Apple saw that and decided durability mattered more than being first
In the quiet machinery of technological ambition, Apple was said to be preparing its first foldable iPhone for a 2022 arrival — not racing to be first, but waiting for the moment when the idea could be executed without compromise. Drawing on Samsung's display expertise and Taiwanese precision engineering, the company appeared to be studying the failures of those who came before, particularly Samsung's troubled Galaxy Fold debut, and building its answer with characteristic patience. It is a familiar posture: to let the world stumble forward, then arrive with something that feels inevitable.
- The foldable phone category had already been scarred by Samsung's 2019 Galaxy Fold disaster — cracked screens and public embarrassment set a cautionary precedent the entire industry was still absorbing.
- Apple was quietly assembling a global supplier network, with Samsung on displays, New Nikko and Nippon Nippon on hinge bearings, and Hon Hai poised for final assembly — a complex, interdependent chain that had to perform flawlessly.
- The hinge problem — the crease that had haunted every foldable before it — was being addressed through a patented Apple design that let the screen retract into a gap rather than bend sharply, a small mechanical idea with enormous consequences for durability.
- A September 2022 target date signaled that Apple was not chasing headlines but stress-testing for longevity, with foldable devices required to survive roughly 100,000 fold cycles before earning the right to reach a customer's pocket.
In late 2020, Apple was quietly advancing what many considered the tech world's most watched open secret: a foldable iPhone. Supply chain sources in Taiwan indicated the company had already begun testing screen and hinge components, with a September 2022 launch in its sights — ambitious, but grounded in an already-forming supplier network.
The engineering demands were considerable. Samsung would supply the display, likely in OLED or MicroLED form. The hinge — the mechanical heart of any foldable device — would be sourced from New Nikko and Nippon Nippon, with Hon Hai handling final assembly. Each link in that chain carried weight, because foldable phones had to endure roughly 100,000 fold cycles to be considered durable enough for everyday life.
That benchmark existed for a reason. Samsung's Galaxy Fold had launched in 2019 under a cloud of cracked screens and forced delays, a cautionary tale that reshaped how the industry thought about foldable ambition. Its successor, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, recovered some ground, but the reputational cost lingered.
Apple had been thinking carefully about the crease problem — the unsightly fold line that had plagued earlier devices. A patent filed in February 2020 revealed a hinge design that created a small gap between display sections, allowing the flexible screen to retract rather than bend sharply. Movable flaps managed the motion, keeping the panel curved and intact.
What the 2022 timeline ultimately suggested was not urgency but deliberateness. Apple's pattern had long been to let a technology mature in others' hands before arriving with a version refined enough to meet its own standards. If the foldable iPhone reached consumers on schedule, it would enter a market that had already paid its tuition in failure — and Apple intended to collect on that education.
In late 2020, Apple was quietly moving forward with what would become one of the tech industry's most anticipated products: a foldable iPhone. According to supply chain sources cited by Taiwanese media, the company had already begun the rigorous work of testing the screen and hinge mechanisms that would make such a device possible. The timeline was ambitious—a September 2022 launch—but the infrastructure was already in place.
The engineering challenge was substantial, and Apple had assembled a network of suppliers to tackle it. Samsung would provide the display panel, likely using either OLED or MicroLED technology. The critical hinge mechanism, the part that would allow the phone to fold and unfold thousands of times without failing, would come from multiple sources. New Nikko would serve as the primary manufacturer of the bearings needed for the hinge, while Nippon Nippon would also contribute bearing components and provide crucial research and development support for the folding mechanism itself. Hon Hai, one of Apple's largest manufacturing partners, would handle final assembly of the device.
The durability testing alone was no small matter. Foldable phones had to withstand extraordinary punishment—previous devices in the category had been tested for approximately 100,000 fold cycles to verify they could survive years of regular use. This was the lesson Samsung had learned the hard way. When the Galaxy Fold launched in 2019, it arrived with significant problems. The display cracked under normal use, and the device required multiple delays and redesigns before it became reliable. The Galaxy Z Fold 2, which followed, performed much better, but the damage to Samsung's reputation in the foldable space was already done.
Apple had been thinking about this problem for some time. In February 2020, the company had filed a patent for a distinctive hinge design that addressed one of the core issues plaguing earlier foldable phones: the crease that appeared along the fold line. Apple's approach created a gap between the two display sections, allowing the flexible screen to retract into that space when the phone was folded. The hinge used movable flaps to manage this motion, keeping the display in a curved state rather than forcing it into a sharp crease that could damage the panel or create an unsightly line across the screen.
What made Apple's timeline plausible was not speed but caution. The company had a reputation for waiting until a technology was mature enough to implement it properly, rather than rushing to be first. Samsung had paid the price for moving too quickly into the foldable market. By 2022, if Apple could deliver a foldable iPhone that actually worked reliably, it would enter a market that had been given time to mature and learn from its mistakes. The September 2022 target suggested Apple was willing to let others work out the initial problems, then arrive with a product refined enough to meet its own exacting standards.
Notable Quotes
Apple's reputation may drive the company to resolve all technical issues before launching, making a September 2022 release a reasonable timeline.— supply chain analysis
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Apple wait until 2022 when Samsung already had foldables on the market?
Because Samsung's Galaxy Fold was a disaster at launch. Screens cracking, delays, recalls—Apple saw that and decided durability mattered more than being first.
So they're just copying Samsung's idea?
Not quite. Apple patented a completely different hinge design that solves the crease problem Samsung never fully fixed. It's about the gap between the screens and how the flexible part retracts.
Who's actually making all these parts?
It's a whole supply chain. Samsung makes the display, Taiwanese companies handle the hinges and bearings, Hon Hai does the assembly. Apple's orchestrating it all.
How many times does this thing need to fold before it's considered durable?
Around 100,000 cycles. That's the standard for foldable phones now. You're talking about a device that needs to survive years of constant opening and closing.
What's the real risk here?
That Apple's 2022 timeline slips, or that the hinge fails in ways they didn't anticipate. Foldable screens are still new technology. One manufacturing defect could undermine the whole product.