Apple’s long‑rumored folding iPhone — the device every render seems to show without a crease — may not be quite ready for its seamless moment. A prominent Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station posted that Apple is still experimenting with ultra‑thin flexible glass (UFG) designs to make the inner screen look flat when opened, and engineers haven’t settled on a final approach.
Thinner at the fold, thicker everywhere else
According to the leak, Apple’s tests involve UFG panels of varying thickness: extra thin at the hinge to improve flexibility, and thicker elsewhere to preserve rigidity and durability. That uneven‑thickness idea aims to spread bending stress across the panel rather than concentrating it where the hinge sits — in theory reducing the visible crease to near‑invisibility.
That’s a different engineering trade than the industry’s current ultra‑thin glass (UTG) approach, which still shows a faint line on most folding phones. Other manufacturers in China are reportedly testing similar wide‑fold UFG solutions, which suggests the technology may be arriving broadly — but not necessarily in time to eliminate early supply headaches.
Apple’s timeline for a debut is still pegged to 2026, with several reports pointing to a September reveal alongside high‑end iPhone models. Even so, late‑stage testing of a core component like display glass raises the possibility of constrained initial production and higher prices — estimates tossed around in leaks place the iPhone Fold well above standard iPhones, in the $2,000–$2,500 range.
More than just a line on the screen
Why sweat the crease? For Apple it’s partly aesthetic — a truly flat interior display better matches the brand’s idea of premium — but there are practical stakes too: longevity, touch feel, under‑display camera performance and how apps (especially iPad‑sized ones) behave when the device unfolds into a landscape slab.
Leaked CAD drawings and renders have suggested Apple might keep the folded footprint relatively short, producing a wider inner display that favors landscape use. That design choice could be a conscious move to let iPad apps scale better on the device and to avoid the near‑square inner screens common on many foldables.
There are other whispers around the hardware: liquid‑metal hinge engineering, under‑display camera tech to remove notches, and the usual fallback plans. A source quoted by some outlets noted Apple could revert to more mature UTG processes if UFG can’t meet long‑term reliability targets — meaning a crease might still appear in early units if schedules shift.
Where Apple sits in the foldable race
Competitors are already shipping multi‑hinge and tri‑fold devices, but they still show hinge lines. Samsung’s more adventurous tri‑fold hardware, for example, hasn’t escaped the visual crease — a reminder that the problem isn’t trivial or purely cosmetic. Early adopters have tolerated faint lines so far, but Apple likely wants the device to feel unmistakably Apple‑grade before shipping at scale. (See how other manufacturers are approaching multi‑hinge designs in our coverage of Samsung’s tri‑fold.)(/news/samsung-galaxy-trifold-unveiled-at-apec-showcase)
At the same time, display and imaging technology keeps marching forward. The industry’s push to squeeze more from panels — HDR standards, new pixel stacks and hybrid display layers — creates a crowded engineering checklist for any foldable that wants to be best‑in‑class, not just novel. Some of these advances echo broader display trends that companies like Samsung are also pursuing.(/news/samsung-hdr10-plus-advanced)
And there are trade‑offs beyond the hinge: making a device that folds yet stays thin and durable touches battery size, cooling and component layout. That balancing act is similar to what makers of ultra‑thin non‑folding phones have been wrestling with recently.(/news/motorola-edge-70-thin-phone)
Apple’s apparent interest in UFG is a signal that it’s attempting something a little bolder than simply copying existing foldable glass stacks. But novelty means more variables — and more time to validate long‑term reliability, scratch resistance and repairability.
If you’ve been waiting for a foldable iPhone that opens without a noticeable line, this leak is a reminder that the device you’ve imagined is still in active development. Apple likely has contingency plans and mature components it can fall back on; the question is whether it will ship the first wave with the seam‑less look it promised in mockups, or whether early buyers will accept a small compromise while the supply chain finishes its work.
Either way, next year is shaping up to be busy: Apple’s phone roadmap appears to be expanding beyond its usual cadence, and a debut of a foldable iPhone would reset expectations (and prices) across the category. For now, the crease‑free future remains a goal rather than a guarantee — and one that depends on both glass chemistry and industrial scale‑up.