Two foldable iPhone prototypes have passed internal tests for durability, according to the Taiwanese website Daily economic news.
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Tests of a folding hinge system designed by Apple for two different iPhones were recently completed at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China.
The first foldable iPhone to be tested is said to be a dual-screen model, which is probably the same dual-display prototype rumored by Jon Prosser in June 2020. Prosser explained at the time that this model used two separate display panels connected by a hinge. Although the iPhone prototype has two separate displays connected by a hinge, Prosser claimed that the panels look “quite continuous and seamless”. It’s also worth noting that Apple has patented a device with two separate displays that can be put together to create a single hinged foldable device, which sounds strikingly similar to Apple’s dual-screen foldable rumor.
The second prototype that was tested would be a folding flap, just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or Lenovo’s Moto RAZR. UDN The report claims that this flap model is set to use a flexible Samsung OLED screen. Earlier reports also said that Apple had ordered a “large number” of Samsung foldable mobile phone display samples for testing purposes earlier in 2020.
It is unclear whether the two devices that were tested had different hinge systems. Test units are claimed to be enclosures with very limited internal devices, rather than fully functioning devices. This is because the main purpose of the test was to assess the durability of the hinge system designed by Apple. The report says that now that the tests are over, Apple is expected to assess which of the two foldable models to follow and only one will be transported forward in continuous development.
The findings of this report also appear to have been reflected by sources who spoke to Jon Prosser. Prosser explained in a recent Front Page Tech video that there were two foldable iPhone prototypes in testing, including one with two display panels and a flap with a single flexible OLED screen. Prosser’s sources also said that these units have passed the durability tests and are now being evaluated by Apple.
A November 2020 report said Apple sent foldable iPhones to Foxconn to test foldable bearings with more than 100,000 opening and closing tests, which seems to be analogous to the newly completed test. Given the consistency of rumors about foldable iPhones from several sources, especially related to testing, they may be more credible.
UDN predicts that a foldable “iPhone” will not appear until the end of 2022 or 2023. Apple has filed applications for a large number of patents for a foldable iPhone dating back to 2016 and it seems very likely that work on an “iPhone” foldable progresses.