A new leak claims Apple’s upcoming folding iPhone hinge will use Liquid Metal—an idea tied to technology the company has worked on since at least 2010. The development adds weight to earlier claims, including one from Ming-Chi Kuo, and points to Apple sending
For years, Liquid Metal sat in Apple’s background—promising strength, flexibility, and corrosion resistance without ever showing up in an iPhone hinge. Now a fresh leak is trying to pull it into the spotlight again, right when the folding iPhone is approaching a make-or-break moment.
A new report backs recent claims that the hinge for Apple’s folding iPhone. the iPhone Fold. will use Liquid Metal. The thread starts with an earlier prediction: in March 2025. analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple would “use liquid metal materials for key components” of the iPhone Fold. including the hinge. The new leak. posted by the leaker Fixed Focus Digital on the Chinese social media site Weibo. says that claim is confirmed.
Fixed Focus Digital also claims that a prototype has been sent to “global operators” for testing. The phrasing is machine-translated. and it’s not clear whether this is the same version of the hinge that has reportedly caused problems. but the timing is significant. At this stage. it’s highly unlikely Apple would still be testing two different hinge types if the iPhone Fold is aiming to launch in September.
That matters because it turns a long-running technical rumor into something closer to a manufacturing reality: Liquid Metal is no longer just a research curiosity. It’s a candidate for the exact piece of hardware that has to survive repeated bending, stress, and daily use.
Apple’s connection to the material goes back far enough to make the current leak feel less like a sudden pivot and more like a long chase. In August 2010, AppleInsider revealed that Apple had entered into an exclusive agreement with a firm called Liquidmetal Technologies. The deal was worth a minimum of $10.9 million. with Liquidmetal Technologies saying it then immediately paid off that much in debt.
The material itself was engineered through work tied to the California Institute of Technology. Liquidmetal Technologies describes its metal alloys as being more than twice the strength of titanium. They’re said to resist corrosion and be elastic enough to bounce back to an original shape after being pulled or stretched.
Even in 2010, the metal wasn’t just theoretical. Liquid metal was being used to make hinges for flip phones. It was also used for producing lightweight yet durable sporting items, such as tennis rackets.
Apple didn’t rush to bring Liquid Metal into core iPhone parts after that. Instead, it stayed mostly on the sidelines—until 2025, when the folding hinge becomes the place where Liquid Metal’s properties could finally fit.
Earlier uses in Apple hardware were limited. When all iPhones came with physical SIM cards, they also came with SIM trays and a key-like metal ejection tool. That SIM-tray key was made from Liquid Metal, and it’s the main device-level use Apple has made of the material so far.
Apple has pursued it further through patents. In 2015, Apple renewed its deal with Liquidmetal Technologies. Apple also used Liquidmetal to make the SIM ejection tool for iPhones. And Apple has applied for patents that relied on the material. In 2015, Apple won a patent—together with Liquidmetal Technologies—for manufacturing products layer by layer. Even then, Apple still hadn’t used the technology in any of its devices.
It’s not clear whether Apple still retains an exclusive right to use Liquid Metal in electronic devices. But after 16 years of apparent work and continued involvement. the renewed attention in a folding iPhone hinge makes the exclusivity question feel urgent. If Apple really does plan to stake this hinge on Liquid Metal. it would mean the company finally wants the properties it’s been chasing for so long.
The leak also collides with another prediction circulating in the background. In May 2026, leaker Digital Chat Station claimed that Apple’s hinge solution would become an industry standard. Fixed Focus Digital’s report has a “middling track record. ” and it’s not the first time such a rumor has appeared—so the story is still fragile. Yet the thread that connects March 2025’s claim. a testing prototype tied to “global operators. ” and the long-running Liquidmetal Technologies relationship is hard to ignore as launch pressure builds toward September.
If the hinge really is heading for Liquid Metal, the pay-off isn’t just engineering—it’s timing. After years of patents. deals. and limited iPhone usage through the SIM ejection tool. the folding iPhone’s hinge could finally be the moment Apple tries to turn that 16-year effort into something users can feel every day.
Apple iPhone Fold Liquid Metal Liquidmetal Technologies Ming-Chi Kuo Fixed Focus Digital Weibo folding iPhone hinge smartphone leaks patents
Liquid metal?? Finally, no more hinges breaking lol.
So they’ve had liquid metal since 2010 but “still” not in an iPhone hinge? Sounds like they’re just rushing now for September.
Wait is this the same hinge that was causing issues or a different one? Like the article says it’s not clear, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be the broken one again because Apple never learns.
If a prototype got sent to “global operators” for testing then it’s basically confirmed right? Also liquid metal sounds like it’ll corrode less, so why would they ever delay it this long… unless it was never real and this leak is just hype.