When it comes to foldable phones, there are only a few brands people can think of, such as Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, and Microsoft. Apple, meanwhile, is not expected to enter the market until 2025. However, this is not stopping Chinese YouTuber Na Yan from creating a foldable iPhone himself.
In his channel called "Technological Aesthetics," Yan said in the video above (English subtitles available) that he and his team had a goal of building a foldable iPhone while preserving as many parts from the original devices as possible. For instance, they preserved the iPhone's original display while making it soft enough to bend and still keeping the touch functionality intact.
When it comes to the phone's hinge, they initially used a Galaxy Z Flip for its "complex and strong spring hinge." However, they found that its screen suffers from visible fatigue damage and is not strong enough to withstand large angles of bending. They eventually went with a Motorola Razr hinge for its "small" display crease.
Next, they reversed the entire internal structure of an iPhone. The bottom half housed the motherboard while the upper half contained the battery. While iOS and touch functionalities worked fine during testing, the interface was not fold-friendly, so they installed custom software instead. This made the phone capable of running two apps simultaneously. The phone's bottom half can even be used as a selfie stand, a la Galaxy Z Flip.
The team had to make some compromises to ensure that the device was functional, however. For instance, they removed one speaker and installed a smaller battery. They also discarded MagSafe and wireless charging components.
The team aims to continue improving their folding iPhone over time and also welcomes comments from viewers.
Source: Technological Aesthetics
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