According to the latest report, display analyst Ross Young reported that Apple is not expected to launch a folding screen iPhone until 2023 at the earliest, and 2024 is a more likely target date.
In recent months, rumors about the folding screen iPhone have subsided, but there is still evidence that Apple is at least developing a prototype of a foldable device. In September 2020, it was reported that Samsung provided Apple with samples of foldable display screens for testing, and there were also rumors that Apple was cooperating with LG Display.
As early as May of this year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is committed to launching a foldable iPhone equipped with an 8-inch flexible OLED display in 2023, but there has been no further explanation of Apple’s work on foldable devices since then. Bloomberg said in January that Apple had begun “early work” on the foldable iPhone, but development at the time had not yet expanded beyond the display.
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Looking to the future, Ming-Chi Kuo believes that foldable smartphones will become a “must-have” for all major smartphone brands. At least, Samsung has been working hard to perfect its foldable smartphone options. Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, which is the third iteration of its foldable smartphone.
Moreover, Samsung’s first-generation Galaxy Fold equipment has many problems, but now Samsung has three years to solve these problems, and there are almost no competitors in the field of foldable smartphones. If Apple really chooses to launch a foldable smartphone in 2023 or 2024, it will need to compete with Samsung, because Samsung has several years of experience in foldable devices.
Guo Mingchi has previously stated that Apple needs to solve “critical technology and mass production issues” in order to launch a foldable iPhone before 2023, so it is not surprising if the technology is postponed to 2024.
