Why Apple’s iPhone X Fold Late Release Strategy Could Work

The tech market is already preparing for the arrival of game-changing foldable smartphones as companies like Samsung and Huawei are gearing for a possible barrage of orders.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold will be opening pre-orders on April while Huawei's Mate X is expected to be released by July this year. What’s more, Motorola seems to be working on a much-anticipated foldable edition of the once popular RAZR flip phone.

In contrast, smartphone giant Apple seems to be getting into the game late. Although the company has not made any official announcement regarding the introduction of a possible Apple iPhone X Fold release, there are patents showing that the company is indeed moving toward this direction as well.

But herein lies the problem. Unlike Samsung and Huawei who are both launching their foldable devices commercially this year, Apple is expected to introduce its new device sometime in 2020.

According to Korean research firm CGS-CIMB, Apple is indeed the last major manufacturer to come up with its own foldable device. This comes as a surprise because according to this report, Samsung Display has already distributed samples of its folding panels to Apple and Google so it doesn’t make sense that Tim Cook’s company could get into the game quite late.

The only plausible conclusion is that Apple wants to retain its reputation of coming up with premium devices. Releasing a foldable device late in the game could give Apple the time it needs to “perfect” flaws of Samsung and Huawei’s foldable phones (should there be any) and put some much-needed features into its own phones.

Forbes, for example, cited Apple’s extraordinary attention to detail based on how its patents are addressing possible problems on the gadget’s fold. According to the report, the company is working on a folding display which warms at the fold point.

This addresses the problem of folding displays getting damaged when used in cold temperatures so a heating element could certainly help. On the contrary, neither Huawei nor Samsung have addressed this possible flaw.

Aside from this, it is also possible that Apple won’t just be releasing a foldable smartphone. Based on the company’s patents that describe “an illustrative electronic device” with a flexible display, there is a chance that Apple could also be releasing a foldable iPad.​