Kuo: Apple could ship an 8-inch foldable iPhone in 2023

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Fold iPhone concept
Fold iPhone concept (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple could have a foldable iPhone ready as soon as 2023 according to Ming-Chi Kuo.
  • Kuo believes a foldable iPhone would have a screen between 7.5 and 8 inches.

Apple could have a foldable iPhone ready for the big time as soon as 2023. That's according to a new Ming-Chi Kuo research note seen by iMore.

Kuo's research note says that Apple could get a 7.5-inch to 8-inch foldable device to market in 2023 dependent on its ability to deal with "key technology and mass production issues" that are currently causing the firm problems. However, Kuo goes on to say that production hasn't yet gotten underway which suggests Apple is still some way from being happy with whatever it's working on.

Kuo doesn't go into any further details about the potential bendy iPhone but there have been various rumors about such a device for months now. Companies like Samsung and Motorola already have foldable Android devices in the market with limited success. At this point it seems almost a given that a foldable iPhone will be released at some point. Whether it happens in 2023, however, we'll have to wait and see.

Leaker Jon Prosser previously said that Apple has two foldable devices in the works, at least at the prototype stage.

There are two different prototypes for a foldable iPhone. One that is sort of two displays on a hinge, and looked more like the Galaxy Z fold and the other is a clamshell-style flippable device like the Galaxy Z Flip The exclusive update about this story is regarding that dual-screen "thing"... Apparently, they [Apple] are working on a brand new version of that prototype that does in fact use a full Samsung OLED folding panel on that device.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.