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Apple may be making a foldable iPhone within the next two years

Apple may be making a foldable iPhone within the next two years

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple is reportedly working on a foldable iPhone to be released within two years, a Wall Street firm said today. Bank of America Merrill Lynch says Apple is working with Asian partners to make a whole new iPhone design, as reported by CNBC.

Senior analyst Wamsi Mohan wrote a note to clients today after meeting several Apple suppliers in Asia. “We expect the iPhones this fall to be largely unchanged for the OLED versions although size changes have proved to be a catalyst in the past,” Mohan wrote, “Our checks also suggest that Apple is working with suppliers on a foldable phone (that potentially could double up as a tablet) for launch in 2020.”

A Korean media outlet reported last October that Apple was teaming up with LG, but that report only cited anonymous industry sources. It stated that Apple would order foldable OLED panels that could start production in 2020. We’ve reached out to Apple for comment.

Samsung and Lenovo have already demoed phones with foldable screens, but neither have actually released such a device on the market. Given the patents and demonstrations out there, it seems like foldable screens could be the next form factor.