Apple reportedly testing flip-style foldable iPhone

It's all about the folds.

Recently, Mark Gurman, along with other sources, have confirmed that Apple is exploring and testing a flip-style folding iPhone, in addition to the book-style fold that is coming out in September. This new flip-style fold will supposedly come out after the book-style fold, but not much has been said about direct details. What we do know is that Apple was previously testing both types of folds, and the book-style eventually won.

This could have been due to many factors, from size to screen real estate. It may have been a more daunting task to optimize for another smaller screen if Apple took a similar route to Samsung like with the Z Flip's outer screen, however, nothing is certain.

The clamshell design has been more popular in day-to-day usage, especially given that they are often cheaper than the book-style folds. This is due to the fact that the screen that folds is smaller, plus the fact that it is just less materials in general. However, if Apple can subsidize costs correctly, the book-style fold may prove to be the better option.

The biggest upside with the flip-style fold is the portability. While you may get less overall screen real-estate in your pocket than the book-style fold, the fact that you get a normal phone's amount of screen real-estate in half the size is really nice. But, the extra functions that a book-style fold offers, like better multi-tasking or entertainment do sometimes outweigh the benefits of the portability.

Either way, it will be interesting to see Apple's take on foldables and how they make them truly Apple. We will have to wait and see what Apple does soon.