Apple reportedly suspends testing for foldable iPhone after display problems
It looks like fans will have to wait a little longer for the foldable iPhone. Apple has put its plans for a foldable smartphone on hold after display samples failed to meet the company’s strict quality standards, according to new rumors coming out of China.
Apple has been continuously exploring foldable display technology for several years as part of its research on new form factors. All early prototypes included iPhones that folded inward like a clamshell. Apple’s major supplier Samsung provided them with early foldable display samples as part of this testing process.
However, recent rumors suggest that Apple was not satisfied with the durability of Samsung’s panels. Sources say that after just a few days of testing under Apple’s laboratory conditions, iPhones with foldable displays started showing problems like screen cracking. This is far short of the best-in-class reliability expected by Apple.
As a result, Apple has reportedly halted further development of the foldable iPhone for the foreseeable future. The company will not launch a foldable in the market until the display technology consistently passes its tests.
This is in line with previous reports that foldables were not planned until 2024 or 2025. According to display firm Display Supply Chain Consultants, Apple is “in no rush to enter the foldable smartphone market, and it may even take longer than [2025].”
Interestingly, the company’s broader foldable device ambitions may not be completely on hold. Rumors suggest that Apple is more interested in a foldable iPad format, which could include a thicker design more suited to withstand the stress of folding compared to a pocket-sized phone.
Earlier reports had suggested that it could be a notebook that could have a full-sized keyboard when folded and an external monitor when opened, making it a dual-use product. So Apple seems quite optimistic about the potential of the overall foldable display technology.
Source: Weibo (Chinese) via 91mobiles