Apple is reportedly focused on solving the crease and reliability problems that have been plaguing rival devices before it unleashes a foldable iPhone onto the world.
The market for foldable phones is dominated by Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Nubia, but competition will intensify when Apple enters the fray. Wesearch firm TrendForce says Apple is evaluating components for crease and reliability and is “unlikely to release a foldable phone before 2027.”
A foldable iPhone predicted to come no sooner by 2027
Apple first developed the iPhone before setting its sights on the iPad, but history won’t repeat itself with Apple’s expected foray into foldables. The first foldable device from Apple is rumored to be some kind of a laptop/notebook hybrid with a touchscreen display measuring 18.76-inch screen when unfolded.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that such a device would adopt a fullscreen design and have a virtual keyboard instead of a physical one. When folded, it would be similar in size to a 13-inch or 14-inch MacBook Pro.
Kuo doesn’t expect a foldable MacBook to arrive before 2026, but TrendForce doesn’t think it’ll drop before 2027. Apple is thought to be reviving experimental projects including folding devices in search of the next big thing after shuttering major initiatives like the infamous electric vehicle project.
The crease issue hasn’t been solved yet
The crease issue that develops over time due to repeated folding and unfolding is the key problem that no company has managed to address yet. Coupled with high repair rates and costs, this is why foldable phones will only account for an estimated 1.5 percent of all smartphone shipped in 2024.
But there’s no denying that foldable smartphone share has been growing in the past few years. Growth should accelerate in the coming years when prices decrease, competition intensifies and devices become more reliable.
TrendForce projects that market penetration will hit nearly five percent by the year 2028, when one out of every twenty phones sold should be of a foldable variety. In other words, TrendForce seems to suggest that foldable smartphones will reach their tipping point after a foldable iPhone steps on the stage, which sounds about right.