Apple Is Purportedly Working on a Foldable iPhone That Will Be Released in 2023. Here's What We Know. New details have emerged about Apple's rumored foldable iPhone.
By Justin Chan •
For months, rumors surrounding Apple's foldable iPhone have circulated — and more details have emerged, thanks to a note seen by MacRumors.
In a note to investors on Sunday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the smartphone giant is planning on releasing between 15 million and 20 million foldable iPhones with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display two years from now. SDC will reportedly supply the display, while Samsung Foundry will serve as "the exclusive DDI [device driver interface] foundry provider."
Related: Apple's Planning a Foldable iPhone & the Design Looks Stunning
"At present, the product position of foldable smartphones is mainly to integrate the smartphone and tablet," the analyst wrote. "But we believe that the foldable smartphone is only one of the applications of the foldable design. We predict that foldable devices will blur the product segmentations between smartphones, tablets, and laptops in the future. With its cross-product ecosystems and hardware design advantages, Apple will be the biggest winner in the new foldable device trend."
Kuo added that he believes the new iPhone will adopt a silver nanowire touch solution that will give Apple an advantage over its competitors. The feature, which Apple has already incorporated in its HomePod, is supposed to be particularly handy once future phones support multiple folds.
In the wake of Kuo's note to investors, Engadget points out that the latest rumors are "highly speculative," although the publications admits that the details appear to give the note "extra credibility." Kuo also purportedly asserted that Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Honor will release their own foldable smartphones later this year or early next year.
