iPhone Ultra might have tech innovation over 15 years in the making

iPhone Ultra is launching this fall, and a new leak says it will feature a tech innovation that’s been over 15 years in the making within Apple: liquid metal.

Liquid metal iPhone Ultra hinge likely based on tech Apple licensed in 2010

Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra, is just a few months away from launching.

Yesterday we heard for the first time that the new model will feature a vapor chamber for cooling. The same leak mentioned Apple being on track for a September release.

Now the same leaker, Fixed Focus Digital, has a new post on Weibo with another update.

Here’s the post, via Google Translate:

Latest confirmation: Apple has chosen a liquid metal hinge solution for its foldable screen.

Furthermore, research and development and production are progressing rapidly, and prototypes have already been sent to carriers worldwide for testing.

Reporting about a liquid metal hinge has been around for a while. But it’s the kind of technology that—much like foldable screens—has provided years of rumors but little substance.

Fixed Focus Digital’s ‘confirmation’ of liquid metal being used in the hinge, at such a late stage in iPhone Ultra’s production, is a great indication that this will be the year Apple’s 15+ year liquid metal bet pays off.

Apple first licensed “liquidmetal” tech back in 2010, but other than using it for SIM card tools, the company hasn’t done much with it. Liquid metal was rumored for years to help build a thinner, lighter iPhone though.

Here’s an excerpt from a Cult of Mac article in August 2010:

As Apple explores innovative materials, it could also be working towards an apple folding phone with a cutting-edge Liquidmetal hinge.

That prediction from over 15 years ago about liquid metal in a folding iPhone’s hinge may finally prove true this fall.

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