Apple reportedly working on 9-inch foldable smartphones

Apple has so far been patiently staying out of the fledgling foldable market. But that doesn’t mean the Cupertino-based company isn’t considering changing those plans. And apparently actively testing a device with a foldable screen.

Speculation about the release of a device with a foldable display from Apple has been flaring up for a while, but they are not really concrete. The company is clearly more interested in smart glasses like the Apple View than folding glasses. Now the well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo but in a tweet, Apple claims that Apple is “actively” working on a device with a foldable 9-inch display and is already testing it extensively.

The display is already assembled in a prototype that is being used to refine the technologies that will eventually make it into Apple products. According to Kuo, the company will first focus on large and medium-sized devices before realizing a foldable iPhone. This coincides with other rumors that LG is involved in the development of foldable iPads and MacBooks.

Apple Foldable devices already in 2025?

When we will see the devices is of course still unclear. Even the leakers continue to shift their estimates. the Elec claims Apple is collaborating with LG Display to develop foldable OLED panels for tablets and notebooks. The same source claims LG will ship 17-inch foldable 4K OLED panels to HP later this year, meaning a foldable MacBook could be closer than first thought. Still, Kuo cautiously estimates that we won’t see an Apple device with a foldable screen until 2025.

Another analyst, display expert Ross Young, predicts a similar timeframe for the launch of Apple’s foldable devices. He contradicts his own predictions of a market launch in 2023 or 2024. According to Young, other devices are expected, such as foldable notebooks with fixed screens, which should represent a new product category for the company. The devices could reach screen sizes of around 20 inches and are expected to appear in 2026 or 2027.