We previously reported on how one unnamed man in China made the world’s first foldable iPhone using repurposed parts from a 2020 Motorola Razr but could not find the person responsible at the time to appropriately credit. Fortunately, that individual’s video has been posted to YouTube, showing the excruciatingly long and delicate process it took to make a device bearing this form factor.
Engineer Says He Will Continue to Refine the Process and Make a Better Foldable iPhone, Calls the First Iteration Version 0.1
The machine translation says that YouTube’s channel name is Technological Aesthetics, and according to the engineer, he wanted to preserve the original parts of the iPhone as much as possible as he embarked on his painfully long journey. The step-by-step video shows that multiple hinges were tested from smartphones like the Galaxy Z Flip, but the YouTuber chose the 2020 Motorola Razr because of its small display crease.
Various parts required for completion were made through 3D printing, and since the engineer was working with extremely limited space, his ingenuity had to remain persistent. For instance, a custom but small 1,000mAh battery had to be used instead of the original, and the person had to remove one speaker, along with all the MagSafe components, meaning that this custom-built foldable iPhone’s battery could only be topped up using a wired connection.
Even after all the required hardware was in the man’s possession, it was still the question of the software. Wanting a foldable-friendly interface, a custom software through jailbreak was installed that changed its orientation when the clamshell was shut. The entire process took more than half a year of continuous trial and error, but in the end, we got the world’s first foldable iPhone, though there is significant room for improvement.
Fortunately, according to the creator, this is just version 0.1, meaning that different iterations are expected to come forth, possibly in the coming months, showing how the design and functionality of the foldable iPhone get refined with time. As for Apple’s own plans, it is not expected to launch its first iPhone with a folding design until 2025, and that is according to Samsung. Before this device materializes from the company, Apple is expected to launch the world’s first foldable iPad or MacBook.
News Source: Technological Aesthetics
