6 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 15 & 5 Reasons Not To

Don't Wait for a Foldable iPhone

Apple might be working on a foldable version of the iPhone, but it sounds like the device won't be ready until 2024 or perhaps even 2025. 

We've seen patents hint at a foldable iPhone but this doesn't confirm anything. One patent reveals plans for a protective layer that will help prevent cracking on foldable displays. 

Leaker Jon Prosser says that Apple is working on a "foldable" iPhone, but that it isn't really a foldable. The current prototype reportedly has two separate display panels on a hinge.

He says the current model features round and stainless steel edges like the iPhone 11 design. It reportedly doesn't have a notch.

Prosser hasn't put out a potential window for the device's launch which means its arrival could be a long ways out. 

Another report from Bloomberg states that while Apple "has developed prototype foldable screens for internal testing" the company "hasn’t solidified plans to actually launch a foldable iPhone." In other words, a launch is a long way out.

As for Kuo, he initially believed Apple might launch a foldable iPhone with a 7.5-8-inch display in 2023. The device, as other sources have noted, is apparently still in the research stage of development.

In another report, Kuo claimed Apple was working to release a new iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display in 2023. He also believed Apple would ship 15 to 20 million foldable iPhones in 2023.

However, in a note from September 2021, Kuo said he now believes the foldable iPhone has been pushed all the way out to 2024. And there's now a chance that even that may not happen.

In a newer tweet, Kuo now says he believes "Apple may launch its first foldable product in 2025 at the earliest, which may be a foldable iPad or a hybrid of iPad & iPhone."

Kuo says Apple is currently testing Chinese company E Ink's Electronic Paper Display (EPD) for "future foldable device's cover screen & tablet-like applications."

He believes Apple will launch a foldable iPad in 2024 ahead of a foldable iPhone. Kuo says the device will feature a carbon fiber kickstand. This has been disputed by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and analyst Ross Young.

Young once said a foldable iPhone wasn't "expected until 2023 at the earliest" with 2024 more likely. Young has followed this up with a new report that suggests the foldable iPhone has been delayed until 2025.

Korean publication The Elec reports that Apple has started development on an OLED panel that doesn't use a polarizer. This will allow for a much thinner display which is necessary for a foldable display. 

So at this point you should operate on the assumption that Apple's foldable iPhone will miss 2023. It will probably miss 2024 as well. 

If a foldable device interests you, you should check out Samsung's Galaxy Z series and Google's Pixel Fold.