The biggest news in the world of iPhone is expected to land this year: Apple’s first folding phone. So, can Apple fix the issue that has dogged folding models, the highly visible crease in the display? A new leak suggests Apple has a solution that changes how the display bends.
The Dual-Layer UTG/UFG Solution
The information came from prolific leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo.
“Recent supply chain rumors suggest that Apple’s first wide foldable screen, besides using self-healing glass and a seamless hinge design, may feature a dual-layer UTG/UFG glass structure with the screen display layer in the middle, not directly contacting the hinge. This would theoretically improve reliability and crease control,” the leaker said, in machine translation.
UTG stands for ultra-thin glass and UFG for ultra-thin flexible glass. This arrangement, if true, is strikingly different from most folding phones. These “typically use a single UTG layer that must simultaneously handle bending forces and protect the display underneath. Decoupling the display from the hinge mechanism could also help Apple meet its reported goal of making the crease almost imperceptible,” MacRumors reported.
A ‘Virtually Crease-Free’ Reality?
It also added that other recent reports have suggested that the iPhone Fold’s screen wouldn’t be completely crease-free, after all.
Apple’s folding phone looks like being different from others on the market right now by being wider when folded. That may not sound quite as convenient but has the advantage that when unfolded the display’s aspect ratio would be similar to an iPad, and not the less satisfactory squarish displays on most other folding phones.
iPhone Fold Release Date
Apple is predicted to unveil the folding iPhone, whatever it’s called, at its regular fall event this September, though it’s possible that the phone may not go on sale until later, perhaps as late as December, a recent report claimed.
While it seems unlikely that Apple would want to release what’s rumored to be the most expensive iPhone yet close to the holiday season, it may be that the company wants to give developers time to optimize apps for the Fold’s two screens. This staggered launch would mirror the iPhone X strategy from 2017. This was announced in September but shipped later to ensure the software was perfect.
