iPhone fold display when open rumored to retain a familiar aspect ratio

AppleInsider

A new leak claims that the fully folded out display of the expected iPhone Fold will be in the same aspect ratio as older models of the iPad.

Render of a possible iPhone fold

Among the myriad rumors about the iPhone fold, there have been multiple ones about the size of its display. One claim was that it would resembler two 6.1-inch iPhones folded together, and that may now have been backed up by a new rumor.

Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station says that the iPhone fold screen will retain an approximately 4:3 aspect ratio. It will have a customized screen size, so not precisely 4:3, but still roughly in line with the same shape as the majority of iPads Apple has made until recently.

Specifically, that 4:3 is the same ratio that was used for each version of the iPad from the original up to, and including, the ninth-generation iPad. Similarly, the iPad mini had this aspect ratio up to and including its fifth generation.

Every edition of the iPad Pro has been 4:3, while the iPad Air moved from it to approximately 16:23 with its fourth generation. The iPad tenth generation moved to the same 16:23 ratio.

"As I said before, Apple's large folding is also a customized ratio, almost 4:3," writes the leaker (in translation), "which is aimed at the consistency of the internal and external screens, and the software ecology is aligned with the iPad."

While the leaker gives no further details, the previous report he or she refers to did specify sizes. It claimed that the folded out screen would be 7.74 inches diagonally, while there would also be an outer screen of 5.49 inches diagonally.

The new leak's reference to the iPhone fold being "aligned with the iPad" suggests that this could be the first iPhone to include iPad-style multitasking, such as Slide Over.

Digital Chat Station has had accurate leaks in the past, although they have been about various camera details rather than screens. Most recently, the leaker claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro will be able to shoot 8K video.

Rumor Score: Possible

Read on AppleInsider

avon b7

People tend to focus on the 'black bars with video playback' and blind themselves to everything else.

There are basically two ways to reduce the black bars. Use the phone folded or add an extra panel (tri-fold). 

The reason most folding phones. re squarish is obvious. It's the best way to double your screen space.

Once people accept that, you begin to see the positives. More screen real estate,multi-tasking with side-by-side apps, editing (text, photos, videos, spreadsheets, presentations...).

And also the possibility of putting video overlay content like subtitles into the space of the black bars and freeing the video space up for the video itself. That is a system/software implementation.

Black bars on folding phones are there for good reason and if it's a deal-breaker for anyone they can choose not to buy. 

As stated here, tablets have had black bars for years and no one complained. Now we have 'tablets' that can be folded to fit in your pocket and suddenly it's an issue. 

One other possible 'solution' is to change the physical aspect ratio of the folding device. 

Something Huawei has done with the Pura X. There is now a folding phone for basically every preference. 

edited March 28

fred257

Not going anywhere near a two thousand dollar foldable that’s huge unless it is a Mac or small flip phone.

tht

The render may have the fold along the wrong axis?

4:3 folded along the long axis is 4:1.5 or 24:9. Basically a Hershey’s chocolate bar when closed. That may make it easier to hold and while talking on the phone against the side of your face. An edge-to-edge display on the outside? May mean compatibility problems for the outer screen, but it would be different, and possibly better in the hand. 

4:3 folded along the short axis is 3:2 or 15:10. 3:2 is the original iPhone aspect ratio, right? But same thing, some apps will need to be adjusted.

And Face ID? Are there going to be two? One for when folded? One for unfolded? A passthrough cutout?

lumpytapioca

Just what people want.
An iPhone that's more expensive, heavier, thicker, fussy to operate, and far more delicate.

602warren

What if this thing doesn’t ‘fold’ in the traditional way we think it would? We’re all assuming it’s one large screen that folds in the middle, possibly creating a crease. Could it be two separate displays that come together to create one large display? (And forgive my lack of industrial design knowledge here) In order to close or fold the phone, you’d pull apart at the middle about 1mm to separate the two displays connected by a Smart Connector, thus exposing a small hinge mechanism tucked behind the display that would allow you to fold the device. Opening it back up is like a book, then you push the two displays together to connect them via the Smart Connector and voila! I worry about a bezel in the middle of the open display, which may kill the whole idea, but its certainly possible to get that to be razor thin…

I dunno. Just thinking outside the box on how this could possibly work.

avon b7

602warren said:

What if this thing doesn’t ‘fold’ in the traditional way we think it would? We’re all assuming it’s one large screen that folds in the middle, possibly creating a crease. Could it be two separate displays that come together to create one large display? (And forgive my lack of industrial design knowledge here) In order to close or fold the phone, you’d pull apart at the middle about 1mm to separate the two displays connected by a Smart Connector, thus exposing a small hinge mechanism tucked behind the display that would allow you to fold the device. Opening it back up is like a book, then you push the two displays together to connect them via the Smart Connector and voila! I worry about a bezel in the middle of the open display, which may kill the whole idea, but its certainly possible to get that to be razor thin…

I dunno. Just thinking outside the box on how this could possibly work.

That kind of solution would only require a simple hinge mechanism so, according to rumours at least, that isn't the case here. 

The complexity of the hinge is to make it robust but also allow for the 'teardrop' screen fold. 

The hard work on that front has been done and Apple has definitely torn down numerous solutions from competitors to see how they tackle the problem.

While still complex, hinges of folding screens have seen a move to less moving parts, improved material science and manufacturing processess. 

At some point it's likely that commercial 'scrolling' screens will also come to market. 

mrwayne1

602warren said:

What if this thing doesn’t ‘fold’ in the traditional way we think it would? We’re all assuming it’s one large screen that folds in the middle, possibly creating a crease. Could it be two separate displays that come together to create one large display? (And forgive my lack of industrial design knowledge here) In order to close or fold the phone, you’d pull apart at the middle about 1mm to separate the two displays connected by a Smart Connector, thus exposing a small hinge mechanism tucked behind the display that would allow you to fold the device. Opening it back up is like a book, then you push the two displays together to connect them via the Smart Connector and voila! I worry about a bezel in the middle of the open display, which may kill the whole idea, but its certainly possible to get that to be razor thin…

I dunno. Just thinking outside the box on how this could possibly work.

You mean like the Microsoft Duo?

602warren

MrWayne1 said:

602warren said:

What if this thing doesn’t ‘fold’ in the traditional way we think it would? We’re all assuming it’s one large screen that folds in the middle, possibly creating a crease. Could it be two separate displays that come together to create one large display? (And forgive my lack of industrial design knowledge here) In order to close or fold the phone, you’d pull apart at the middle about 1mm to separate the two displays connected by a Smart Connector, thus exposing a small hinge mechanism tucked behind the display that would allow you to fold the device. Opening it back up is like a book, then you push the two displays together to connect them via the Smart Connector and voila! I worry about a bezel in the middle of the open display, which may kill the whole idea, but its certainly possible to get that to be razor thin…

I dunno. Just thinking outside the box on how this could possibly work.

You mean like the Microsoft Duo?

Yes. I knew someone had to have already done something like what I was picturing in my head. 

entropys

Make it small enough when folded and interested. A bit. And instead of Face ID for thinness reasons, why not a forehead so we can have extensive camera setup?

edited March 29

macgui

The main reason I'd want a folding phone is for slightly more real estate but larger icons and text via selectable resolution or scaling, but not just via an Accessibility menu. I realize that's not what most people want with a folder.

I have an iPP and an iPm, and use them regularly. But I really don't like that Apple changes some apps to iPadOS making them less usable to me. I hate the sidebars that so many Apple apps to have. I want iPhone configurations on an iPad. More space - make stuff bigger so I can see it better. Settings adjustments after the fact rarely do the apps do justice to what I want to see. Some apps need them, yes.

Apple is spending time and money making MacOS look more like iOS and I really hate that. They should be spending that time and money on a) making MacOS less buggy and b) making iPadOS more like iOS.

Most people probably think I've got that last bit backwards. There are far more iPhones in use than iPads. I hate that simple things in the UIs are located differently. So I'll hope that Apple doesn't screw up the UI for a folder. But they'll want to empathize the uniqueness of it with "Isn't that special" tweaks.

That said I won't be paying $1000 for a phone let alone $200. If the folder is no thicker than a 2GS, I could live with it providing it met my UI prefs to some degree. It would have to have a screen that would be viewed when closed. I wouldn't open a phone to see who's calling, check messages, or see the time, when I have an Watch.