It’s a long running grumble amongst Android enthusiasts that Apple doesn’t really do much innovation with its iPhones nowadays, and every new feature has in fact debuted on Android first. With that in mind, while we are expecting a foldable iPhone at some point in the future, to date, the only folding handsets you can buy run Android.
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But if Apple wanted inspiration for exactly how a foldable iPhone 12 should look, then this splendid fan video from the YouTube channel ConceptsiPhone would be a great place to start.
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While past fan renders have looked far too good to be true in their efforts to eclipse the work of Samsung and Motorola, this latest effort actually feels like it could be built with the parts and knowhow we have today. And that makes it all the more exciting.
Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which opens up into a larger tablet, this folding iPhone concept is closer to the Galaxy Z Flip or the Motorola Razr, where the handset opens up from a smaller form to be of standard phone dimensions. And like said phones, this iPhone concept has a small external screen for quick viewing of notifications and fitness stats when it’s closed.
In general terms, the fan render seems to be based on recent Apple handsets, with the square camera array neatly tucked away in the top left-hand corner above the Apple logo.
But there are some differences: for a start, there’s a fourth camera lens – perhaps the rumored LiDAR camera that’s supposedly coming to the iPhone 12 Pro. For seconds, the phone seems to have flatter edges than recent Apple handsets, reminding us of the latest versions of the iPad Pro.
Finally, the front-facing camera is a pin-hole number. Given Apple has doggedly held on to the notch it introduced back in 2017 with the iPhone X, it feels unlikely that Apple will be ditching it just yet.
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Apple’s annual iPhone reveal is just around the corner – albeit slightly later than usual in October. We’d be astonished if Tim Cook unveils a folding iPhone at this juncture, but it’s maybe something to wish for in 2021/22.
