Render of a possible iPhone Fold
A new report claims Apple’s decision over a supplier for a foldable screen is imminent, although it’s not clear whether that’s for an iPhone Fold or another device.
Despite recent rumors that Apple will not release a foldable device before 2027, a new leak says that the company is finalizing its supply chain’s main contractor for a folding screen.
“Apple’s new foldable display core supplier decision is imminent,” writes leaker yeux1122 (in translation). “The industry expects [Apple] to make a decision by the end of February to the beginning of April.”
The leaker also claims, unsurprisingly, that Apple has demanding technical requirements. “Some related parts companies are almost close to Apple’s demand level,” continues the leak.
Those requirements are said to specifically concern thickness of the display, its hardness, and also the radius of its curvature. The leak does not, though, discuss what device these foldable screens are for — or even if it’s solely for one device.
While the possible iPhone Fold has perhaps had the most repeated rumors, a recent claim was that Apple was planning an iPad. Specifically, it was claimed that foldable giant iPad Pro could be on sale by 2028.
However, it’s also been claimed that internally,Apple is debating not whether to make a folding MacBook Pro, but instead what size screen it would have. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May 2024 that Apple was working with its supply chain over 18.8-inch and 20.25-inch displays.
That folding MacBook Pro is said to resemble a large iPad with a foldable midsection. But then the giant folding iPad has been described as in some way resembling a MacBook Pro.
In that May 2024 report, Kuo claimed that Apple had already chosen its screen supplier for the folding MacBook Pro, which was LG Display. While previous reports had predicted a 2027 release, Kuo believed it would launch in 2026.
Note that leaker yeux1122 has only a middling track record for accurate Apple leaks. He or she, for instance, claimed incorrectly that the iPhone 16 Pro would launch with a 2TB storage option.
