Kuo: Apple to Launch 8-Inch Foldable iPhone in 2023

Apple is working to release a collapsible iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED screen in 2023, Apple expert Ming-Chi Kuo stated today in a note to financiers that was seen by MacRumors.

Based on our latest market survey, we anticipate that Apple will likely launch a collapsible iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED screen in 2023, with SDC as the exclusive display supplier and Samsung Foundry as the exclusive DDI foundry provider. Based on Apples requested capability strategy, we forecast that the collapsible iPhone deliveries will reach 15-20 million units in 2023. We think that the collapsible smart device is only one of the applications of the foldable design.

Based on our most current industry survey, we anticipate that Apple will likely introduce a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ versatile OLED display in 2023, with SDC as the exclusive screen provider and Samsung Foundry as the unique DDI foundry service provider. Based upon Apples asked for capability strategy, we anticipate that the collapsible iPhone deliveries will reach 15-20 million systems in 2023. We anticipate that the foldable iPhone will embrace TPKs silver nanowire touch service due to the fact that of its numerous benefits over SDCs Y-Octa technology.
Kuo forecasts that collapsible smartphones will end up being a “essential” for all significant smart device brands and will boost the next “incredibly replacement cycle” for high-end designs, and he believes Apple is well placed to be the “most significant winner” in the collapsible gadget trend. Apple will ship 15 to 20 million collapsible iPhones in 2023, according to Kuo.
We believe that the collapsible smartphone is just one of the applications of the foldable design. With its cross-product ecosystems and hardware style benefits, Apple will be the greatest winner in the new collapsible gadget pattern.
Kuo thinks that the upcoming iPhone will embrace a silver nanowire touch service for the devices display, which will develop a “long-term competitive benefit” for Apple in the collapsible gadget market. This display innovation will be needed for future foldable gadgets that support more than a single fold.
Future foldable gadgets will need touch innovation that supports numerous folds (vs. just a single fold in existing foldable smartphones), rollable, medium to big size display, and durability. When comparing the benefits of the above specs, the silver nanowire is remarkable or similar to SDCs Y-Octa.
Kuo states that Apple is currently using silver nanowire for the touch user interface of the HomePod, allowing Apple to “master the innovation” at a lower cost utilizing little volume production.
This is not the first time that weve heard reports from Kuo about a foldable iPhone. Back in March, Kuo stated that Apple might be preparing to release a foldable iPhone with a 7.5 to 8-inch screen in 2023, though at the time, Kuo said that this launch timeline would be reliant on Apple fixing “crucial technology and mass production concerns.”
Kuo stated in the same note that development on a collapsible iPhone had “not yet formally started,” though Apples plans may have advanced with Kuo now supplying extra details about the display technology the company plans to utilize.