Apple's first foldable iPhone with QHD+ flexible OLED display may arrive in 2023

In the future, foldable devices, as Kuo predicts, will blur the product segmentations between smartphones, tablets, and laptops and Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone will be the biggest winner in the new and emerging foldable device trend.

Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone could launch in 2023, claims Ming-Chi Kuo, a reliable Apple analyst (via MacRumors), who also confirmed that the development of the foldable device hasn't officially kicked off yet.

In a note to investors, Kuo revealed that Apple will adopt TPK's silver nanowire touch solution for the foldable iPhone's display as it offers several advantages over SDC's Y-Octa technology. According to him, the silver nanowire technology is already being used for the touch interface of the HomePod.

The foldable iPhone will be featuring an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display and the Cupertino-based technology giant is aiming to sell 15 to 20 million units of the device in 2023.

In the future, foldable devices, as Kuo predicts, will blur the product segmentations between smartphones, tablets, and laptops and Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone will be the biggest winner in the new and emerging foldable device trend.

"At present, the product position of foldable smartphones is mainly to integrate the smartphone and tablet. But we believe that the foldable smartphone is only one of the applications of the foldable design. We predict that foldable devices will blur the product segmentations between smartphones, tablets, and laptops in the future," Kuo said.

According to the Apple analyst, future foldable devices will require touch technology that supports multiple folds as opposed to a single fold in current foldable smartphones, is rollable, medium to large size, and durable.

Currently, major smartphone vendors including Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi and Huawei offer foldable phones with others including Oppo, Vivo, Google and TCL, to soon join the fray.

Xiaomi launched its first foldable smartphone, the Mi MIX FOLD, at the Spring 2021 New Product Launch in late March. Sporting a U-shaped hinge design, the device has a flexible 8.01-inch WQHD+ resolution OLED display and a 6.52-inch external AMOLED display which is claimed to be the biggest on any foldable smartphone yet.