Apple’s presence in the foldable market is non-existent at this stage, as it has not released any product that breaks in half without losing function. The company has been working on a foldable iPad Pro or a MacBook with a giant 18.8-inch display for a while, but it has failed to offer anything to the end user. While the company is working on developing technologies that would put it ahead of the competition, a new rumor claims that one of Apple’s first foldable iPad Pro or a MacBook prototype features under-display Face ID sensors.
Apple’s 18.8-inch foldable device, possibly an iPad Pro or MacBook to house in-display Face ID sensors unlike the foldable iPhone
A Weibo-based leaker, Digital Chat Station, shared the news, claiming that Apple’s engineering prototypes of a foldable iPad Pro or MacBook house Face ID sensors under the display. The device has an 18.8-inch display with a “metal superstructure lens” that connects the transmitter and receiver components of the facial recognition sensors hidden beneath the display. This is all the information that the leaker has shared and it is the first time that we are hearing details on Apple’s foldable iPad Pro or MacBook housing an in-display Face ID sensor.
At this stage, we know that the company is working on a giant foldable device, which could be an iPad or a MacBook. The 18.8-inch device could run Apple’s iPadOS and macOS, so it is not known if the foldable we are talking about is an iPad or a MacBook. The company could potentially bridge the gap between the two devices and introduce an all-new category that takes essential elements from both products.
Display analyst Ross Young previously reported that Apple is working on an 18.8-inch foldable device with an OLED display, which is expected to arrive sometime in 2027. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, on the other hand, claims that the company is working on two foldable devices with screen sizes of 18.8 inches and 20.2 inches, and LG will begin mass production of the displays by the end of 2025.
Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple does not want a crease on its foldable tablet, which is one of the reasons why it is taking this long to launch the product. Apple wants the foldable display to appear as a single sheet of glass, which is an extremely hard feat to pull off, considering we have seen various devices that have failed to deliver a hundred percent.
Apart from the larger device, the company is also planning to launch a foldable iPhone with a crease-free display, and it is speculated to arrive next year, but the device is not expected to come with an in-display Face ID sensor, and instead, the company will use Touch ID in the Power Button. It remains to be seen what the company will finalize, but so far, the 18.8-inch foldable iPad Pro or MacBook is shaping up to be a promising device.
