:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/grupoclarin/YGEV35FKIBDDDESUJSIOT3MLNA.jpg "The new iPhone models would have a “clamshell” design")
Apple is currently working on at least two foldable iPhone models that introduce the so-called clamshell design already used by other smartphone manufacturers.
The new iPhone: what they would be like
Firms such as Samsung, Honor and OnePlus, among others, have been focusing their interest on folding devices for years and have demonstrated this with the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip and Fold in the case of the former, as well as Honor V and V2 or OnePlus Open.
Other technology companies like Nothing, on the other hand, have refused to continue this trend, insisting that it is an “innovation driven by the supply chain and not by the consumer”, as its CEO, Carl Pei, declared a long time ago. a year in an interview collected by TechCrunch.
On the contrary, Apple would have considered developing this format for its iPhones, to the point that it would currently be building prototypes of at least two models that fold widthwise, in a clamshell format.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip. (Archive/AP)
This has been confirmed by sources close to the company to The Information, which recalls that this would be one of the biggest hardware design changes in the history of the product, since these mobile phones would include their hinge on the horizontal axis, Europa Press publishes. .
Regarding the launch of these ‘smartphones’, informants have commented that Apple does not plan to launch them soon, since it is currently working on solving problems related to the durability and folding of the panel.
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time that Apple’s plans have been mentioned regarding the launch of foldable devices, since the renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo announced in May 2021 that the firm planned to launch an 8-inch foldable device in 2023. .
Then, Kuo commented that the terminal would have a QHD+ resolution and that it could be folded thanks to the use of a flexible OLED glass, in addition to the fact that the manufacturer would produce between 15 and 20 million units of this model.
A year later, the same analyst commented that Apple was testing color e-ink displays with E Ink’s Electronic Paper Display (EPD) technology for use on the cover or secondary panel of its upcoming foldable devices.