A new Supply Chain Report claims that Apple's Foldable iPhone project is still in-the-works with Vision Pro team members now on board
A new supply chain report from United Daily News states that while it has recently been rumored that Apple has shelved its folding phone development plans, South Korean media this morning dismissed those rumors and revealed that Apple is "not just exploring, but actively developing foldable phones" and have dispatched several of their key Vision Pro team members to the project that are aiming for a 2026-27 launch. The first-year sales target is being set at 50 million units. This would be much higher than the current folding phone market size. The team is vowing to have their foldable dominate in this segment of the market.
Currently, Samsung is the global leader in foldable phones, and Apple will attempt to overtake it and become the dominant player in foldable phones. It is expected that Hon Hai will be the main foundry.
Korean media "Alpha Economy" reported, citing sources, that many key members of Apple's Vision Pro team have been transferred to develop foldable iPhones. Those chosen have expertise in display technology, revealing that Apple is trying to overcome previous obstacles, such as concerns about Folding mobile phones show how durable the screen is.
The report points out that judging from the US military standard "MIL-STD 810G" technical certification that Samsung recently obtained, the durability of folding screens has greatly improved. Samsung is the main supplier of screens for Apple terminal products and has made great achievements in folding screen technology. Samsung will assist Apple develop a foldable iPhone, breaking previous rumors in the industry that Apple has shelved the development of the project due to technical problems with the folding screen.
The report further stated that Apple is developing two types of folding prototypes, one is for a folding phone and the other will resemble a folding iPad - which was rumored back in early February.
The rumor points to a folding phone and possibly a foldable product with a screen size between 7 inches and 8 inches, which may be used to replace the 8.3-inch iPad mini.
The industry has been experiencing a downturn in smartphone sales and for Apple, a foldable in the 2026-27 time line would make sense as prices continue to fall in foldables. In that time frame, foldables from competitors will be in the range of an iPhone Pro that will force Apple to compete in foldables.
At the moment, the prices of larger foldable phones are still prohibitive for mass markets but that will change quickly when prices drop to match that of high-end iPhones.
A new TrendForce report posted yesterday stated that in 2023 only 16 million foldable phones were shipped marking a 25% YoY increase. Yet that only represents 1.4% of the market. So today's Korean report of Apple aiming for 50 million units would give this segment of the market a real shot in the arm. It really comes down to pricing of these foldables.
At present, a number of Chinese OEMs are planning to drop their clamshell styled foldables due to poor sales. That would make it difficult to see Apple wanting to enter foldables with a clamshell design.
Those in the foldable market know that consumers want a foldable from Apple to ignite this segment of the market. To prove that point, a leaked image for a Vivo X Fold 3 illustrate possible Mac integration. While Apple would surely sue Vivo in a heartbeat if true, the image below proves to illustrate that Vivo may have something up their sleeve or that Android enthusiasts have created a faked image.
Ice Universe, a source that MacRumors often supports, suggests the foldable will be able to “remotely control a Mac.” Another Weibo user, WhyLab, confirmed the authenticity of the leaked images and also backed up Vivo’s remote Mac control feature, reports Gizmochina.
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