Apple's changing design philosophy has become a seemingly perennial hot topic, with leaks and tidbits continuing to pop up at a breakneck pace.
Now, the "yeux1122's blog" on Naver has just published a plausible delineation of Apple's changing design philosophy for its iPhones over the next 3 years.
Apple Will Launch A Book-Like iPhone Fold In 2026, A 20th Anniversary Bezel-Less iPhone In 2027, And A Clamshell-Style, Vertically Folding iPhone In 2028
The blogger claims that a horizontally folding iPhone is likely to emerge in 2026, featuring:
- A flexible LTPO+ OLED display that unfurls to roughly the size of the iPad mini.
- An under-display camera and Face ID array.
Of course, as per the reports that have trickled out in recent days, Apple continues to contend with complexities around the new iPhone Fold's hinge mechanism and display panels, roping in Samsung Display for the tricky task.
Do note that Mizuho analysts believe that Apple has scaled back its initial production cadence for the corresponding display panels to just 9 million units from a previous target of around 13 million units.
Even so, now that the production of the iPhone Air has been drastically curtailed amid disappointing demand, it is likely that Apple will go all-out to ship a foldable iPhone in 2026, especially as multiple sources have confirmed the Cupertino giant's plans of launching as many as 6 smartphones next year.
In 2027, we are likely to see Apple's 20th-anniversary iPhone, featuring:
- A zero-bezel design shaped like a "flat candy bar."
- An OLED display that bends around all four edges, wrapping around the entire front frame.
- Full utilization of under-display technology for camera and Face ID.
- A crater-shaped light diffusion layer in the display to smooth out brightness variations, giving the display a uniformly lit look from all angles.
In 2028, Apple is likely to launch its clamshell-like, vertically folding iPhone Fold, featuring:
- An external display for notifications.
- A display with a Clear Organic Cathode layer, paired with a Color Filter-On-Encapsulation stack, allows the smartphone to produce colors with greater fidelity while maintaining higher transparency for the screen.
- Curves on all four edges around the hinge so the crease blends a lot more seamlessly.
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