Foldable iPhone with a screen larger than an iPad mini coming in 2023, top Apple analyst predicts

FAN Editor

Apple CEO, Tim Cook waves as he opens the door of the newly renovated Apple Store at Fifth Avenue on September 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

KENA BETANCUR | AFP | Getty Images

A top Apple analyst predicted Monday that the company will likely launch a foldable iPhone in 2023.

TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that based on an industry survey, he believes the foldable iPhone will reach 15 million to 20 million units in 2023. The new model will likely have an 8-inch foldable OLED display, according to Kuo. That means it might work like an iPhone that can open up to a tablet with a screen slightly larger than the 7.9-inch display on an iPad mini.

The foldable model is now a “must-have” for major smartphone brands, Kuo said in a note to clients.

“After 5G, the foldable smartphone is the next innovative selling point of high-end models,” he wrote.

Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi have each introduced models, though the price still make them relatively inaccessible to most consumers. Apple has some hurdles it may need to overcome. All of Apple’s iPads, for example, support drawing input with an Apple Pencil. But most foldable phones don’t support pen input since they’re relatively fragile compared with traditional phone screens.

Kuo said Apple is poised to lead the foldable device trend, which he said “will blur the product segmentations between smartphones, tablets, and laptops.”

An Apple spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on Kuo’s note.

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Palantir hires former IBM Watson Health exec as its first US government chief medical officer

A pedestrian passes a banner displaying Palantir Technologies signage during the company’s initial public offering (IPO) in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Sept. 30, 2020. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Palantir has hired its first U.S. government chief medical officer, a former executive from IBM‘s […]