Two Foldable iPhone Prototypes Reportedly Pass Internal Durability Tests

Two prototype foldable iPhones have passed internal tests for durability, according to Taiwanese website Economic Daily News.

foldable iPhone concept feature

Tests of an Apple-designed folding hinge system for two different iPhones were reportedly recently completed at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China.

The first foldable iPhone to undergo testing is said to be a dual-screen model, which is likely 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. Though the prototype ‌‌iPhone‌‌ features two separate displays connected by a hinge, Prosser claimed that the panels look "fairly continuous and seamless." It is also of note that Apple has patented a device with two separate displays that can be brought together to create a single foldable device with a hinge, which sounds strikingly similar to the rumored dual-screen Apple foldable.

The second prototype to have undergone testing is reportedly a clamshell foldable, much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or Lenovo's Moto RAZR. The UDN report claims that this clamshell model is set to use a flexible Samsung OLED display. Previous reports have also said that Apple ordered a "large number" of Samsung foldable mobile phone display samples for testing purposes earlier in 2020.

It is unclear if the two devices to have been tested had different hinge systems. The test units are purported to be shells with very limited internals rather than fully-working devices. This is because the main purpose of the testing was to assess the durability of the Apple-designed hinge system. The report states that now the testing has concluded, Apple is expected to evaluate which of the two foldable models to proceed with, and only one will be carried forwards into continued development.

The findings of this report also appear to have been mirrored by sources speaking to Jon Prosser. Prosser explained in a recent Front Page Tech video that there were two prototype foldable iPhones in testing, including one with two display panels and one clamshell with a single flexible OLED display. Prosser's sources also said that these units have passed durability testing and are now being evaluated by Apple.

A report from November 2020 stated that Apple had sent foldable iPhones to Foxconn to test the folding bearings with over 100,000 opening and closing tests, which appears to be analogous to the newly-concluded run of testing. Given the consistency of rumors surrounding foldable iPhones from multiple sources, particularly related to testing, they may be more credible.

UDN predicts that a foldable ‌iPhone‌ will not emerge until late 2022 or 2023 at the earliest. Apple has filed for a large number of patents relating to a foldable iPhone dating back to 2016, and it seems highly likely that work on a foldable ‌iPhone‌ is progressing.

Top Rated Comments

Rainshadow Avatar
29 months ago
Give it your best shot, Apple. Just TRY to make me want a foldable phone.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
29 months ago
Personal opinion, foldables don’t seem to be better at anything than a smartphone or a tablet. It makes for cool demo, but it seems like a mediocre tablet and phone combo.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corsig Avatar
29 months ago
There will be hundreds of people today saying how stupid this is and they’ll never get it. Fast forward a year later and they’ll be typing how the next Apple phone will suck on that double screened phone
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cableguy84 Avatar
29 months ago
Creasing will surely always be an issue. I wouldn’t be able to unsee the crease
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
syklee26 Avatar
29 months ago
Ah... the magic hinge
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nt5672 Avatar
29 months ago
I think this is absolutely the best design to forever enforce iPhone upgrades every three years (or whatever the new warranty period will be). You thought a non-user replaceable battery was good for business? This is great? What a great concept for Apple stockholders.

I can see it now. You're folding it too many times. Fold-gate. Can't wait.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple Music Classical

Apple Explains Why It Launched an iPhone App Dedicated to Classical Music

Monday March 27, 2023 8:54 pm PDT by
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music. In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5

Tuesday March 28, 2023 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a day after the launch of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an...
home upgrade available feature

PSA: Apple Has Made Its New Home Architecture Update Available Again

Tuesday March 28, 2023 1:50 am PDT by
Apple has made the option to upgrade to new Home architecture available again with the release of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3, after it temporarily pulled the update in December. After updating Apple devices to the latest software, users can once again opt to upgrade any homes set up in the Home app to the new Home architecture, which Apple says brings faster, more reliable ...