The biggest news in the iPhone world is expected to arrive this year: Apple’s first foldable phone. So, can Apple solve the display crease problem that plagues folding models? A new leak suggests Apple has a solution that changes the way the display curves.
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Double layer UTG/UFG solution
The information comes from prolific leaker Weibo’s digital chat site.
“Recent supply chain rumors indicate that in addition to using self-healing glass and a seamless hinge design, Apple’s first widescreen foldable screen may use a double-layer UTG/UFG glass structure, with the screen display layer in the middle and not directly contacting the hinge. This will theoretically improve reliability and crease control,” the leaker said in machine translation.
UTG stands for ultra-thin glass and UFG stands for ultra-thin flexible glass. If this arrangement is true, it would be radically different from most foldable phones. According to MacRumors, these “typically use a single UTG layer that must simultaneously withstand bending forces and protect the display underneath. Detaching the display from the hinge mechanism could also help Apple achieve its reported goal of making the crease barely noticeable.”
The reality of “almost no creases”?
It also adds that other recent reports suggest that the iPhone Fold’s screen won’t be entirely crease-free after all.
Apple’s foldable phone looks different from other phones currently on the market, being wider when folded. This may sound inconvenient, but the advantage is that the display will have an iPad-like aspect ratio when unfolded, rather than the less-than-desirable square display found on most other folding phones.
iPhone foldable release date
According to a recent report, Apple is expected to unveil a foldable iPhone, whatever it’s called, at its regular fall event this September, though the phone likely won’t go on sale until later, possibly as late as December.
While it seems unlikely that Apple will release what it says is its most expensive iPhone yet so close to the holidays, the company may want to give developers time to optimize apps for the Fold’s two screens. This staggered release will reflect the 2017 iPhone X strategy. The strategy was announced in September but released later to ensure the software was perfect.
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