Leaker Digital Chat Station claims Apple's seamless hinge for the iPhone Fold will be replicated by rivals. The Weibo post suggests Apple trained Chinese manufacturers on the design and could reuse it for an iPad Fold, which recent reports say has been postponed or may never launch.

iPhone Fold manufacturing tests are reportedly failing because the hinge breaks after repeated opening and closing. Sources disagree on whether this pushes the launch into 2027. Digital Chat Station has a mixed track record, having previously claimed the folding iPhone would be called iPhone Ultra.

The rumor also hints that competitors will adopt a non-patented equivalent of Apple's hinge. If an iPad Fold ever arrives, sharing the hinge design would cut costs. However, the iPhone Fold's hinge clearly hasn't solved durability issues yet, raising questions about the rollout timeline.