Advertisement
According to a report from South Korea, Apple is planning to develop a foldable version of the iPad mini. When opened, the device should have a screen diagonal of seven to eight inches, roughly the same as the current device (8.3 inches) with a rigid screen. Apple is said to have received sample panels from Samsung and LG since 2023, reported the Seoul-based electronics magazine The Elec for last weekend. However, the planned schedule is unpleasant: a possible release is planned for 2026 to 2027.
Rumors about foldables for many years
The fact that Apple is interested in the technology has been rumored since 2017. The group has also registered various patents in this area. However, little happened while Samsung from South Korea and various Chinese companies flooded the market with foldable smartphones. It has also been clear for some time that Apple sees the application as more useful on the iPad.
In addition to the iPad mini, a significantly larger foldable is also supposedly planned: an iPad with up to 20 inches that can be folded into a 10-inch device. Display analysts and the financial news agency Bloomberg had previously thrown information into the ring about this, but nothing seems to happen before 2026 or 2027.
First the iPad mini, then larger tablets
For Apple, the quality of the displays is apparently not enough so far, and the company is also worried about durability – although competitors like Samsung are now showing that it can be done. Starting with the iPad mini is quite logical, as this is the smallest tablet in the Apple stable. The company could experiment with this before moving on to larger foldable tablets.
There should be discussions with Samsung Display and LG Display about which glasses, panel covers and hinges the company would like to install. Apple is notoriously reluctant to take anything off the shelf and will therefore make high demands. Samsung Display is said to be more active in winning over Apple as a customer. LG Display would probably not start work until a year later, The Elec believes.
(bsc)