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Apple Moves Forward With Foldable iPhone (theinformation.com) 77

Posted by msmash from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.
Apple is advancing its plans for a foldable iPhone, with potential release as early as 2026, The Information reported Tuesday. The iPhone-maker has begun engaging with Asian suppliers for component production, the report added. The proposed device is said to feature a clamshell design, reminiscent of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip series.

The company faces considerable technical hurdles, including display crease issues and achieving optimal device thickness. Despite these challenges, the assignment of an internal codename, V68, suggests the project has progressed beyond the conceptual stage, the report added.
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Apple Moves Forward With Foldable iPhone More

Apple Moves Forward With Foldable iPhone

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    • Meh. From what I could read, Apple might be contacting suppliers with sourcing parts that they might put into a phone years from now. All of these reports are unconfirmed. Supply chains might take years to set up so I would not take it to mean Apple has a design ready to be launched. Apple like many other companies can cancel development of a project late into the lifecycle. Until Apple confirms it, this is just another rumor.

      • Apple... (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        ...will do foldable phones right.

        • Sure they will. All the other thousands of engineers at Samsung and LG are idiots. This is a problem only Apple can solve.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Kisai ( 213879 )

        Yuck, why would Apple, of all companies seek a "foldable" phone when customers have routinely rejected such designs.

        There's only two kinds of designs that people accept:
        a) The design that Apple uses now
        b) The design that Nokia used in the past (when phones had screens 1/4 to half the size)

        Flip phones were this special exception that only Motorola was able to pull off, and they stopped being good during the TDMA (2G) era. All the flip phones made by LG and Samsung, were extremely fragile, to the point that m

        • The SciFi versions of foldable phones is what people want. Phones with zero hinges or seams and are ultra thin are what people want in their perfect foldable phone. Reality has not caught up and may never catch up with that idealized form.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dbialac ( 320955 )
      I've owned the entire Z Flip series, minus the 6. The first 3 were great. The 5 blows (and the 6 will as well for the same reason the 5 does). The 1, 3 and 4 (there was no 2) are all great phones. You don't need a case and they all fit well in your pocket because of that. I spent 5 weeks in the hospital with the original. While I was there, when the phone was charging, it'd be sitting on the charging pad. Nurses would then pull the tray table away from me causing the phone to fall over and over, countless t
      • oddly enough my wife has owned two, none are what she would call 'great'. The first one developed creases within about two months, then developed lines of dead pixels (oddly enough, NOT on the crease lines nor very much near them. The second one, which she has had for about a year or a bit more, it has lost some bits from inside the hinge area, you can see some little bits missing, and others, they fell out of there but you can't see where they came from... No, she does not spend her days crawling through m
    • It's pretty bad when even 12ft.io can't get around the paywall.

  • Future headline (Score:4, Funny)

    by russotto ( 537200 ) on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @12:53PM (#64649476) Journal

    Users begin to notice permanent creases and cracking where the phone was folded.

    "Tim Cook: You're folding it wrong!"

    • Re:Future headline (Score:4, Interesting)

      by smooth wombat ( 796938 ) on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @12:59PM (#64649494) Journal
      I came across a foldable Galaxy phone on display at Walmart and took a look at its foldability. Yes, it folds, with the quarter inch wide piece of plastic not yet showing signs of significant creasing. Give it a few months of use and I can guarantee that plastic will both crease and crack.

      The thing is, there is no screen directly behind this part (the hinge is behind it) so it won't interfere with usage. If they're going that far, why not just make it a traditional flip phone [att.com]?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mmell ( 832646 )

        Mine died when dropped from shoulder-height onto cement (hardly surprising)

        My wife's died nine months later at just over one year old for no apparent reason. A thin black line appeared at the fold and the touchscreen became unresponsive.

        Foldable display technology is impressive and deserves continued research and development, but it isn't ready for the "fold" application. Perhaps a "roll" design might be more feasible?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by leptons ( 891340 )
          My Fold 4 is still going strong 1.5 years after I received it. No problems with it at all, and I've dropped it quite a few times. A simple case (with a hinge protector) will go a long way to protecting a folding phone.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Xenx ( 2211586 )
          I'll start by saying I wouldn't recommend for the average buyer, but anyone that wants a larger screen on their phone shouldn't be scared away.

          The inside screen cannot take an impact like most other phones. It's just the nature of the UTG. It's thin and bendable, for both good and bad. Aside from that, just treat it like the phone it is and it'll likely be fine. The main difference folding phones, vs other phones, is that when other phones break it's usually just a statistic.
      • i've had the z fold 3 for 3 years. not any cracks or creases at all. i use it constantly. my z fold 6 will be here tomorrow. i'm sending the 3 back for trade in credit.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Tyr07 ( 8900565 )

          Yeah I have the flip 3 as well, used it over a bit over two years, been perfectly fine, no creases, tons of use, no issues. Little bit of dust that's visible at the hinge in daylight but otherwise can't see it with the screen on.

          I don't have a reason to get a newer one, but I would if I needed to.

      • Actually, the thing that sucks about foldable phones is that the screen is plastic. So you've gotta get used to a cheap feeling screen, and it's going to get scratched by any dirt and crap that gets trapped between the two halves (unless you put one of those also nasty feeling plastic screen protectors on it).

        Whereas with your typical slab phones, you can put a tempered glass screen protector on and it still feels like glass and is shielded from scratches.

        • I have the Fold 5 .. no scratches after one year. The screen might be plastic, who knows (actually they claim it's a type of glass), either way it sure doesn't feel like plastic. I'm not the jury-rig everything guy on YouTube so I haven't tried deliberate scratching. I'd say if you aren't taking it on your Navy Seal missions, it's good enough in terms of rugged.

          • Admittedly, it's been awhile since I played with the foldable phones at Beat Buy. Last time I looked at them, the display certainly didn't feel like glass.

            As to dirt getting into the phone, that entirely depends on if you're doing outdoor activities where dirt is present. A flip phone is just a lot more difficult to protect against that sort of thing, short of just putting the phone in a bag when you're at a construction site or out in the woods. Slab style phones you can just throw in a life proof style

        • Actually, the thing that sucks about foldable phones is that the screen is plastic. So you've gotta get used to a cheap feeling screen, and it's going to get scratched by any dirt and crap that gets trapped between the two halves (unless you put one of those also nasty feeling plastic screen protectors on it).

          Whereas with your typical slab phones, you can put a tempered glass screen protector on and it still feels like glass and is shielded from scratches.

          Yeah, they really do feel cheap.

          As well, some of us find the damn crease really annoying. I took a look at one before I bought my latest phone, and it was a hard nope nope nope.

          Some might not mind it and like the increased real estate, but if you are at all fussy about what you look at, the foldables ain't all that.

          I like my iPhone, but unless Apple makes one with the same quality and no reflections from the fold crease, I'm not buying a foldable.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            Check some reviews of the latest Galaxy Fold. All the early issues with hinges and screen durability seem to have been resolved a few generations ago, and we are well into the "safe to buy" stage. Comes with 7 years of OS updates too.

            The crease is still visible if you look for it, as is the under-screen camera. But for a lot of people it's a worthwhile trade-off to get such a big screen. Samsung has also made the screen extremely bright (rated for 2400 nits IIRC, but Linus Tech Tips measured it at 2700) so

            • Check some reviews of the latest Galaxy Fold. All the early issues with hinges and screen durability seem to have been resolved a few generations ago, and we are well into the "safe to buy" stage. Comes with 7 years of OS updates too.

              The crease is still visible if you look for it, as is the under-screen camera. But for a lot of people it's a worthwhile trade-off to get such a big screen.

              It probably is a worthwhile tradeoff for some people. I'm just fussy about my screens.

              One thing I've wondered about regarding the big screen thing. The oldest millennials which is the first smartphone demographic, are at the point where presbyopia is kicking in. So as large a screen as possible might be very appealing to them. For myself, I've long graduated to screens with a lot of real estate. My Mac is a 27 incher, and my second screen is a 45 inch. And my Windows laptop uses the 45 inch screen as we

      • I came across a foldable Galaxy phone on display at Walmart and took a look at its foldability. Yes, it folds, with the quarter inch wide piece of plastic not yet showing signs of significant creasing. Give it a few months of use and I can guarantee that plastic will both crease and crack. The thing is, there is no screen directly behind this part (the hinge is behind it) so it won't interfere with usage. If they're going that far, why not just make it a traditional flip phone [att.com]?

        I keep wondering why a "foldable" full screen phone wouldn't just have two screens and where the seam is a blank spot that comes together as it unfolds. I know you'd have to mount the hinges in a weird orientation, but it's not like that's beyond the engineers. I suppose the bigger fear is stepping over some imaginary thinness line that these designers all have drilled into their heads repeatedly. It just seems a more practical solution, if they can toughen the edge of the screens that would sit inside the

        • thinness? these things are nowhere near thin, like the original Razr was thin. They are about a half inch thick when folded... maybe 12 mm.
        • yes, this is the way. C'mon apple, call upon the magic of yore and get this done.

      • Bullshit. I have a Fold 5, used regularly .. the crease is still invisible when using the display straight on.

        • Bullshit. I have a Fold 5, used regularly .. the crease is still invisible when using the display straight on.

          So who am I to believe, you or my lying eyes? Brand new at the Verizon store, and the crease was quite visible - it also reflects at a slightly different angle, so I had to tilt it to see everything.

          • Did you try the Fold 5? Also, did you look at it straight (not at an angle)?

            • Did you try the Fold 5? Also, did you look at it straight (not at an angle)?

              I'm not certain what model it was - now full disclaimer, I always go for the max image quality in all my displays. I did see different reflections off the fold depending on how I turned it and where the lights were. in relation to the positions.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            It helps to crank the brightness up a bit, but ultimately it's a trade-off. You brain is good at filtering stuff that is irrelevant, like creases and under-screen cameras. So you can choose, nice big screen but still fits in your pocket, and a crease that you will not really notice after half an hour of using it, or a smaller but perfectly flat screen.

            • It helps to crank the brightness up a bit, but ultimately it's a trade-off. You brain is good at filtering stuff that is irrelevant, like creases and under-screen cameras. So you can choose, nice big screen but still fits in your pocket, and a crease that you will not really notice after half an hour of using it, or a smaller but perfectly flat screen.

              It would be an interesting experiment, and it makes some sense. I wonder if I could get Samsung to let me borrow one of theirs for a few weeks? 8^)

      • The thing is, there is no screen directly behind this part (the hinge is behind it)

        It's unclear to me why you say this, the middle part of the opened phone, in front of the hinge, is just as much screen as the rest of it.

      • Because foldable phones are cool, and flip phones are not cool. So just change the label!

  • I like Apple. But if you're gonna do a foldable, do one screen on one side, one screen on the other with a hinge in the middle. That way you don't have to bend the display panels.

    Bending a screen, it's just asking for trouble and early failures

    Imagine an iPad that you can open like A book, with one screen on each side. That would be the the for using it as a music book.

    • Why two separate screens if there are already foldable phones out there that solved the problem, and which are even fairly new with more advancements and durability in the near future? The problem with 2 separate screens is that you'll definitely have a big line between the 2 screens, and the reason for foldable is to have one big screen.

      • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

        by ACForever ( 6277156 )
        apple will call it a side notch and the apple faithful will cheer

      • You're thinking you want it like a movie screen, and I'm thinking I want it like a book. One page on the left, one on the right, and the hinge / spine in the middle.

        I use my phone more as a video screen, and my ipad more as a book. Different use cases.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dgatwood ( 11270 )

      I like Apple. But if you're gonna do a foldable, do one screen on one side, one screen on the other with a hinge in the middle. That way you don't have to bend the display panels.

      Bending a screen, it's just asking for trouble and early failures

      Imagine an iPad that you can open like A book, with one screen on each side. That would be the the for using it as a music book.

      Agreed. The entire idea of bending an LCD panel is nothing short of nuts. The fact that some folks have kind of made it work is amazing, but at the same time, you end up with increasingly noticeable crease lines near the fold, so it doesn't ever really look like one screen anyway. At least with two separate screens, the crease doesn't change as the plastic degrades, you don't get pixel failures near the fold, and there's less risk of catastrophic display failure at random times (often in the first week).

    • How about instead of a foldable phone, Apple just introduces a line of jeans with bigger pockets (anybody remember JNCO?) so the regular iPhone just seems smaller?

  • Just what iPhone users need. (Score:5, Funny)

    by mmell ( 832646 ) on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @01:03PM (#64649502)
    Now that they will be able to fold their phones, can they also spindle and mutilate them?
  • Samsung is going to be so jealous of this new tech!

    /s
    • I can't remember the last time I actually saw a fanboy claim of Apple "inventing" some existing technology, outside of this kind of Slashdot post making the same tired joke.
  • Clamshell just gets you a narrow long screen, I was hoping for something more like a rectangle ipad mini.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dbialac ( 320955 )
      I've always like the idea of a phone with 2 creases. Long and narrow when it's a standard phone and opens up to a typical tablet size when it's open.

  • I have a Z Fold 5 and an iPhone (work/personal) .. the important things to improve in the Z Fold are (in order of feasibility and importance):
    1. 90% of the time use the Fold in closed mode .. the phone is way to thin for that, especially typing. They MUST make it as wide as the iPhone Pro Max.
    2. The ZFold's crease is not prominent, and is forgettable, but that's not to say it can't be reduced. If Apple found a way to eliminate the crease, that would be a major draw for me.
    3. Whole room charging -- can someo

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by vlad30 ( 44644 )

      3. Whole room charging -- can someone invent it?

      Was going to make a Joke about microwave and tingling skin then I saw this

      https://www.scientificamerican... [scientificamerican.com]

      with this line in the article “We’re not saying blanketly that this technology is safe under all uses—we’re still exploring,”

  • Why make a foldable screen? You don't use it in various levels of fold. Just make two screens with no edge that meet when the phone is unfolded. No need for creases or weird materials that don't last.
  • Start your photocopiers.
  • Sorry, no. It's nothing like Samsung's folding phone design. This is Apple, who only do original, innovative, & brave. It's a totally new concept, like no other, that's poised to take the world by storm.*

    *By "world" they mean Apple stores & Apple retail partners.

  • Apple and Fanboys will claim they've waited so they can present the best technology for the user and it is best foldable phone since sliced bread or something, while in reality they just want to have others develop the technology, have the growth pains, risk of R&D, etc. and use all its weight to strong arm the suppliers to give them the best parts, designs and at the lowest price, while charging costumers their first born.... and sadly people will queue up to buy it and say that it's amazing and how so

    • ...they just want to have others develop the technology, have the growth pains, risk of R&D, etc. and use all its weight to strong arm the suppliers to give them the best parts, designs and at the lowest price...

      Uh, as a consumer, why wouldn't I want that? Why would I want to be buying a product dealing with growing pains, dealing with development risk, that doesn't have the best parts and designs, or where the manufacturer is paying a higher price for those parts and designs?

      • yeah, that's great, and one of the reasons I didn't buy a foldable yet, the other being price, but the point is that they act (and a lot of fanboys claim) that they are the ones in the bleeding edge and doing the development of real innovations when in fact most is done by others while they buy or copy, and this is since the beginning of their smartphone ventures, LG Prada anyone?

  • Every phone is foldable (once). Credit https://xkcd.com/1809/ [xkcd.com]

  • The "Flip" style phones (the ones that are similar to the old-school RAZRs) are silly. It's mostly a gimmick. For anything you really want to do on your phone, you have to open it. Each and every time.
    The "Fold" style ones, though, are cool, because you can use them in standard mode, and get a whole tablet when opening them up.

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