Regarding the highly anticipated first foldable phone from Apple, the "iPhone Fold," a recent report from the supply chain indicates that Apple plans to incorporate 3D printing technology to create the crucial hinge, minimizing the crease on the inner screen. While optimizing hinge flatness through 3D printing and liquid metal is not unprecedented in the Android camp (such as OPPO's recent Find N6 foldable phone), as hardware specifications approach physical limits, what truly makes Apple's foldable phone a source of fear for its competitors is not just the hardware manufacturing process, but also the vast and mature integration capabilities of its iOS and iPadOS hardware and software ecosystem.
The iPhone Fold is rumored to incorporate a 3D-printed hinge and liquid metal.
According to the latest industry news, Apple has extremely high requirements for the flatness of the screen in its first foldable phone. To achieve a "virtually crease-free" visual effect, the iPhone Fold is rumored to use 3D printing technology to manufacture the hinge, along with liquid metal and a double-layer glass design.
In fact, Apple is no stranger to 3D-printed components. Previously, Apple had already widely applied 3D printing technology to the titanium cases of the Apple Watch series and the USB-C ports of the iPhone Air. Compared to traditional forging or CNC milling processes, 3D printing not only significantly reduces material waste and improves production efficiency, but also allows for precise control of the tolerances of tiny components, which is extremely important for folding hinges that need to withstand hundreds of thousands of opening and closing cycles.
OPPO Find N6 sets a new benchmark in hardware, defying competition from Apple.
While Apple isn't the first in the industry to use 3D printing technology to create seamless hinges, the recently unveiled OPPO Find N6 has already demonstrated the maturity of this technology.
OPPO debuted two core technologies in the Find N6: the "Titanium Alloy Sky Hinge" and "Sky Memory Glass". This new hinge is composed of up to 136 precision components, and through liquid 3D printing, unevenness of the hinge components is precisely filled at the microscopic level, controlling the fluctuation of the screen to a very small range when it is opened.
On the screen surface, OPPO has introduced memory glass, which has more than three times the rigidity of traditional flexible glass. This material boasts the ability to automatically repair minor creases from daily use through molecular-level forces, with a recovery rate of up to 99.9% and a deformation resistance rate improved by up to 338%. This allows the Find N6 to maintain a near-flat inner screen even after undergoing high-intensity creases, with creases significantly reduced by 82% compared to its predecessor, the Find N5.
OPPO has confidently stated that although the display panel is still supplied by Samsung Display, the Find N6's inner screen performance, combined with OPPO's self-developed 3D hinge and flexible glass, has reached the industry's top level. OPPO even stated that this hardware architecture will allow them to maintain extremely high market competitiveness in 2026 and even 2027, completely unafraid of Apple's upcoming "Phone Fold".
Analysis of viewpoints
The exceptional hardware stacking of the OPPO Find N6 demonstrates that the Android camp has achieved near-perfect results in overcoming the physical challenge of eliminating creases. This also means that when the iPhone Fold is officially released, Apple may find it difficult to maintain a significant lead in terms of hardware specifications or hinge technology alone.
However, the real competitive advantage of Apple's foldable phones is clearly not just the hinge mechanism or how flat the screen is, but the irreplaceable integration of hardware and software and the interconnection of the ecosystem.
The biggest pain point for Android foldable phones at present is still "software adaptation". When the phone unfolds into a tablet form, many third-party apps still simply widen the mobile version interface without optimizing the layout for the large screen.
But for Apple, this disadvantage will instantly become its most powerful weapon. We can foresee that the "iPhone Fold" will run perfectly adapted iOS apps when folded; and once unfolded, the system will seamlessly switch to the iPadOS operating interface, which boasts powerful multitasking capabilities and supports millions of dedicated tablet apps. Apple's developer resources accumulated over the years in the iPad ecosystem will allow the "iPhone Fold" to become a truly productive miniature iPad the moment it is unfolded.
Moreover, combining Apple's ecosystem features like "Handoff" and "Universal Control," and even deep integration with hardware such as Macs, Apple Watches, and Vision Pro, the "iPhone Fold" will clearly be more than just a "phone with a foldable screen." It will be the ultimate piece of the Apple computing ecosystem, capable of effortlessly transforming its form factor. This is perhaps the real challenge that major smartphone manufacturers should truly fear as Apple prepares to unleash this market bombshell.
