According to Wamsi Mohan, a working analyst at the Bank of America, the foldable iPhone could also be used like a tablet, size closer to the existing iPad. This was made from the data gathered after meeting with several companies in Asia that belong to Apple’s supply chain.
This is not the first time that this report is making rounds. In late 2016, according to a Korean report, tech giant LG was developing and mass-producing foldable smartphone displays. In October last year, LG was in talks with Apple to be the supplier for its foldable displays to be used in future iPhones.
Over the past three years, LG has created prototypes for various futuristic displays, which can be curved like a book and even folded like a newspaper, based on the lightweight and flexible properties of OLED displays v/s the more rigid LCD ones.
The iPhone X, which has a flexible OLED display curving behind itself, housing the device controller chip, thereby resulting in a slimmer bottom bezel, could be a good start on developing a foldable iPhone if it does come to be.
A foldable iPhone needs clever engineering feats coupled with further innovation. For the device to be able to be rolled up like a newspaper, components like that of the logic board and battery would then need to be so flexible that they can bend likewise. In the case of the display is only capable of being folded in half, the components could still be rigid and thereby connected with flex cables.
In 2017, Apple applied for a patent for a foldable display. It is probably researching further on the possibilities of one but cannot guarantee a consumer-based mass production as of yet. Whether that is possible for a couple more years is questionable, but technology is advancing by leaps and bounds each day. So, who knows? The rumors might just be true.
