New report suggests we could be inching closer towards a foldable iPhone

Following Samsung’s launch of their foldable phones, we’ve seen many other companies follow in their footsteps. This includes Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, OnePlus, and so on. Most notably absent from the list is Apple, although this shouldn’t be surprising as Apple is known to take their time when it comes to adopting new trends.

But could we see a foldable iPhone in the future? According to a report from Patently Apple, the company could be exploring the idea. They cite a report from Taiwan’s United Daily News in which Apple has apparently reached out to three bearing manufacturers and asked them to send them samples for review.

Keep in mind that just because Apple has requested for samples does not mean that a foldable iPhone is guaranteed. Apple could simply be exploring the idea and want to see what kind of parts are available, or they could use these parts for their prototypes, and whether or not they decide to move forward and commercialize the project is a different conversation entirely.

Also, it is possible that these components could be for a different foldable device. There was a report from DigiTimes (paywall) that suggested that Apple could be developing a foldable iPad. This makes more sense than a foldable iPhone as it would allow Apple to create a monster tablet that could be folded up to become more compact. Either way, only time will tell if this pans out so take it with a grain of salt for now.

Source: iMore