Up to two versions of the foldable iPhone were tested – all of which passed the endurance tests

According to a source from Economic Daily News (UDN), there have been 2 folding iPhone prototypes that have passed the durability tests. The testing of two iPhones with folding hinges was carried out in a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China, the report said.

The first folding iPhone prototype tested was a dual-screen version, similar to a rumor that Jon Prosser said in June 2020. At the time, Prosser said the prototype used two panels. separate shapes, connected via hinge devices. Even so, Prosser says its screen looks “pretty seamless and seamless”. It is worth noting that Apple also has a patent on a device with two separate screens that link together to form a foldable device with a hinge in the middle.

The second prototype tested had a clamshell folding screen design – similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or the new Moto RAZR. The UDN report said that the foldable device will use Samsung’s flexible OLED screen. Earlier reports also said that Apple had ordered “a large number” of folding screen prototypes for Samsung mobile devices for testing purposes in early 2020.

It is not clear whether these two test devices differ in hinges. Test devices are usually shell-like with very few components inside. That’s because the main purpose of this test is to test the durability of the hinge system designed by Apple. Now that testing is over, Apple is expected to make an evaluation of what kind of foldable display is deployed, and only that model continues, the report says.

A November 2020 report also claimed that Apple sent foldable iPhones to Foxconn to test the bearings in a folding system with more than 100,000 openings, seemingly similar to the test just ended. Given the consistency in rumors from various sources about the foldable iPhone, especially the information about testing, the presence of these devices is becoming more credible.

However, UDN also predicts that this foldable iPhone will not be available before the end of 2022 or 2023. Apple has filed a large number of patents on a folding iPhone since 2016, and it appears to be developing the device. still in progress.

Refer to MacRumors