Apple is working on a foldable iPhone prototype that may be the iPhone15 - it features two separate display panels that are connected by a hinge rather than a single display design like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, but this is not in line with Bloomberg's description of Apple's display work.
According to Bloomberg, Apple has started "early work" on an iPhone with a foldable display, but the company has not yet committed to releasing a foldable device.
Development has not yet expanded beyond a display and Apple does not have full foldable iPhone prototypes in its labs. Like foldable smartphones from other companies, a foldable iPhone would allow for Apple to create a larger display in a package that is still pocketable.
Apple has discussed several foldable screen sizes, including one that unfolds to a size similar to the 6.7-inch display on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and others in the 8 inch range. Apple's designs are said to have a "mostly invisible hinge" with electronics located behind the display rather than two panels separated by a visible hinge.
In December 2020, a rumor from the Asian supply chain suggested that two of Apple's foldable iPhone prototypes have passed internal testing for durability, but this is not in line with rumors that work is early and has not progressed to a full device.
Apple was allegedly testing two different foldable iPhone designs at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China. One of these is said to be a dual-screen model with two separate displays connected by a hinge, while the other is a foldable iPhone with a clamshell design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip.
The test devices have been described as shells with limited internals and not fully functional iPhones, and it continues to be unclear if this is a product that will make it to launch.
Apple patents all kinds of things that never become finished products so patents aren't necessarily a reliable way to predict what's in development, but Apple has a few foldable iPhone patents -Apple in February 2020 was granted a patent for a foldable device with a hinge mechanism that utilizes movable flaps to help prevent the display from being creased or damaged when folded.
The hinge mechanism is designed to ensure adequate separation between the first and second parts of the display. When the device is unfolded, movable flaps extend to cover the gap, and then retract when the device is folded.
An Apple patent granted in March describes a unique alternative to a foldable iPhone, explaining a system that would allow two or more devices to act as one when brought close to each other through the use of proximity sensors, and a 2020 patent filing suggests Apple is exploring a protective layer for a foldable iPhone that would resist cracking. The iPhone would feature a hardcoat layer that would fill pre-existing micro-cracks to make it harder for a larger crack to appear.
The patent also deals with the use of fabric for the housing and a “third display portion” that would presumably come into play when the iPhone is folded, the two primary screens will face toward each other when folded, blocking access.
Nevertheless, the fact that Apple has been granted this patent so soon after Samsung’s announcement suggests that a folding iPhone might not be as far off as we thought. Right now, it looks like 2023 is the earliest we're going to see a foldable iPhone, with rumors suggesting 2024 is more likely.
