iPhone Fold Tipped To Use 3D-Printed Hinge & Dual-Layer Glass To Solve Crease Problem

Since the very first foldable smartphones arrived, one flaw has stubbornly persisted - the crease. The visible groove that forms along the fold line has been the single biggest aesthetic and durability complaint against every device in the category, from Samsung's Galaxy Fold series to devices by Oppo and Huawei. As Apple prepares to enter the foldable market, reports suggest it is taking an unusually precise engineering approach to attack this problem head-on.

Apple may use a 3D printed hinge on iPhone Fold

According to a leak by tipster well-known tipster Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo, Apple may use 3D-printed materials for its hinge to reduce crease visibility and improve durability.

The leaker's post describes Apple putting considerable effort into its foldable iPhone, involving 'chip-level high-molecular 3D printing technology, with further developments in the hinge design still to be revealed.' This would not be entirely unprecedented for Apple, the iPhone Air already features a USB-C port made with 3D-printed titanium, and Apple Watch titanium cases are also manufactured using the same technology, something the company itself highlighted.

iPhone Fold may come with dual-layer glass

Beyond the hinge itself, the display construction is equally ambitious. The screen is expected to feature a dual-layer glass setup, keeping the display panels separate from the hinge and lowering stress over time.

Apple's first book-style foldable will feature two layers of ultra-thin glass (UTG) or ultra-thin flexible glass (UFG), with the display sandwiched between them, isolating it from direct contact with the hinge. The arrangement is designed to spread mechanical stress across multiple layers rather than concentrating it on a single sheet, which could improve durability and reduce visible creasing over time.

The results, if reports are accurate, would be striking. Apple has worked with suppliers to achieve a crease depth below 0.15mm. For reference, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 has a crease depth of about 0.7mm, meaning Apple's fold crease could be roughly a quarter as deep as its closest rival.

iPhone Fold key rumoured specifications and features

The smartphone is anticipated to launch with a 7.8-inch flexible OLED main display featuring a 120Hz refresh rate, along with a 5.5-inch OLED cover screen for standard phone use when the device is folded.

Under the hood, it is expected to be powered by Apple's upcoming A20 Pro chip, built on a 2nm process. Rumours point to up to 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage, with a 5,800mAh battery, the largest ever used in an iPhone.

The Apple iPhone Fold is expected to be released in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 series, with a rumoured price above Rs. 2 lakh.