Foldable iPhone becomes reality with Apple and Moto Razr parts

 

Foldable iPhone becomes reality with Apple and Moto Razr parts

Apple may be far from releasing a foldable iPhone, but a Chinese YouTube channel decided to create the smartphone before Apple. Dubbed the iPhone V, the device has been completely modified to become a fully functional foldable, if not the prank of the year.

Still, fake or not, the iPhone X “tuning” process should inspire other tech youtubers to try something similar. In the video, the Technological Aesthetics channel (translated name) already gives the way to those who decide to make the modification: several iPhone screens and the Motorola Razr hinge.

Foldable iPhone needed 37 screens to be ready

The first step in assembling the iPhone V (by the way, a beautiful name that refers to the ability to fold) was to “soften” the screen. 

For this, the team needed to separate the various components that make up the display. Easy to say, hard to do.

37 original iPhone X screens were purchased (don't confuse the letters) until the technique of separating the hardware components was improved — the first attempts ended up ruining the piece. 

Using gold wire, one of the youtubers separated the OLED panel and removed the glue from the equipment.

The entire foldable iPhone project took “almost a year”, in the words of the video presenter (subtitles available in English). The time to dismantle a screen in perfect condition alone lasted approximately six months.

With the screen separated, it was time to get a hinge for the adapted chassis. The chosen part came from the Motorola Razr. 

The Galaxy Z Flip was rejected for having too small a gap between the screens. Even though the iPhone X's display is now more malleable, it still isn't made to bend and would break easily with Samsung's hinges.

Another interesting part of the modification was the repositioning of the iPhone's hardware. The team tried their best to keep the original parts, including the taptic engine. 

However, they were forced to use longer cables to connect the motherboard and other components separated into different parts of the custom chassis. The battery needed to be replaced with a smaller one with a capacity of 1,000 mAh.

Unfortunately, the project that took almost a year to complete lasts only a few days. Even with the larger span, it breaks in a few days. After all, it wasn't designed to be folded.

Is iPhone V project real?

The 9to5 Mac website has raised suspicions that the video may be fake. The evidence pointed out by the vehicle is that the iPhone V camera island would be higher than usual. That might be suspicious, but the video also doesn't show whether the team 3D-printed a new frame to install the cameras.

For me, the most suspicious is iOS adapted for the foldable screen — it could be a video running and the youtuber clicking on the screen at the right moments to look like a modified operating system. Anyway, I look forward to JerryRigEverything creating (and destroying) a foldable iPhone.

Samsung expects foldable iPad and MacBook

While Apple carries out its tests of the foldable iPhone in secret, Samsung reveals to its suppliers its forecast that the rival should debut in the segment with foldable iPads and MacBooks in 2024. The South Korean bets that the foldable iPhone will arrive in 2025. or later.

At the vendor meeting, Samsung also shared the challenges they need to address to make foldables more popular. According to the company, the public is looking for lighter models, so manufacturers need to solve the problem of weight in the components.