Unlike several of its rivals such as Samsung and Huawei, Apple has yet to release a foldable phone, although it is rumored to be working on one.
Now, YouTubers in China have created an impressive prototype that shows an iPhone folding down a central hinge in the screen.
The prototype, called iPhone V, was built by engineers using an iPhone X and the folding mechanism from Motorola’s Razr.
The iPhone V, which took more than 200 days and thousands of dollars to make, also features silver iPhone lettering on the hinge and the iconic Apple icon on the back.
Like other foldable phones already on the market, the “iPhone V” folds down a central hinge on the screen
The Chinese engineering team borrowed a folding mechanism from Motorola’s Razr, released in 2020
Of the world’s top seven smartphone manufacturers, six of them have already introduced foldable screens – Samsung, Motorola, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo – but the seventh, Apple, has not.
Chinese YouTube channel Technological Aesthetics posted the video, detailing the painstaking months-long mission to build the device.
“It took more than 200 days of effort, and at great expense,” said Na Yan of Technological Aesthetics. “In the coming days, we want to continue to improve the foldable iPhone.”
Overall, the iPhone V looks like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip, which folds up like a retro ’90s phone thanks to a horizontal hinge through the center of the screen.
But the team used the iPhone X, an iPhone model that is already five years old, to turn it into a modern flip phone with iOS 16.
Engineers used the phone’s OLED screen, which is inherently flexible, although in iPhones it is covered by hard outer glass.
The team also rearranged the iPhone X’s internal components to fold it, borrowing the foldable shoulder structure from the Motorola Razr, although they considered using the mechanism from Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip.
Unlike several of its rivals such as Samsung and Huawei, Apple has yet to release a foldable phone, although it is rumored to be working on one.
The team used the iPhone X (pictured), an iPhone model that is already five years old, to transform it into a modern-looking flip phone
The engineers admit that the result is a rather “rudimentary prototype”, as it has several problems that became apparent after limited periods of use.
For example, there are gaps when folded and after a few days of use there are horizontal creases and bubbles under the screen that ‘cannot be fixed’.
What’s more, if it is completely closed, the entire screen is irreversibly damaged.
It also uses a 1,000mAh battery compared to the 4,352mAh battery on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so it barely lasts a day.
But overall, the team claims to have technically created “the world’s first foldable iPhone,” potentially years before Apple officially releases one.
Apple appears to have registered patents for a foldable phone, similar to a flip phone, with a horizontal hinge through the middle.
In 2019, Apple filed a patent showing what appears to be a foldable phone. In the patent, a device can be seen to be folded closed, similar to a flip phone, via a hinge in the middle
But these were filed years ago, and Apple’s latest iPhone models don’t have any design features that suggest they’re going down the foldable route anytime soon.
Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight, previously said there was “really no need” for Apple to move in the foldable direction at this time.
“You can be sure it has had flexible display technology in its labs for the last decade,” he told MailOnline.
“However, at this time there is no commercial imperative for Apple to take the risk of entering a niche market when the iPhone is so incredibly successful.”
Rival Samsung released its latest generation of foldable phones – the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 – in August.
In August, Samsung released the Galaxy Z Flip 4 (pictured), which can be held open at different angles without snapping shut
Motorola’s reinvented Razr flip phone has a 6.2-inch foldable screen, which bends in half to close like older clamshell phones
Meanwhile, Motorola released its second-generation Motorola Razr in China this year and is rolling it out across Europe.
Motorola took inspiration from its original “clamshell” Razr flip to create a pocket-sized flip phone that folds down into a horizontal fold.
Meanwhile, the more recently released Huawei Mate X2 has a dual-screen design very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.
SAMSUNG SHOWS OFF GALAXY FLIP 4 AND GALAXY FOLD 4 AT ‘PACKED EVENT’ – AND PRICES GO TO A COlossal £2,019
Samsung has launched two new foldable smartphones with flexible glass that folds down in the middle of the screen, including its most expensive device yet.
The Korean tech giant lifted the lid on several new products at its Unpacked event on August 10, including the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with a new taskbar at the bottom of the phone, providing a more “PC-like experience” where users can easily view their apps.
It comes with as much as 1TB of storage – but for a whopping £2,019.
At the company’s Unpacked event on August 10, the Korean tech giant lifted the lid on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, its most expensive smartphone to date
Like its predecessors, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a vertical hinge in the middle and essentially functions as a 2-in-1 device
Samsung has also launched the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which folds up like a retro ’90s phone thanks to a horizontal hinge through the center of the screen.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 starts at £999 for 125GB of storage and goes up to £1,199 for 512GB of storage.
The Flip 4’s main screen measures 6.7 inches, while the smaller cover screen on the outside is 1.9 inches, like last year’s Flip 3.
The Galaxy Flip 4 also includes a 65 percent brighter sensor for better photos, the ability to take selfies when closed, and increased battery size.
The Flip 4 comes in either Graphite, Bora Purple, Pink Gold or Blue, while the Fold 4 comes in Phantom Black, Gray Green or Beige.
Samsung has also launched the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which folds up like a retro ’90s phone thanks to a horizontal hinge through the center of the screen
Both smartphone models are 5G compatible, come with IPX8 water resistance and can be folded and unfolded more than 200,000 times.
James Manning Smith, senior analyst at CCS Insight, said the Flip 4 and Fold 4 “will be almost indistinguishable from their predecessors to most consumers”.
“While Samsung can be criticized for this, it makes sense to take an iterative approach because foldable devices are currently a small segment of the overall smartphone market,” he said.
“In most cases, a consumer buying one of Samsung’s new devices will be getting one for the first time, so he doesn’t really have anything to compare it to.”
Samsung has also announced the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, their most durable smartwatches to date.
Samsung has also announced the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, their most durable smartwatches to date
Both have a new improved battery life and are made of stronger and more robust materials.
They have scratch-resistant glass and are 60 percent stronger and more durable than the Watch 4.
It has also been revealed the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, with better sound and call quality and active noise reduction.
Samsung has also unveiled the Galaxy Buds 2 pro, with better sound and call quality and active noise reduction
Samsung’s original foldable device – the Galaxy Fold – was years away from its original idea and patent stages.
It was released in September 2019 after technical issues held up its worldwide launch, including reports of broken screens after just a few days of use.
The first generation Galaxy Z Flip was released in February 2020, although it was replaced six months later by a 5G-capable version.
Samsung’s main smartphone rivals – Apple and Google – have yet to release a foldable device.
#Apples #foldable #iPhone