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Picture folding an iPhone like a paperback and never worrying about the spine giving out. That’s the promise behind the rumor now circulating on Weibo: Apple’s much-anticipated foldable, reportedly called the iPhone Ultra, may use a liquid metal hinge engineered to survive the kind of wear and tear ordinary hinges dread.
The tip comes from a prolific leaker who says development is moving fast and prototypes have already been shipped to carriers around the world for hands-on testing. That step alone signals Apple is beyond concept stage and into the brutal reality of durability trials, thermal checks and real-world carrier scenarios.
“Liquid metal” sounds exotic, but it’s not a molten mystery. It’s an alloy with a non-crystalline, glass-like atomic structure rather than the rigid lattice you find in steel. That structure gives it an unusual toolkit: extreme elasticity, the ability to absorb stress and return precisely to shape, and a surface so smooth at the microscopic level that play and wobble remain minimal even after heavy use.
Compared with titanium and stainless steel, liquid metal reportedly punches above its weight—stronger yet lighter. For a folding phone, those traits matter more than marketing copy. A hinge that resists loosening after hundreds of thousands of folds would let designers shave thickness, tighten tolerances and reduce the visible seam where the display meets the frame.
There are practical questions, of course. How will Apple treat the alloy to resist corrosion? Can factories scale precision machining for a material that behaves differently from conventional metals? Apple’s carrier testing rounds should surface those technical headaches—or prove they’ve already solved them.
Industry timing adds pressure. The iPhone Ultra is expected to appear in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which would make this fall the company’s most consequential hardware reveal in years. If the hinge performs as the leaks claim, it could reset expectations for what a premium foldable phone feels like in daily use. If it doesn’t, Apple still gets valuable lessons from shipping prototypes into the wild.
Either way, the prospect of a truly durable, buttery-smooth folding iPhone is a story worth watching this autumn.
Source: gsmarena
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