Folding iPhone rumors
Rumors of a folding iPhone go back many years. As is usually the case with new tech, however, Apple has been in no hurry to launch – taking its usual approach of letting other companies be first to market as the Cupertino company figures out how to do a better job.
Samsung did an excellent job of illustrating the huge risk of jumping in too early, with the launch of the first Galaxy Fold model in 2019 proving to be a complete disaster. While pre-orders went well, it was just 48 hours before major problems were found as reviewers tested the device. Samsung initially said it was delaying the launch until May before it canceled pre-orders. The company then talked about a July launch, before cancelling that too.
The phone did eventually launch, but the reputational damage was substantial – and our sister site 9to5Google found that the biggest flaw is still present in the very latest iteration, the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Folding iPad expected first
Two notable analysts have mostly been in agreement that a folding iPad will likely launch ahead of a folding iPhone.
Display analyst Ross Young said last year that there were no supply chain indications of work on a folding iPhone, and he wasn’t expecting one before 2025. This was later backed by Ming-Chi Kuo, who additionally suggested that the first device might be a foldable iPad, with CCS Insight also supporting this view.
Kuo now says folding iPad launch in 2024
Kuo has today tweeted that he is “positive” about the launch of a folding iPad next year.
I’m taking a cautious approach to iPad shipments for 2023, predicting a YoY decline of 10-15%. Nevertheless, I’m positive about the foldable iPad in 2024 and expect this new model will boost shipments and improve the product mix.
My latest survey indicates that the foldable iPad will feature a carbon fiber kickstand. Carbon fiber material will make the kickstand lighter and more durable.
Both Kuo and Young base their predictions on supply chain intelligence. They spend a lot of time on the ground in China talking to both existing and potential Apple suppliers, trying to make sense of orders received by those companies – both confirmed and in discussion.
In this case, Kuo appears to have talked to Apple supplier Suzhou Anjie Technology, which is said to be working on a carbon fiber stand for a folding iPad.
Anjie Technology, as a polishing and bonding supplier of the carbon fiber kickstand for the foldable iPad, is expected to continue benefiting from the growing trend of foldable devices equipped with kickstands in the future.
This is significantly ahead of the schedule previously suggested by Young, who said a year ago that Apple was working on some kind of “folding notebook” for 2026 or 2027. Young’s report didn’t state whether this device would be an iPad, a MacBook, or a hybrid device.
