Foldable phones are very quickly gaining traction and market share, thanks to Samsung and their Galaxy Flip and Fold phones, and Motorola’s Razr.

Q1 of 2022 saw foldable shipments up 571% from Q1 of the year prior. So where does Apple, the smartphone titan behind the iPhone, sit when it comes to foldable devices?

Apple’s debut into the foldable market has been a topic of discussion for several years now, with recent reports causing speculation to heart up over the last few months.

Apple has several patents that would indicate the active development of a foldable phone, hinting at the potential for a new form factor that differs from the classic flip and fold designs from Samsung.

Known leaker Jon Prosser revealed that he had seen a foldable Apple design that used two screens, rather than a foldable screen. However, by 2021, he then said that Apple was looking to design a phone with a clamshell design instead.

At the same time, industry tipster and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the first Apple foldable would sport a larger 7.5 to 8-inch display, and that it may not even be an iPhone, blurring the lines between iPhone and iPad.

He also said that it will make use of industry leading display technology that would give it a “long term competitive advantage”.

Several reports have also revealed that Apple has been testing foldable OLED screens and hinges since 2017, when Apple partnered with LG to develop a display specifically for an iPhone foldable.

At the same time, it began looking to develop a hinge and display that would last 100,000 folds, only half what the Samsung Galaxy Z fold can handle.

Despite all this, Apple is still not guaranteed to release a foldable phone at all. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company still isn’t sure about getting into the foldable sector, as it is unsure about the strength of the market.

Sources believe that Apple is looking to see how the market develops and will proceed accordingly.

Whilst Kuo previously speculated that the first foldable iPhone would release in 2023 or 2024, that timeframe has been pushed back to 2025.

This comes as display analyst Ross Young revealed that he had been informed that a foldable iPhone won’t appear before 2025.

“The company does not appear to be in a hurry to enter the foldable smartphone market, and it may even take longer than that,” he said.

Gurman has also said that Apple is yet to get it’s hands on full handset prototypes, and that development is still only on the display.