A Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst concluded Friday, based on checks with suppliers, that the Cupertino technology giant is actually working on a foldable iPhone for release in 2020.

 â€œApple is working with suppliers on a foldable phone for launch in 2020,” the report said. A foldable iPhone could double up as a tablet, the firm added.

Last fall, a report said that Apple was working with LG Display on a foldable iPhone due to concerns that Samsung would steal its design. Samsung already has a foldable smartphone prototype which it recently showed off to select clients at CES.

A report from Korean-language The Bell from October 2017 first mentioned that a foldable phone could arrive by 2020. According to that report, LG had created a task force to develop a foldable OLED screen for a future iPhone (iPhone X uses a flexible, not foldable panel). LG’s sister firm LG Innotek had reportedly set up a team dedicated to developing a flexible printed circuit board required for a bendable iPhone, said the report.

Apple is notoriously tight-lipped on its future hardware plans so take this report with a grain of salt. Are foldable phones the next major form factor for the smartphone, do you think?

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