Apple found a way to make the iPhone Fold’s hinge much cheaper than expected | Infinium-tech
Apple is expected to release its first foldable smartphone next year. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst who has always been very close to Apple’s supply chain, rumor has it that the iPhone Fold’s hinge will now be much cheaper than before.
He says the hinge is now expected to be about $70 to $80 cheaper than “market expectations.” 65% of the components Apple needs will be manufactured by a joint venture between Foxconn and Xin Tzu Shing, with the other 35% being manufactured by Amphenol. Sometime “after 2027”, Luxshare-ICT may join Apple’s Hinge supply chain.
Reducing the cost of the hinge would help Apple make more money on each iPhone Fold it sells, because the other option is lowering the price, which we all know won’t happen. Kuo says the hinge price drop is “primarily driven by assembly design optimization by Foxconn”.
The potential addition of Luxshare-ICT as a hinge supplier means there is room for further cost reductions, as well as the fact that hinges are fast becoming “a new battleground for system assemblers”.
Leave a Reply