14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve known for a while that Apple has been working on a foldable iPhone, but for the time being, details in this regard remain extremely vague and nobody can tell for sure when and how the whole thing is supposed to happen.
New information coming from Apple leakster Jon Prosser indicates that this foldable iPhone won’t actually feature a foldable screen. Not in the typical way, at least.
By definition, a foldable iPhone would have to use a screen that folds, but as we’ve seen in the past, this approach comes with a series of drawbacks, including issues with the display itself. And Apple apparently knows this very well, so instead of sticking with one screen that folds, it wants to build the iPhone using two different screens that are connected with a hinge.
So it’s not a foldable iPhone but a dual-screen iPhone that can support multiple form factors and increase the available screen estate when fully open.
“Foldable” iPhone
If this idea sounds familiar to you, it’s because Microsoft’s making a big deal about it with the Surface Duo, the company’s very first Android phone expected to go live soon. The Surface Duo uses two different displays that are connected with a hinge (Microsoft is a master of hinges, and the Surface Book is living proof in this regard).
“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,” Prosser says in a tweet.
“It doesn’t look like they just stuck two phones together. Even though they’re two separate panels, when the displays are extended, it looks fairly continuous and seamless.”
The keyword that everyone should keep in mind here is “prototype,” so Apple is experimenting with several ideas right now and no decision has been made. And of course, there’s no ETA at the moment, so you’d better not hold your breath for the “foldable” iPhone.