Quick Summary
A report has detailed what material Apple might use for the hinge of its folding iPhone – and it could be a game-changer.
It's claimed that liquid metal will be the material of choice, which will offer better durability and the possibility of a crease-free display.
Apple has been at the heart of the rumour mill a lot recently. Much of the speculation surrounds the super slim iPhone that is reported to be arriving alongside the iPhone 17 Series, offering a 5.5mm design, but there's also been chatter around its potential folding devices, too.
It's thought the company will launch a folding iPhone and folding iPad towards the end of 2026 or early 2027, with the iPad possibly opting to run macOS over iPadOS. But, the most recent report sheds a little extra light on the folding iPhone, and how it might stand out from its competition given how late in the folding phone game it would be joining.
How could the folding iPhone beat its competiton?
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously suggested the folding iPhone would feature a liquid metal hinge, and now a Chinese tipster on Weibo (picked up by 91 Mobiles) has detailed what benefits that material choice would offer.
According to the post by Instant Digital, Apple will opt for amorphous alloy (metal glass) – thought to be the more technical term for liquid glass – for the iPhone Fold's hinge. This is said to enhance its durability and minimise the visibility of the display crease.
This is because the material has a "better resistance to bending, deformation and depression".
It's also said to be 2.5 times stronger and harder than titanium alloy – the material Apple currently offers on its iPhone 16 Pro models.
And that's not all: the amorphous alloy material thought to be used for the hinge is also said to have a smooth and glossy finish, like you would get from stainless steel, allowing for an aesthetically pleasing finish.
Of course, nothing is officially confirmed regarding the folding iPhone, including whether it will ever even exist, but with a couple of different sources suggesting the same thing, that's usually a good sign.
Not much else is known about the folding iPhone as yet, though Mark Gurman of Bloomberg suggests it will start at $2,000, which isn't all that surprising.
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