Two folding iPhone prototypes have reportedly passed internal durability tests

According to the Taiwanese website, two prototype foldable iPhones have passed internal tests for durability Economic daily news.

Testing of an Apple-designed folding hinge system for two different iPhones has reportedly been completed recently at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China.

The first foldable iPhone under test would be a dual-screen model, likely the same dual-screen prototype claimed by Jon Prosser in June 2020. Prosser explained at the time that this model used two separate displays connected by a hinge. Although the prototype ‌‌iPhone‌‌ has two separate screens connected by a hinge, Prosser claimed that the panels look “fairly continuous and seamless”. It is also noteworthy that Apple has patented a device with two separate screens that can be brought together to create a single folding device with a hinge, which is strikingly similar to the rumors that Apple is folding with two screens.

The second prototype tested is said to be a folding clamshell, just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or Lenovo’s Moto RAZR. The UDN report claims this clamshell model is set to use flexible Samsung OLED display. Previous reports have also said that earlier in 2020 Apple ordered a “large number” of Samsung foldable display samples for cell phones for testing purposes.

It is unclear whether the two devices under test had different hinge systems. The test units are claimed to be scales with very limited internal parts rather than fully functional devices. This is because the main purpose of the tests was to assess the durability of the hinge system designed by Apple. The report states that now that testing has been completed, Apple is expected to evaluate which of the two folding models will continue, and that only one will be further developed.

The findings of this report also appear to have been echoed by sources who spoke to Jon Prosser. Prosser explained in a recent Front Page Tech video that two prototype foldable iPhones were being tested, including one with two displays and a clamshell with a single flexible OLED screen. Prosser’s sources also said these units have passed durability tests and are now being evaluated by Apple.

A November 2020 report stated that Apple had sent foldable iPhones to Foxconn to test the foldable bearings with more than 100,000 opening and closing tests, which appears to be analogous to the recently completed test series. Given the consistency of foldable iPhones rumors from multiple sources, especially with regard to testing, they may be more believable.

UDN predicts that a foldable ‌iPhone zal will not appear until the end of 2022 or at the earliest 2023. Apple has filed a large number of patents related to a foldable iPhone dating back to 2016, and it seems very likely that work on a folding iPhone is progressing.