Apple's rumoured foldable iPhone may be a long way off, with reports from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stating it has "not yet officially kicked off." However, we're already getting a little taste of the smartphone's flexibility from someone, and it's not Apple.
New insights from Kuo suggest a foldable iPhone will release in 2023 (via MacRumors), supporting previous rumors, but YouTube Channel Strange Parts has already started the development of the folding smartphone, and tech expert Scotty Allen may beat Apple to the punch. However, so far, it's looking to be a pricey, delicate venture.
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Allen showed a functioning iOS system on a flexible AMOLED folding screen, though, as you can tell, it isn't exactly portable yet. To make it work, Allen uses screen mirroring of an iPhone over Wi-Fi to a Raspberry Pi 4, which then brings the foldable screen to life via HDMI.
He notes the foldable screens, bought from Chinese display manufacturing BOE, are quite pricey and delicate — he initially breaks the prototype and each screen costs $500. Wouldn't want to do that again.
Allen isn't sure if he will actually build a folding iPhone, but he's already started work with a pal to see if it's all possible and whether they can beat Apple on that 2023 release window. We say go for it!
This is the YouTuber who made his own iPhone 6S with 16GB with parts bought from different public smartphone markets in China. If anyone was going to build their very own foldable iPhone — possibly before Apple — it would be Allen. Check out his YouTube Channel for more DIYs.
Taiwan media outlet Digitimes claimed that Apple would be commissioning LG to design a flagship foldable iPhone, with a proposed launch date of 2023. Seemingly, it's all coming together, but instead of sitting around for another two years, you'll have more luck getting your hands on the best smartphones right now.
