[ad_1]
Speculation is growing that Apple is working on a foldable iPhone – which may or may not be called the iPhone Flip – and now reports from supply chain sources in Asia suggest two prototypes have just passed the necessary durability tests. .
According to United Daily News, these prototypes are just phone cases, which we assume to include the cases and displays, but not the various internal components. They were reportedly tested in China, at a factory run by Apple’s regular supplier, Foxconn.
A prototype would use a clamshell form factor, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or the Motorola Razr. When opened, the phone has a single, uninterrupted display, then the top half folds over to the bottom half.
The second prototype apparently uses a dual-screen design, more like the Microsoft Surface Duo: it opens like a book, with a hinge in the center of two separate screens. For now, it’s unclear whether Apple has a preference for one design or the other.
Another hinge patent appears
Meanwhile, a new patent filing has been released showing the hinge mechanism Apple could use on one of its foldable iPhone models. This would actually allow the phone to bend in either direction, inward (like the Galaxy Z Fold 2) and outward (like the Huawei Mate Xs).
Titled “Folding Electronic Devices with Gear Hinges,” the patent explains the need to give users as much screen space as possible without making the device too bulky – this is where the foldable screen comes in.
As always with patents, this one shows a potential design rather than an end product, and there’s no guarantee Apple will end up using this two-way hinge. We’ve already seen different hinge designs, potentially for a foldable iPhone, covered by previous Apple patents.
With so much information leaking out, it seems clear that Apple is at least seriously considering an iPhone Flip model, if it can meet the necessary standards of quality and durability. However, don’t expect the device to appear until 2022 at the earliest.
Via MacRumors, AppleInsider
[ad_2]
Source link