Apple could unveil a 9-inch foldable device in 2025: Report
Apple could unveil a 9-inch screen foldable device in 2025, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo tweeted yesterday, updating an earlier prediction he had made which said Apple will release such a device in 2024.
According to Kuo, the device that Apple is rumoured to be planning to launch in 2025 will be a hybrid between the iPhone and the iPad.
“I think the priority order of sizes of Apple foldable product development is medium, large, & small. Apple is actively testing foldable OLED about 9″ (PPI between iPhone & iPad, adoption of TDDI). The test is to verify key technologies and may not be the final product spec,” said Kuo in an earlier tweet.
I expected Apple to launch a foldable iPhone as soon as 2024 in my reports last year, but now it’s clear this prediction needs to be revised. I predict Apple may launch its first foldable product in 2025 at the earliest, which may be a foldable iPad or a hybrid of iPad & iPhone. https://t.co/HGIDPFvdar
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 1, 2022
In 2021, Kuo had speculated that the Cupertino-based tech giant would be introducing a foldable device in 2023, and also predicted that it would be a big winner in the foldable category, and that global shipments will cross 15-20 million units. Macrumors, which had first reported on the analyst’s note said at the time that the first iPhone could come with an 8-inch QHD+ (3,200×1,800) screen.
If and when it is released, the Apple foldable device will compete against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series, which is already in its third generation; the Oppo Find N, which released in 2021; and the Vivo X Fold, which will launch in China on April 11.
According to Tom’s Guide, Apple has tested two different kinds of devices: a fold-out hybrid similar to Samsung’s Z Fold series and a ‘clamshell’ flip-phone design similar to Samsung’s Z Flip range.
Macrumors reports that Apple could partner with either LG or Samsung who could manufacture the foldable displays for the company. Gorilla Glass maker Corning is also reportedly working on a foldable glass solution.