Expectations are high for Apple's first foldable iPhone, dubbed the iPhone Flip by some. New leaks seem to confirm that Apple will take on the best folding phone from Samsung and other companies. Just don't expect it to be released with the iPhone 13 in 2021.

Digitimes reports that Apple is not likely to enter the foldable phone market until 2022. However, we do know some details about the foldable OLED displays that Apple may use.

According to a Digitimes report, Apple's iPhone Flip will be a truly foldable phone, not a two-screen phone like the Surface Duo. The report also concludes that by entering the foldable phone market, Apple will increase demand for flexible OLED displays.

The company has reportedly taken delivery of a flexible display made by Samsung, and once the foldable iPhone is released, other companies will compete to win Apple's business with their own foldable displays.

Coupled with Samsung's recent promise to make foldable displays more accessible, the cost of flexible displays could drop, and with it the cost of foldable displays overall. iPhone Flip and other foldable While we wait for the iPhone to arrive, Samsung, Motorola, and others are trying to expand the market for foldable phones in 2021.

Samsung is reportedly planning at least two foldable phones this year, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 2. However, there are also rumors that Samsung may release more affordable Lite versions of each device.

We don't know much about the iPhone Flip, mainly because of Apple's secretive nature and its habit of announcing all reveals together. We can pick up clues from publicly available patents and other documents, but they have not even admitted that they are working on a folding phone.

The patents we have seen include a new kind of flexible glass that incorporates the iPhone 12's ceramic shield. This will increase the strength of the latest iPhone display and will be a welcome addition to the relatively fragile flexible glass we have seen.

Illustrations in the patent also suggest that Apple will use a foldable design like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2, rather than an outer display like the Huawei Mate X.

It is hard to say anything about the price, but it will not be cheap. All foldable devices are more expensive than other flagship devices, and Apple is unlikely to buck the trend. With the cheapest iPhone 12 Pro Max at $1,099, the most advanced foldable iPhone will probably cost more.