Technological Aesthetics, a Hong-Kong based YouTube channel, has created a foldable iPhone using the hinge from a Motorola Razr. The 17-minute-long video talks users through the process of how the channel changed a regular iPhone into a foldable and even optimized iOS to work with a folding screen and add features like multi-window.
However, a foldable iPhone out of salvaged parts sounds too good to be true. On top of all the mechanical hassle, iOS is an extremely closed operating system that isn’t easy to manipulate. So the video’s creators are either really good engineers or extremely good at creating deepfakes. In either case, it is fun to watch and gives us a glimpse at what a foldable iPhone might look and feel like.
Foldable iPhone out of salvaged parts
The first five minutes of the video show the creators dismantling multiple iPhone screens to find a way to bend them. Once successful, they then started looking for the right hinge. The creators pointed out they were originally going to go with the hinge of a Samsung Galaxy Flip device, but it has a large folding angle that could break the screen. This is why they decided to go with the Moto Razr. Razr has a relatively slim crease which was better suited for the foldable iPhone design.
Ten minutes into the video, viewers will see the internals of the iPhone being rearranged. The creators reorganized the battery, speakers, motherboard, and other major components of the iPhone to fit the bill. They finally got it right and added an Apple logo with “iPhone” at the back of the phone. While the result is a working prototype, it is nowhere as refined as the Samsung Flip or the Moto Razr.
Lastly, the team added software features to iOS to make it multitask and work in split-screen mode. That’s the part of the video that looks too good to be true. Although Apple is working on a foldable iPhone, but it isn’t likely to debut for at least two more years. It is safe to assume that iOS will have to eventually adapt to a folding screen. If Apple goes for a foldable like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, it could have a mix of iOS and iPadOS to make it good at multitasking.
What do you think about a foldable iPhone? Will Apple make one? And if yes, will it actually make sense, or is Apple too late to the foldable party? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
