Ah, the iPhone Fold. Or iPhone Flip. Or iPhone Foldy McFlipFace. Whatever Apple ends up calling its folding iPhone, one thing's for sure – we've already heard a ton of rumours about the upcoming device. And if the latest leak is to be believed, it could be with us the year after next.
According to a new investor note from renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is preparing a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch flexible OLED display for release in 2023. Could it be the first foldable to hit our best camera phones roundup?
A recent render of the rumoured folding iPhone (Image credit: ZONEofTECH on YouTube)
As spotted by MacRumors, Kuo's note forecasts that Apple will "likely launch a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display in 2023". Kuo predicts that Apple "will be the biggest winner in the new foldable device trend".
Perhaps most intriguingly, Kuo also suggests that Apple's foldable tech will "blur the product segmentations between smartphones, tablets, and laptops in the future". Right now, foldables are seen as bridging the gap between tablets and smartphones – but it even enters laptop territory, could it become one device to rule them all? It could certainly change the way we use tech.
So, what will the first folding iPhone actually look like? According to recent rumours, Apple is actually working on two designs – one featuring a dual-screen model connected by a centre hinge, and another which, like many of our best flip phones, features a more traditional clamshell design.
One rumoured design involves a clamshell 'flip phone' design (Image credit: iOS Beta News)
We've recently heard that Apple has been rigorously testing various hinge designs, and no doubt for good reason – foldable phones haven't had the most auspicious start (who can forget Samsung's crack-prone Galaxy Fold?). Perhaps Apple is trying to decide between the two different designs – or perhaps there's more than one foldable iPhone on the way?
Either way, it sounds like a hinge-based iPhone won't be entering the fold for a couple of years. But that's not to say that this year's iPhone 13 isn't already sounding incredible – here's every iPhone 13 leak in one place. If you're looking for a great iPhone right here and now, check out today's best iPhone 12 deals below, and be sure to visit our main Apple deals page.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
