Apple seems to be planning on entering the foldable phone market soon.
A recent report from Macrumors mentioned that the Cupertino-based company is developing OLED panels that could be used for foldable displays in the future.
The company was previously rumored to be testing two different kinds of foldable iPhones on April 1, per Tom's Guide.
Apple Foldable Phone Screen Details
According to Macrumors, Apple has started developing OLED panels without polarizers, allowing the company to make its panels significantly thinner. This will make them more optimal for foldable panels, per TheElec.
RP Photonics explains that Polarizers are usually included in OLED panels to allow only lights in certain directions to pass through. Although using them improves a display's visibility, they tend to reduce brightness and the luminance efficiency of the panel. Manufacturers would offset this dimness by increasing the panel's power consumption, but doing so reduces their lifespan.
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In this case, Apple could develop a technology that has similar effects to a polarizer and could solve this particular issue, just like Samsung did in one of its foldable smartphones.
Samsung featured these polarizer-less panels for the display of its Galaxy Z Fold 3 foldable phone which uses the company's "Eco Square" technology. Such tech increases light transmittance while reducing power consumption.
Apple Foldable Phone, Foldable Tablet, Both or More?
TheElec, as cited by Macrumors, previously reported that Apple is collaborating with LG to develop a foldable OLED display model with ultra-thin cover glass for future iPad and MacBook models, with the panel using an ultra-thin cover glass instead of polyimide.
Polyimide is a polymer currently used in foldable phones due to its being colorless and flexible. It is already in use for flexible printed circuitry and cable insulation, according to Engineering360.
Meanwhile, Ross Young, a display analyst for Display Supply Chain Consultants mentioned that Apple is exploring all-screen foldable notebooks with displays of around 20-inches in size, per a separate Macrumors article.
According to Young's statement, this display could very well be a part of a new product category for Apple, which could be a dual-use product being able to transform between a notebook with a full-size on-screen keyboard when folded and a monitor and used with an external keyboard when unfolded.
However, the all-screen device could be a foldable iPad Pro, with it being stated to be suitable for both tablets and notebooks.
Meanwhile, popular analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple is also testing a device with a 9-inch foldable OLED display which would be bigger than any foldable phone on the market currently available in the market. Kuo also added that Apple's first foldable iPhone would have an 8-inch display, making it larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Additionally, Jon Prosser mentioned that Apple tested two different kinds of foldable iPhones: a fold-out hybrid tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold lineup, and a clamshell flip phone design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip range. Prosser's sources told him that although Apple seems to be going with the latter design, there is still a chance the company's decision will change.
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