Since foldable smartphones were launched in South Africa, the aesthetic has become one of the most significant design changes to mobile devices.
Of course, 2022 has seen massive uptake of the fold in smartphone design amid the launch of more affordable devices from Huawei and Samsung.
Which makes one wonder why the “most innovative smartphone” in the world has yet to release a device that folds.
Very few speculated that 2022’s Apple launch would include the introduction of a folding smartphone alongside the other iPhone 14 smartphones launched this year. While this could be attributed to the rumours about the next iPhone that have been making headlines, other factors could be at play.
With many fans asking Apple: “What’s the hold up on the fold up?”, here are some of the reasons the US company has yet to release an iPhone with a more malleable display.
The problem with OLED
Apple has yet to see a major recall of smartphones like that of Samsung’s notorious Note7, which reportedly started fires while charging. In efforts to protect its reputation, Apple could be silently learning from the mistakes of competitors fighting to be first to market with the release of untested technology.
Scores of foldables manufactured using OLED displays have gone under the radar for a lack of robust craftsmanship. Many have torn, their hinges have come loose, with some damage reported after only a few weeks or months of use.
The design flaw
Before the launch of foldables, the most significant inclusion adopted by most manufacturers was the notch, followed by the pinhole – done to offer more screen real estate to devices and preserve space for the selfie camera.
The notch was a simple enhancement, increasing screen size and adding either the notch to the top of the display or pinhole to the left, right or centre of the top of the display.
Since the launch of foldables, each manufacturer has had their own take on making the fold functional – some manufacturers opted for the inward fold, while others chose an outward fold. Some even included an extra display in the fold.
This indicates that the search for the best design is still on, and efforts to diminish the size of the crease in a display are being pursued aggressively.
Much like with OLED technology, Apple could be using rival design cues as the base point to create a tried-and-tested folding smartphone.
Will a folding iPhone ever be launched?
The latest speculation suggests that the iPhone foldable could be called the iPhone Flip, which seems unlikely given that Samsung pipped the company at the post with the name of its foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold.
With the smartphone world ever changing in terms of design and specification, it's too early to tell whether the fold will catch on. For local adoption of the design fad to become popular, it is left to manufacturers of entry-level devices to introduce an affordable folding device that could drive mass demand.
This gives Apple enough time to determine whether the design is a yay or nay. However, this doesn’t mean Apple doesn’t have a foldable up its sleeve.
All indications are that the company does intend to launch a foldable in the future.
In recent months, Apple filed scores of patents for devices with foldable displays, with the latest filed at the end of August.
The US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to possible foldable iPhones and iPads.
In one case, Apple even refers to a device that could feature a triple-fold design yet to be seen among foldable displays.
IOL Tech