Liquid Metal: Apple strives to use in the first foldable

Liquid Metal, was there? Apple had already secured a license for the new material in 2010 and has extended it over and over again for years. The material of a US special company is considered to be particularly flexible in the production of demanding parts, thanks to the alloy used, it is particularly hard and non-scratched. Surprisingly, Apple used the metal only for an application: the SIM withdrawal tool that is included in the iPhone. Now a well-known analyst believes that the time for larger products has finally come: Liquid Metal is said to be installed in the first Apple foldable, which will be released in 2026 or 2027.

Use in sensitive areas

As Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities writes in a report to investors, the material is intended to improve the durability of the flexible display and reduce wrinkle formation that has so far been the standard problem with the form factor. According to KUO, Apple has chosen the material that is produced in the die -casting process in order to be a key component when solving the usual problems of foldables. Liquid Metal will also help to make the hardware thinner while – largely – remained.

Kuo has also heard that Liquid Metal should be used for critical mechanical parts of the iPhone folder. Among other things, this should be the hinges, a particularly susceptible part of the form factor. As a producer, Apple allegedly selected the Chinese supplier Dongguan Eontec, who can produce with liquid metal license.

Apple has only observed

There is currently speculation via a look in the style of the Galaxy Z Fold-so no “Clamshell” form factor like a folding phone, but rather like a book. An outdoor display of 5.5 inches meets 7.8 inches when it is opened. Apple had followed the folding cell phone market for years, but has held back. Providers such as Samsung, Google or most recently various Chinese companies have already published many generations of the products.

However, the market is still considered small. The durability of the devices remains a problem. From China, where foldables are popular in the luxury segment despite the high price, there are always Reports of quality defects, For example, at Huawei's triple fold cell phone.