You can’t fold an apple, but you might be able to fold your iPhone soon if a recent industry research note is to be believed. Foldable phones haven’t cracked our best smartphones rankings yet, but if anyone can do it, it’s Apple.
This all comes from the latest analyst note by industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (reported on by 9to5Mac), who has a healthy track record when it comes to predicting what Apple is up to. There were several takeaways from this note, but one of the most interesting was that Apple could be looking to release an 8-inch foldable iPhone by 2023. This lines up with previous rumors that were reported by Bloomberg, which stated that Apple was working on a foldable prototype iPhone with an eye to launch in 2022. Given the current global pandemic and it’s never-ending effect on manufacturing and supply chains, it’s reasonable to expect that this date has been pushed to 2023.
Several companies have already released foldable phones, most notably the Samsung Z Fold2 5G which launched last year for an eye-watering $1999. Unsurprisingly, uptake on foldable phones has been slow largely due to the astronomical price and lackluster specs that these devices have. Nevertheless, this is early technology and if Apple can bring these costs down, or buff up the internal hardware then it might have a shot at cracking the foldable phones market.
This information comes from Ming-Chi Kuo, a long-standing Apple analyst working at TF International with over a decade of experience in predicting industry trends and breaking upcoming device details. If the name rings a bell, that’s because Kuo was behind many of the iPhone 12 leaks and rumors that we collated, all of which turned out to be true. So when this guy says Apple is doing something, we’re pretty sure Apple is doing it. In this case, Kuo has listed several directions that Apple might be going in though, so this is still up in the air.
At any rate, the foldable iPhone is a few years off if it’s happening at all, so for now Apple fans will have to make do with the fantastic iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro that we currently have. There are also plenty of rumors floating around about the upcoming iPhone 13, including an upgraded camera array, smaller notch, and 120Hz screen.
Oh and if you can fold an apple, give us a call. We might have some work for you.
