Apple is ‘trying’ a foldable with a secondary E Ink display

According to a noted expert, Apple is exploring the usage of an E Ink color display as an external screen for an unnamed foldable smartphone. Due to its superior power-saving, the color EPD [Electronic Paper Display] has the potential to become a widespread solution for foldable smartphones’ must-have cover/second screen, the analyst noted in a tweet. He goes on to say that the E Ink display is being tested in “tablet-like applications.”

E-Ink Display Foldable

Most tablet-style foldables on the market now combine a big folding inner display with a smaller outside display for rapid notification checking. Existing smartphones, however, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Oppo Find N, employ OLED displays for both. The implementation of an E Ink screen by Apple would almost probably result in a less responsive outside display with fewer colors, but it might be significantly more power-efficient.

While E Ink is best known for its monochrome displays, which are used in Amazon’s Kindles, the business also produces color screens. E Ink Gallery 3, a new version of its color E Ink technology capable of creating more colors at a greater resolution, was recently introduced. It can also refresh far faster than earlier color panels from the business, hence seamless iOS transfers, albeit it’s still nowhere near as snappy as a comparable OLED or LCD panel. E Ink’s promotional movies demonstrate how the display can be folded or rolled.

There have been persistent reports that Apple would release a foldable smartphone with Samsung and Huawei. In 2021, news surfaced that Apple was internally developing folding screens, and as of April this year, Apple experts anticipate that Apple might debut a gadget with a 9-inch foldable display as early as 2025.

According to Bloomberg, Apple may be working on another gadget with a bigger 20-inch folding touchscreen, however, it would not be available until 2026. The current forecast does not specify the dimensions of the foldable with an E Ink display.

Although Apple will be late to the foldable market, it does have an ace in its sleeve in the shape of iPadOS, its tablet operating system that has significant app support from third-party developers. Existing tablet-sized foldables from Samsung, Oppo, Huawei, and Honor, on the other hand, must depend on Android, whose applications provide uneven support for large-screen devices.

Apple’s foldable device will most likely be years away. However, the most recent update provides an intriguing glimpse into Apple’s future plans.