The buzz around foldable phones may have subsided a bit though the segment surely exists. It may not be making waves at the moment in a manner many had predicted it would though there is no way we can deny it either, enough for anyone with as sizeable a hold on the smartphone market as Apple to sit up and take notice.
Not surprisingly, all of this has led the rumour mills to churn out stories of Apple too being firmly in the race to launch its own foldable phone. Adding fodder to the fire is serial leaker Jon Prosser who did sort of confirm that Apple too has its own foldable iPhone program of its own.
But then, Prosser isn’t divulging a whole lot of details at the moment. However, what he did mention is that Apple’s approach with a foldable iPhone variant is going to be a bit different than what Samsung has attempted right now. For, there isn’t going to be an iPhone with a foldable display.
Rather, Apple seems more inclined to offer an iPhone with a secondary display alongside so that users will have two separate displays to play around with. That would be more akin to the LG G8X ThinQ that the South Korean manufacturer had launched last year and include a clamshell design with a secondary display attached to it. Users just have to snug in the primary phone so that both the displays become functional as one.
Also, it being Apple, expect to see the basic design getting refined a bit. For instance, as Prosser himself revealed, the Face ID and other sensors might get to sit on the ‘case’, if it can be so said. This will allow the primary iPhone to have a true edge to edge display though with such schematics, the phone will only work when it is within the case. That would be unlike the G8X ThinQ where the primary phone can also work in isolation.
Anyway, before anyone jumps into any sort of conclusion, let’s not forget these are rumors at best. Further, there is no surety either if Apple would indeed pursue such a plan given the company’s penchant of introducing only matured tech in the market and being less inclined to experiment with its product offerings.
In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Fold seemed half baked when launched though the Galaxy Z Flip fared far better. Maybe the upcoming Fold 2 would take things to new heights. Interestingly, Microsoft too is exploring something similar with the Surface Duo which includes two separate displays arranged in a clamshell form factor that opens like a book.
