What the first foldable iPhone looks like, adapted from a current one using Motorola components. VIDEO

It’s unclear at the moment whether we’re dealing with a well-presented fake, or a technological experiment that has led to truly remarkable results, but a Chinese engineer seems to have achieved the impossible, turning a recent-generation iPhone into a foldable iPhone using, components taken from a phone that from a Galaxy Z Flip phone.

At least in theory, such an experiment is plausible, as all OLED screens, including those used in iPhones, can withstand deformation within certain limits. The main hurdle is that the OLED screen module comes integrated with a mineral glass shield, which would have to be removed first to reach the OLED screen, preferably without causing it irreparable damage. According to the video provided as evidence, this is precisely what the author of the experiment attempted, with predictably disastrous results in terms of preserving the OLED screen. In the end, through successive attempts, it would appear that one screen survived the procedure of separation from the applied protective glass.

Come on, the next big hurdle was finding a way to fold and unfold the extremely fragile OLED screen without risking its immediate destruction. The most handy solution was commandeering the screen hinges from a Motorola Z Flip phone.

Even if the finished result isn’t perfect, we can at least get an impression of what a foldable iPhone might look like. Unfortunately, the authors of the experiment can’t as easily approximate the most important component: the version of iOS specifically optimized for foldable phones.