Apple’s long-rumored iPhone Fold may have quietly crossed its biggest technical hurdle: the infamous crease. According to fresh reports from the supply chain, Apple’s first foldable iPhone has advanced beyond experimental prototypes and is now said to be in engineering validation and pre–mass production preparation, with a design that aims to remove the visible fold line that has defined every competing device so far.
For years, the crease at the center of a folding display has been treated as an unavoidable trade-off. 
Even premium devices from Samsung, Google, and others still show a visible dip when the screen is unfolded. Some owners insist they stop noticing it after a few days, while others complain it ruins the “all-screen” illusion and makes a very expensive phone feel compromised. Apple seems determined to appeal to both camps by reducing the crease to the point where, in normal use, it should effectively disappear.
Internally, the project is reportedly moving through Apple’s standard hardware pipeline. That means the overall display size and general assembly process are believed to be locked in, while certain hardware choices – such as final battery capacity – are still being tuned. United Daily News claims that the foldable is now in the engineering validation test (EVT) stage with preparations for pre-mass production, signaling that Apple is confident enough in the core design to start working with large-scale manufacturing partners.
On our rumor scale, this story currently sits at around a 60% “plausible” rating. In other words, the evidence is meaningful but not yet overwhelming. The report comes from a regional outlet with a mixed but not disastrous track record, it aligns with earlier whispers about a foldable iPhone and Apple’s long timelines for new form factors, and the technical details make sense. At the same time, the lack of multiple, independent confirmations keeps it out of the “probable” or “highly likely” categories.
A large portion of the report focuses on the hinge and bearing system that would make the crease-reduced design possible. While Samsung is said to be supplying the flexible inner OLED panel, Apple has allegedly co-developed the bearing structure with Shin Zu Shing and Amphenol. When the display and bearing are integrated, the bend radius is designed so that the panel never folds sharply enough to carve a trench down the middle. Instead, the screen curves more gently inside the chassis, spreading stress over a wider area and minimizing permanent marks.
Apple is also rumored to be using high-strength hinge parts made from so-called liquid metal alloys. These materials offer exceptional durability and elasticity, which is crucial for a component that may be opened and closed hundreds of thousands of times over the phone’s lifespan. Earlier attempts to mass-produce such parts at a reasonable cost reportedly ran into serious manufacturing bottlenecks, but newer reports suggest the average selling price of the hinge has now fallen into the $70–$80 range. That is still pricey, yet realistic for a halo device that is likely to sit at the very top of the iPhone lineup.
The broader supply chain is already being positioned to benefit. Foxconn is expected to handle final assembly, while companies such as Largan Precision, Shin Zu Shing, and Chi Hong are named as key component suppliers. That level of detail usually appears only once a product has moved beyond blue-sky experimentation and into more formal planning for production, another small data point that nudges this rumor toward the plausible end of the spectrum.
At the same time, it is worth asking how much the crease really matters to people in the real world. Many foldable owners say they barely notice the line after a week and are just happy to have a phone that opens into a mini tablet. Others dismiss the outrage as classic first-world complaining: they already have a folding display in their pocket, yet the conversation online spirals around a faint groove in the middle or tiny notches around the camera. Still, Apple’s history suggests the company will obsess over this kind of visual imperfection. Just as it turned the notch and later the Dynamic Island into deliberate design elements rather than awkward compromises, Apple now seems intent on making the fold look and feel as close as possible to a single, unbroken sheet of glass.
What we still do not have is a firm production or launch date. The latest chatter points to a debut alongside the iPhone 18 family, with only Pro models reportedly arriving in 2026 as Apple experiments with a leaner, more premium-focused lineup. That timing would give the company extra breathing room to polish the hinge, tune battery life, and craft software features that truly take advantage of a folding form factor instead of treating it as a stretched-out version of a regular iPhone screen.
If these reports hold up, the iPhone Fold will not be the first foldable on the market, but it may try to redefine what a foldable should feel like: a solid, liquid-metal hinge, a display where the crease fades into the background, high durability, and deep integration with iOS and Apple’s ecosystem. Until more sources weigh in, a dose of skepticism is still healthy. For now, though, the idea of an almost crease-free Apple foldable has moved from fantasy to a realistic scenario – one that increasingly feels like a question of when, not if.