Rumors About Apple Will Launch A Folding iPhone Getting Stronger

Rumors of the launch of a folding iPhone are getting louder. (photo: doc. apple)

JAKARTA - Rumors about the iPhone Flip have been around for a long time. But this rumor is just a rumor that never came true. Now rumors about Apple's foldable phone are back in what is considered a big metaphorical move from the iPhone maker.

This rumor arose from the Asian news site, The Elec, which has published a report on Apple's production of a new type of OLED display. This product comes without a polarizer, which is a coating designed to increase the ease of viewing the screen. The Elec also reports that Apple will make the screen thinner, which is designed to make it ideal for foldable phones.

The technique of removing polarizers to make foldable phone screens is not new. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has used such a display. It is a form of Samsung Display, a separate subsidiary of Samsung to the group that makes Galaxy smartphones and which makes Apple's today.

Just because a report says Apple is making a foldable screen doesn't mean users will be able to buy a flexible iPhone soon this year.

Not only did other parts need to be designed, including the hinge, body and components that would also match the flexural properties of the handset, but the researchers didn't really know that this screen was for the finished product.

That's because a key step in phone manufacturing is the research and design phase, where many prototypes are created and tested to see which one is the best.

It looks like the new look was only made for test phones that will remain in Apple's labs, and will never be sold. So you don't have to start saving for a foldable iPhone just yet.

Still, the fact that Apple is building a new iPhone display suggests that it has a select few prototypes to focus on, and is beyond the planning stages.

This schedule still matches the mooted 2025 release date for the iPhone Flip. But if Samsung does show a foldable phone product in the next few years, Apple may be in a position to raise it a year if it has sampled the necessary display technology.