Apple's first foldable iPhone, referred to as the 'iPhone Ultra', may use a liquid metal hinge.

According to IT outlet 9to5Mac on June 2, leaked information recently suggested the product could adopt a liquid metal-based hinge ahead of a launch this fall.

The information came from Fixed Focus Digital, a leaker active on China's Weibo. The leaker previously claimed the iPhone Ultra would include a vapor chamber cooling system and that its September launch schedule remained unchanged. This time, the leaker disclosed additional information that liquid metal would be used in the hinge.

The key is that technology Apple secured long ago could be used in earnest in its first foldable iPhone. The outlet noted, "There have been multiple reports about a liquid metal hinge, but like foldable displays, it is a technology that has had years of rumors and little substance." Liquid metal has long been rumored to be used in Apple products, but there have been few concrete examples at a commercialized level.

The leak is drawing attention because of its timing. 9to5Mac reported, "Because this confirmation comes at a point when iPhone Ultra production is well underway, it is a strong signal that Apple's more than 15-year bet on liquid metal could bear fruit this year." With the launch just months away and specific component-level information resurfacing, it suggests the likelihood of actual adoption is being weighed more heavily than a simple early review stage.

Apple secured a liquid metal technology license in 2010. Since then, however, the technology has not been used in a notable way beyond something like a SIM card ejector pin. Expectations that liquid metal could be used to make thinner and lighter iPhones have been repeated for a long time, but whether it would be applied has not been confirmed.

Against this backdrop, the hinge of a foldable iPhone is cited as the area where liquid metal technology can be used most convincingly. The hinge is a key component directly tied to foldable phone durability. It must withstand repeated folding and unfolding while maintaining a thin structure. The outlet also mentioned that "a liquid metal outlook for a foldable iPhone hinge raised 15 years ago could finally become true this fall."

So far, what has been identified is limited to the possibility of a liquid metal hinge and expectations for a launch this fall, in September. Apple has not officially announced it. The actual product name, final specifications and launch timing could therefore change until they are disclosed.

Still, the leak suggests Apple may not stop at introducing a foldable iPhone as simply a new form factor and could also bring out material technology accumulated over a long period. As a result, the key point to watch is likely to be what differentiation the iPhone Ultra delivers in hinge structure and durability, rather than the foldable entry itself.