Hopefully, an iPhone Flip with a foldable clamshell design will emerge in 2024

Many have speculated about Apple releasing a foldable iPhone in 2022. These are only rumours, as there are no relevant reports to prove that the Smartphone company listed foldable phones as part of its product category for 2022. 

As at the time of this writing, only the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, Huawei P50 Pocket, and the 2020 Motorola Razr 5G are the smartphones available in the ‘foldables’ category, though clamshell-styled. 

It is possible that Apple will choose the clamshell design in order to keep the price of its first foldable smartphone low. This is because the clamshell design is likely to be less expensive to manufacture and more popular among younger users. 

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has told MacRumors that his company is working on an 8-inch foldable iPhone that will be released in 2024. Kuo had said that the phone would be released in 2023, but now he thinks it will be out in 2024 because of some problems that haven’t been solved. Although Ross Young, in a DSCC report in December 2021, predicted a release date of 2023, Kuo said it is likely to happen in 2024. 

Kuo maintains that for a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch screen, the design is likely to be similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which has an 8-inch inner foldable screen and typically folds down into a smaller size. 

There are other reports that confirm the Analyst’s prediction. Apple is working on multiple designs. In January last year, a report by Bloomberg mentioned that the Smartphone company was considering numerous foldable screen sizes, including one that opens to 6.7 inches, which would be equal to the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s screen size. It’s not out of the question that this phone could have a clamshell design because of its large screen.

Jon Prosser, a prolific leaker, previously reported on a folding iPhone design. Unlike the Microsoft Surface Duo 2, the prototype is claimed to have two distinct displays joined by a hinge. Prosser said that the extended displays look “pretty continuous and seamless.” 

The same MacRumors report claims that Apple is testing two alternative foldable designs at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen. Like the Galaxy Z Flip, one of the iPhone prototypes has two screens joined by a hinge.

That said! The fact that Apple is exploring numerous designs means it may be following manufacturers like Samsung and Huawei that sell foldable phones in multiple shapes. There is certainly a demand for several designs, and Apple may not want to pick one over the other.