.8-inch inner tablet display close to the size of the iPad mini. The front display will be 5.5-inches. It’s also possible Apple will launch a much larger foldable iPad that opens into an 18-inch display.
We’re excited about what Apple plans to bring to the category, especially if reports about that fully creaseless foldable display come to fruition.
