According to reports, two folding iPhone prototypes pass internal durability tests

According to the Taiwanese website, two folding iPhone prototypes have passed internal durability tests Daily economic news.

According to reports, testing of a folding hinge system designed by Apple for two different iPhones was recently completed at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China.

The first folding iPhone to be tested is said to be a dual-screen model, which is probably the same dual-screen prototype that Jon Prosser rumored in June 2020. Prosser then explained that this model used two separate display panels connected by a hinge. Although the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ prototype features two separate screens connected by a hinge, Prosser said the panels look “quite continuous and perfect.” It’s also worth noting that Apple has patented a device with two separate screens that can be put together to create a single folding device with a hinge, which sounds surprisingly similar to Apple’s dual-screen folding rumor.

According to reports, the second prototype that has been tested is a shell folding, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or Lenovo’s Moto RAZR. He UDN the report states that this shell model is configured to use a flexible Samsung OLED display. Earlier reports had also said that Apple ordered a “large number” of Samsung’s folding mobile screen samples for testing before 2020.

It is unclear whether the two devices that were tested had different hinge systems. It is intended that test units are housings with very limited internal components rather than fully functioning devices. This is because the main purpose of the tests was to evaluate the durability of the hinge system designed by Apple. The report indicates that now that the tests have been completed, Apple is expected to evaluate which of the two folding models should proceed and only one will be carried forward to continued development.

The findings of this report also appear to have been reflected by sources who spoke with Jon Prosser. Prosser explained in a recent Front Page Tech video that there were two folding iPhone prototypes in testing, including one with two display panels and one housing with a single flexible OLED display. Prosser sources also said that these units have passed durability tests and that Apple is now evaluating them.

A November 2020 report indicated that Apple had sent folding iPhones to Foxconn to test folding pads with more than 100,000 opening and closing tests, which appears to be analogous to the newly completed test run. Given the consistency of rumors about foldable iPhones from various sources, especially related to testing, they may be more credible.

UDN predicts that a folding “iPhone” won’t show up until late 2022 or 2023 at the earliest. Apple has applied for a large number of patents related to a folding iPhone dating back to 2016 and it seems very likely that work will move forward on a folding iPhone.