- Apple’s first foldable device could have impressive battery life
- That’s according to a new rumor that details Apple’s latest efforts
- It would compete with Samsung’s best foldable on battery life
Apple’s first foldable device appears to be on the way – we got another rumor seemingly confirming that just today – and now a new detail has emerged that could help Apple compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
According to a Chinese leaker known as Phone Chip Expert (via Macrumors), Apple has been pulling out all the stops to increase the efficiency of its foldable display. That could give it an edge against the best foldable phones in what is a highly competitive market.
To achieve this, Phone Chip Expert claims that Apple has reduced the display driver integrated circuit from 28nm to 16nm. That’s a massive reduction and could significantly impact battery life.
Apple likes to promise that its devices come with “all day battery life,” and when you’re dealing with a large screen like on a foldable product, battery life is key. That makes Phone Chip Expert’s claim seem believable at first glance.
All day battery life
A move like this makes a lot of sense. After all, a foldable iPhone or MacBook will have a much larger display than its non-foldable siblings, and all that screen real estate can get awfully power-hungry. That’s something we’ve seen in other foldable devices like the Asus Zenbook 17 Foldwhich have failed to impress us with their mediocre battery life.
Apple is thought to be building both a foldable iPhone and a MacBook-iPad hybrid with a foldable display. In the case of the former, it’s likely to directly compete with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is rumored to get the same battery capacity as the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
That said, Samsung is apparently working on making its foldable screen more efficient, so it will be fascinating to see which device comes out on top here.
At the moment, most of this is confined to the land of rumors, but it is worth noting that Phone Chip Expert has a reasonably solid track record regarding Apple rumors.
They correctly predicted that Apple would build its own servers to run Apple Intelligence and that the iPhone 15 would continue to use the A15 Bionic chip instead of the newer A16 chip, among other claims.
That doesn’t mean that this latest rumor is nailed on to happen, though. Various sources have claimed that Apple’s first foldable device could arrive in either 2026 or 2027, so we’ll have to wait until then to judge the efficiency and battery life of Apple’s first foldable product.