Apple will release the first foldable smartphone in 2022, reports the Chinese publication Economic Daily, citing market sources.
According to insiders, the American corporation asked its suppliers to provide prototypes of folding smartphones. We are talking about companies Nippon Nippon and Foxconn – the latter is Apple’s largest Asian partner. Sources say Apple executives want to know how high-quality prototypes of future iPhones will be. From the disclosed data, it follows that Apple has already determined the release date of the folding device – the device may appear on the market in 2022.
In particular, the corporation specialists are interested in whether the design of smartphones will withstand more than one hundred thousand folds. The company starts from the standard that MacBook hinges must withstand 20-30 thousand folds, the best samples – up to 50 thousand. According to Apple engineers, a user will fold and unfold a smartphone much more often during the day than a laptop and other devices.
Nippon Nippon and Foxconn are expected to supply hinges and hinges for the new iPhone, and Samsung will provide the front panels. The corporation has not yet decided what type of matrix the future device will receive – OLED or microLED.
Earlier it became known that Apple ordered a large batch of OLED displays. Insiders believe the screens will be supplied to build foldable smartphones. According to sources, the contract between the two corporations was concluded for a period of one year.