Ah, the folding iPhone. It's been rumoured for what feels like an eternity, but so far we've seen nothing more than patent filings and fan-made renders. But if a new leak is to be believed, Apple's first foray into foldables could be arriving sooner rather than later – and it seems good things do indeed come in twos.
According to one Taiwanese tech site, Apple is working on not one but two folding iPhones, and both have just passed internal durability tests. Folding smartphones are yet to properly take off, but we have a feeling that if any company can make one worthy of our best camera phones list, it's Apple.
A recent folding iPhone render (Image credit: ConceptsiPhone)
According to Economic Daily News (as spotted by MacRumors), the two models feature entirely different designs. One is said to be a dual-screen model connected by a centre hinge – potentially resembling Microsoft's Surface Duo. This is backed up by Apple patents discovered last year, which depict what looks like two iPhone side-by-side.
Could the first folding iPhone look like Microsoft's Surface Duo? (Image credit: Microsoft)
Even more curious is the second design which, like many of our best flip phones, features a more traditional clamshell design. While this wouldn't offer the same screen real estate as a 'dual-screen' design, it could allow for an incredibly portable device. And if it looks anything like this jaw-dropping 'iPhone Flip' concept concept from last year (below), we'll be seriously impressed.
We've recently heard that Apple has been rigorously testing various hinge designs, and no doubt for good reason – foldable phones haven't had the most auspicious start (who can forget Samsung's crack-prone Galaxy Fold?). But while we initially thought Apple was testing two different hinges to find the most durable, this new leak suggests it could be because the company in fact has two very different foldables up its sleeve.
The report predicts that Apple's folding iPhones won't emerge until 2022 at the earliest, which suggests we won't see a hinge-based iPhone 13 enter the fold in 2021. That said, from a game-changing display to revolutionary camera tech, the next generation of iPhones already sounds pretty spectacular in its own right. And of course, the iPhone 12 isn't exactly old news yet – check out today's best deals on Apple's latest and greatest below.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
