iPhone Fold is getting closer. Apple has reportedly eliminated the screen crease, and the first 100 units are already in production!

The foldable iPhone is no longer a futuristic concept; it is starting to look like a real product. The latest reports from UDN suggest that Apple has achieved a true breakthrough in what other manufacturers have been struggling with for years – completely eliminating the visible crease on the screen. Moreover, a batch of about 100 devices has already been created as part of the engineering verification stage (EVT).

Apple and Samsung side by side, but… the panel was designed by Apple

Although the internal display for the iPhone Fold is provided by Samsung, the entire structure of the panel, the process of material processing, lamination, and key elements of the folding mechanism are supposed to be designed by Apple. The company has reportedly been actively working on redesigning both the panel and the hinge to eliminate the most criticized issue in foldables – the visible crease in the middle of the screen.

According to the source, Apple has achieved a “crease-free design”, thanks to a combination of proprietary lamination methods and a new bearing design developed together with suppliers New Rixing and Amfeno.

The project enters the EVT stage – about 100 devices are being created

UDN claims that Foxconn (Honghai) has already launched a dedicated production line for the foldable iPhone. This is a signal that the project has moved beyond the prototyping phase and has entered the second stage – Engineering Validation Testing. It is now that the first devices are being created, which look almost like the final product and allow Apple to test the functionality of all key components in realistic conditions. The number of units at this stage usually hovers around a hundred – and reportedly, this is the case this time as well.

The price could hurt. Starting from… 2400 dollars?

If previous leaks are confirmed, the iPhone Fold – possibly sold as iPhone Ultra – will be one of the most expensive mobile devices on the market. There are talks of a price as high as 2400 dollars, which would make it more expensive than most Apple laptops. The premiere? The most likely date is next year. One thing is certain: if Apple has indeed resolved the bending issue, foldable smartphones have just entered a new era. And the rest of the industry has reason to be concerned.