Two Foldable iPhone Prototypes Allegedly Clear Internal Durability Test
Two iPhone prototypes have recently passed the tests for internal durability. These tests were carried out at a Foxconn factory in the Chinese province of Shenzhen. Out of the two iPhones, the first one to have undergone testing is a dual-screen model. It is probably the same dual-display model that Jon Prosser was talking about in June 2020.
At that time, Jon Prosser had mentioned a model that features a dual-display panel divided by a hinge. Although this prototype Apple device features a dual display with a hinge in the middle, the panels look pretty seamless and continuous.
Apple has also recently obtained patents to launch a device with a dual-display plan that can together form a single foldable one. This type of device with the separating hinge looks very close to the dual-screen, foldable Apple device that was rumored to be launched this year.
The second foldable iPhone for testing
The second device that has cleared the internal durability tests is a clamshell foldable type. It is very similar to the already existing Lenovo Moto RAZR and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. According to a recent UDN report, this foldable clamshell model uses a Samsung OLED display, a reasonably flexible one. A few other reports also claim that in 2020, Apple obtained several displays of Samsung foldable mobile phones as samples to undergo testing.
There is still a lack of clarity regarding the hinge systems of the two Apple iPhones in discussing here. The test models are assumed to be shells with hardly any internals instead of fully functional devices.
It is because the primary purpose of the tests was to check the hinge durability of the models. As per reports, with the conclusion of the internal durability tests, it is now time for Apple to decide which of the two models is fit to proceed with. It means that only one out of the two will go for further development.
Jon Prosser’s predictions may finally turn true
The results of this report seem to have been reflected by sources addressing Jon Prosser. In a recent tech video, Prosser explains the two foldable Apple models that were undergoing testing. Out of these, one was the clamshell type, and the other was the dual-display panel one. The former comes with a flexible OLED display too. Sources close to Prosser also claim that both the models have passed the tests and are under evaluation by Apple.
According to a November 2020 report, the foldable phones that Apple had sent to Foxconn were for testing the folding bearings. Accompanying those were at least 100,000 opening and closing tests. These look like analogs of the recently-conducted testing session.
As per UDN prediction, there will be no foldable iPhone available in the market until the end of 2022 or 2023. On the other hand, Apple already has many patents regarding foldable iPhones starting from 2016. So, it is more likely that developmental work on the foldable models is on.
