Apple may have been a bit behind in the field of foldable phones, but the company hasn't completely abandoned the idea.
According to Taiwan Daily Economic News (via MacRumors), two different foldable phone prototypes have passed internal durability tests at Foxconn's factory in Shenzhen, China.
The report claims that one of the devices is a foldable phone, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. The other is a phone that features two screens, which are connected by a hinge.
The idea of Apple making a foldable or device is of course nothing new. The company filed a patent for such a phone in 2017, and a report in 2018 suggested that Apple might be preparing to launch a foldable phone in 2020. That never happened, but 2020 was a very different year, with the Covid-19 pushing back Apple's device release schedule and affecting sales.
But leaker Jon Prosser talked in June about an iPhone that would feature a dual-screen display, with two panels connected by a hinge. He said that while the phone's screens are separate, they appear "fairly continuous and seamless" when extended. A new patent, owned by Apple and discovered just last week, describes a device with a foldable display, where "first and second portions of a housing for the device may be joined using a hinge."
The new report says it's too early to say when Apple will release either of these two foldable models, although rumors say it will happen in late 2022 or 2023.
