For years, rumors have swirled that Apple has been toiling away on a foldable iPhone, nicknamed the iPhone Fold. Over the past yr, quite a few leaks have prompt that it may really be launched in 2026. The most recent rumor, from a leaker on Weibo, means that Apple’s first foldable could have a 5,500-mAh battery, which might make it the biggest on any iPhone, surpassing the 5,088-mAh capability on the iPhone 17 Professional Max.
However many of the curiosity has been round how Apple’s thriller foldable will look. Just lately, an Apple fan made a 3D-printed mock-up for an Apple book-style foldable’s potential design, wanting extra like a Microsoft Floor Duo merged with an iPhone 17 Professional than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Pixel 10 Professional Fold. In different phrases, a imaginative and prescient of two separate iPhone screens linked collectively slightly than a steady, folding show.
That is an attention-grabbing proposition contemplating rumors have spoken of Apple’s efforts to cut back the seam the place a foldable display bends. The one on the iPhone Fold is rumored to have little or no crease, in accordance with a latest report by the Chinese language publication UDN. Display creases, particularly on early foldable telephones, have lengthy aggravated some shoppers and critics. And whereas the crease on newer foldables appears rather a lot much less deep, it is nonetheless there. Samsung’s new Galaxy Z TriFold has two display creases, one for every of its hinges. It will be a serious breakthrough if Apple has certainly discovered a approach to fold a display in half with out leaving a crease.
We have but to listen to any official phrase on a foldable iPhone from Apple.
Mock-ups of potential iPhone foldables, together with a clamshell “iPhone Flip” on the left and book-style foldable on the correct, together with a flat iPhone for comparability on the underside.
Foldable telephones signify a tiny fraction of all telephones offered globally. CNET discovered that 64% of individuals surveyed stated they do not need a foldable cellphone. However these numbers may change if Apple had been to promote a foldable iPhone. Analysts at IDC forecast a 30% year-over-year development if Apple had been to launch a foldable iPhone in 2026.
Apple launched the iPhone 17 collection together with the brand new super-thin iPhone Air in September. Given all of the engineering it took to cram cameras and parts into the highest half of the Air, some have theorized that the system is a stepping stone to a foldable, which may make the most of the Air’s inner design.
Quite a lot of hope and expectation has been positioned on Apple to launch one, and if rumors are right, we can’t have to attend for much longer for the corporate to take action.
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iPhone Fold historical past
Mock-ups of what the iPhone foldables may appear to be.
Rumors recommend Apple is growing a book-style foldable just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Years in the past, in 2017, of us predicted {that a} foldable iPhone may launch within the then-near way forward for 2020 — which did not occur. Analysts and leakers have been kicking the discharge date down the highway ever since, and rumors and want lists have lingered as cellphone followers preserve their hopes alive. Absent any confirmed particulars from Apple, here is all the things we all know to this point concerning the firm’s future foray into foldables.
A brand new patent granted to Apple in July 2024, which was utilized for years in the past, exhibits how lengthy the corporate has been engaged on a folding iPhone. Kuo’s report in early March stated that an Apple foldable may launch on the finish of 2026, with a 7.8-inch crease-free internal show and a 5.5-inch outer show.
Accordingly, Kuo believes the worth would match that of different comparable folding units, at $2,000 to $2,500. Regardless of the excessive price ticket, he says projected shipments are 3 to five million units, which is a assured estimate given solely 19.3 foldables had been offered in 2024, market analysis agency IDC reported.
Though many reviews have centered on the corporate’s struggles to get rid of the crease inside the inner folding show, Apple’s patent signifies that the event has been ongoing for a while. Creases have plagued foldable telephones since their introduction in 2020, and though the newest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 have diminished the crease, it’s nonetheless seen and noticeable.
By mid-2024, market analysts at TrendForce estimated that show crease points would possibly push again an Apple foldable till 2027, in accordance with 9to5Mac. Prior rumors stated Apple could not launch its personal versatile display system till 2025, and Samsung hasn’t let cellphone followers neglect it by releasing an app that may let Apple cellphone homeowners expertise a Z Fold-esque expertise by putting two iPhones side-by-side.
Learn extra: I Visited Samsung’s House Turf to See if Foldable Telephones Are Actually the Future
iPhone 2026 lineup
CNET’s Jeffrey Hazelwood created these customized renders of what an iPhone 18 Professional would possibly appear to be.
There isn’t any assure about which telephones Apple will launch throughout its common September window, however the most secure wager is on one other collection of flat telephones, which we anticipate to be the iPhone 18 collection. However what else could possibly be coming alongside the standard lineup?
There could possibly be an iPhone Air 2, although rumors battle on whether or not to anticipate one subsequent yr or not. There’s been much more proof for an iPhone Fold, although whether or not it comes out in 2026 or in later years continues to be unsure. If the iPhone Fold does launch subsequent yr, extra rumors have prompt a clamshell system has been prioritized and should come first — given reviews of Apple researching a book-style foldable, we may get a kind of as effectively.
In mid-January, MacRumors reportedly noticed a analysis be aware from analyst Jeff Pu suggesting that the iPhone Fold will pack 12GB of reminiscence — as will the complete iPhone 18 line. Apple by no means discloses how a lot RAM is included in its telephones, however specs websites like GSMArena have reported that the usual iPhone 17 has 8GB of RAM, whereas the remainder of the collection (iPhone Air, 17 Professional and Professional Max) all have 12GB. If right, meaning Apple does not suppose its foldable will want extra reminiscence than its customary flat telephones — it will have extra display space, however doubtlessly no higher {hardware} than its iPhone 18 siblings.
It is also attention-grabbing to see the usual iPhone 18 packing 12GB of reminiscence, because the RAM scarcity is predicted to hike costs on telephones launched in 2026. Apple could also be prepared to pay the worth for a extra succesful primary mannequin of iPhone 18, or maybe it will go these prices on to the buyer with a worth hike.
iPhone Fold or iPhone Air 2?
Here’s a mock-up that CNET designer Zooey Liao made displaying what an iPhone Air 2 with dual-rear cameras would possibly appear to be.
There’s the possibility that we get an iPhone Fold subsequent yr, which rumors have stated may launch in 2026 on the earliest, although it may additionally come out in 2027 or later. It ought to be famous that analysts and rumors had predicted a foldable iPhone launch from way back to 2022, so the rolling potential launch home windows do not lend confidence that we’ll essentially see the system come out subsequent yr. Given Samsung’s six-year head begin on making foldables, Apple appears to be in no rush to get one out.
Whereas the iPhone Air got here out with the iPhone 17 handsets, there are conflicting rumors on whether or not we’ll see an iPhone Air 2 in 2026. A latest report from The Data says that Apple is delaying the discharge of the following model of the iPhone, citing individuals conversant in the matter. This follows rumors that disappointing iPhone Air gross sales after launch led Apple to dial again manufacturing, although even that declare was denounced by TD Cowen, in accordance with a be aware from the funding analysis agency that was seen by AppleInsider that asserted the corporate would proceed producing the skinny cellphone. The Data’s story was amended to say that the delay could possibly be attributable to engineers who’re re-considering the Air’s design in order that it may assist a second rear digicam.
All of which casts doubt on whether or not we’ll get an iPhone Air 2 subsequent yr, however there’s not sufficient proof but to roundly dismiss the chance.
iPhone Fold specs
A mock-up of a potential book-style foldable iPhone design.
There are not any confirmed specs for the iPhone Fold, as a result of Apple hasn’t even confirmed one exists or is popping out. Given we do not have a yr of anticipated launch, we will not a lot predict what sort of inner specs the iPhone Fold could have — presumably, Apple will need its strongest A-series chip to run it, together with sufficient RAM to deal with two or three shows (relying on whether or not it folds inward or outward and desires a devoted outer display).
We do have some predictions for different specs, although just for the book-style Fold (not the clamshell). In March, analyst Kuo predicted the bigger Fold may have a 5.5-inch outer display and seven.8-inch internal show. When folded up, it will likely be 9-9.5mm thick and 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded. A front-facing digicam will likely be accessible whether or not the cellphone is folded or unfolded, whereas it should even have two rear cameras.
Kuo predicted that the system will use the identical high-density battery cells as utilized in what he referred to then because the “ultra-thin iPhone 17” which is presumably the iPhone Air. However that trim thickness means the foldable could forgo Face ID, so the system could use Contact ID in a facet button.
Some rumors about {hardware} have emerged. In January, an analyst be aware seen by MacRumors suggests Apple’s foldable may launch with 12GB of RAM, the identical quantity within the Galaxy Z Fold 7‘s beginning configuration. That might imply Apple does not want numerous reminiscence to deal with a number of screens or that it’s not banking on huge AI options that may take up numerous RAM.
We lastly have a prediction on the iPhone Fold’s battery, with Weibo leaker Mounted Focus Digital posting that it’s going to have a 5,500-mAh capability, as 9to5Mac first reported. That is considerably bigger than batteries on another foldables — for instance, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a 4,400-mAh capability — however Samsung has been within the foldable recreation for therefore a few years that it is sure to have elevated effectivity, possible in an effort to slim down the thickness of its units. But if the Weibo leak is true, this would be the largest battery ever on an Apple handset. The iPhone 17 Professional Max has a 5,088-mAh battery.
iPhone Fold launch date
Two cross-sectional illustrations of potential shows that fold round a recess the place a hinge would go, in Apple’s patent (No. 12,041,738).
Apple has neither confirmed the iPhone Fold nor introduced a correct launch date. Analysts and rumors have predicted that the foldable may come out in 2026 or be pushed till subsequent yr.
As for timing, for the reason that iPhone Air was launched alongside the iPhone 17 fashions, the Fold may come alongside the iPhone 18 collection. However since Apple launched the iPhone 16E early this yr, far earlier than the September window for its foremost iPhone launch, the corporate may do the identical with the iPhone 17E in 2026. Apple may even delay the launch of the usual iPhone 18 to the spring of 2027 to make room for the iPhone Fold in Apple’s Sept. 2026 launch, in accordance with an ET Information report. On condition that Samsung offsets its customary and foldable cellphone releases at Unpacked occasions months aside from one another, Apple may do the identical.
What Apple’s new patent says concerning the iPhone Flip
Here’s a mock-up of a Galaxy Z Flip working iOS to provides us some concept of what an iPhone FLip may probably appear to be.
After years of rumors that Apple was engaged on foldable telephones, a patent was lastly granted to the corporate, confirming that it has been working towards a folding iPhone. The 22-page patent (PDF), merely titled “Digital Gadgets With Sturdy Folding Shows,” was filed in November 2021 and granted on July 16, 2024.
Sadly for folding iPhone hopefuls, the patent does not supply a lot illumination of what an iPhone Flip would possibly appear to be. A lot of the pages present figures depicting cross-sections of potential shows that fold a couple of hinge however not the system they’re folding round.
There are some tidbits deeper into the textual content of the patent that trace at potential design selections Apple would possibly make, like a hinge that holds the show flat when unfolded however which might let the show “barely fold concerning the bend axis when the digital system is jolted throughout the drop occasion” — in different phrases, if dropped, the system would fold inward barely in order that it lands on its edges to guard the internal show.
It is necessary to notice that every one proof exhibits Apple engaged on a foldable iPhone, however the patent broadly applies to folding shows on the whole — to wit, some determine schematics describe a tool that “could also be a mobile phone, pill pc, laptop computer pc, wristwatch system or different wearable system, a tv, a stand-alone pc show or different monitor” or screens as far-ranging as on automobiles, in kiosks, in media gamers or different digital tools.
The remainder of the patent describes what an Apple system with a folding show could have and categorically lists issues like batteries and wi-fi charging, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, LED or LCD shows, microphones and capacitive sensors, haptics and so forth. There’s express point out of a show folding 180 levels, or absolutely flat, which follows most different foldables — presumably, Apple is not going to leapfrog the competitors in following Samsung’s idea shows we noticed at CES that unfold practically 360 levels.
Two foldable iPhone Flips?
Foldable iPhone hopefuls will at the very least be inspired that Apple seemingly continues to tinker with an iPhone Flip design. The corporate is claimed to be engaged on two sizes of folding iPhones: a book-style and a clamshell-style, in accordance with an older report by The Data, though this can be contradicted by a more recent report by the identical web site suggesting Apple had settled on the latter for a smaller system. This aligns with prior rumors hinting the iPhone Flip will likely be within the clamshell format much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip collection or Motorola Razr Extremely.
It appears like Apple’s been struggling to fulfill its excessive expectations: The corporate’s design group needs the iPhone Flip to be half as skinny as present iPhone fashions and to have shows on the surface which can be seen when the system is folded shut, in accordance with the report.
Improvement on the iPhone Flip was halted round 2020, the older report famous, so as to deal with a brand new undertaking, a folding iPad. This system would have an 8-inch show, across the measurement of the iPad Mini. The foldable pill supposedly had much less strict sturdiness and thickness necessities, because it would not want to slot in pockets like an iPhone Flip. Apple was nonetheless engaged on methods to cut back the crease in the midst of the folding show and get the iPad to lie absolutely flat.
Launch date: The iPhone Flip may launch in 2027
The brand for Apple’s fall 2025 occasion invitation is interactive: a warmth signature stays the place you contact or click on and maintain.
The most recent indications of an iPhone Flip launch date got here again in June, when analyst Kuo prompt manufacturing may kick off in 2026 with telephones popping out that yr. This follows Kuo’s earlier prediction in March that the corporate may launch a crease-free foldable by the tip of 2026. Moreover, this is able to possible be a book-style foldable with a 7.8-inch inner show and 5.5-inch exterior display, which is counter to different predictions anticipating a clamshell-style foldable.
It is potential that these timeline predictions apply to at least one or the opposite or, because of the obscure nature of rumors, even each — that’s, Apple could possibly be engaged on each a book-style and clamshell type foldable, although it is much less clear if launch date expectations can be interchangeable or if Apple would stagger their launch.
It has been an open secret for years that Apple is working towards a foldable iPhone. The corporate has been registering patents for foldable applied sciences for nearly a decade, and whereas there isn’t any assure that one will come out even in any case that analysis (keep in mind AirPower?), there’s nonetheless been buzz and potential launch dates floated for years — although nonetheless not one stable sufficient to get enthusiastic about.
Early rumors pointed way back to 2021 as a possible goal date, however the yr handed with no foldable iPhone in sight. A March 2021 report from longtime analyst Kuo (through MacRumors) prompt 2023 may be extra lifelike (although that yr has come and gone). In line with Kuo, Apple nonetheless wants to determine know-how and mass manufacturing points earlier than bringing a tool like this to market, therefore the wait. Hypothesis later in 2021 from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman aligned with Kuo’s predictions: In his Energy On E-newsletter, Gurman stated that the foldable iPhone could not arrive for one more two to 3 years.
Since then, new rumors have pointed to a good later launch. Dependable show analyst Ross Younger stated in February 2024 that the foldable iPhone had been pushed again to 2025, and Kuo reaffirmed his predicted launch window in a tweet in April 2022.
“Apple could launch its first foldable product in 2025 on the earliest, which can be a foldable iPad or a hybrid of iPad and iPhone,” Kuo wrote within the tweet.
One other rumor, first observed by MacRumors in February of 2024 by Weibo-based blogger Mounted Focus Digital, prompt that the foldable iPhone undertaking is delayed for the foreseeable future. The issue? Apple, which is rumored to be utilizing Samsung folding panels for its iPhone Flip’s show, was dissatisfied with the screens’ efficiency after they broke down a number of days into testing.
That is echoed by the newest estimate by TrendForce market analysts, reported in 9to5Mac, which predicted that an Apple foldable may not be launched till 2027 on the earliest. Why? Apple’s strict necessities for reliability and the cellphone show’s crease. However Kuo’s newer March 2025 predictions explicitly famous a crease-free foldable show, suggesting Apple might need moved previous this roadblock — if all these rumors are to be believed, in fact.
Learn extra: High Foldable Telephones for 2025
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Design: What’s going to the foldable iPhone appear to be?
This illustration, in accordance with Apple’s patent submitting, exhibits a “system that bends alongside a versatile portion equivalent to a versatile seam related to a hinge.”
A 2021 report from Bloomberg indicated Apple already had a working prototype of a foldable iPhone show. Whereas it wasn’t a working mannequin, it was a step up from a patent — which, till then, was all we had seen.
Apple appears to have taken out each patent underneath the solar in relation to foldable shows, together with an origami-style folding show, a flip-up show and even a wraparound show. We do not know which one will make the ultimate reduce, however each Kuo and Bloomberg appear to agree that the present prototype is extra of a conventional fold-out design.
In contrast to Microsoft’s Floor Duo, which has hinges on the outside, Apple’s would have one steady show with a hidden hinge mechanism just like the Galaxy Fold.
Apple leaker Jon Prosser reported in early 2021 that the iPhone Flip will possible use a clamshell design and are available a number of “enjoyable colours.” Between the intense pastels of the iPhone 15 and Plus and the sleeker deep blue of the iPhone 15 Professional and Professional Max, an array of enjoyable colours for Apple’s first foldable system is unquestionably a chance.
YouTuber ConceptsiPhone additionally gave us a glimpse into what the iPhone Flip may look with idea artwork of the foldable iPhone within the colours blue, purple, gold and inexperienced.
In March 2025, analyst Kuo had some very particular however non-clamshell predictions: that Apple would launch a book-style foldable with a 5.5-inch outer display that unfolded to have a 7.8-inch inner display, and be 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded however 9-9.5mm thick. It will have the identical high-density battery cells because the “ultra-thin iPhone 17” and a hinge with stainless-steel and titanium alloy (a favourite materials of Apple’s iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max in addition to the Apple Watch Extremely 2).
Per Kuo’s predictions, the foldable could have two rear cameras and a front-facing digicam on each the exterior and inner shows. Most apparently, Kuo additionally expects that Apple’s book-style foldable will see the return of Contact ID as a facet button, as Face ID may be omitted because of area constraints — presumably for the array of depth-of-field sensors and cameras wanted for the tech.
Roadblocks: What nonetheless stands in Apple’s approach?
CNET’s Vanessa Hand Orellana is testing the pliability of a Corning glass show.
Samsung and others have been testing the waters, however Apple has been studying from the ache factors of their foldable units and determining how they’d be used.
Considered one of these ache factors is the crease. Quite a lot of the present cowl supplies, together with the glass and plastic combine that Samsung makes use of for the Z Fold and Z Flip, present a visual crease when folded out to full display. To keep away from it, Apple would possible have to attend for Corning, Apple’s glass supplier, to create some type of bendable model of its Ceramic Protect display. The corporate is already engaged on a bendable glass however hasn’t introduced a launch date for it.
Kuo tweeted in April 2022 that Apple was testing a foldable OLED display. Korean tech information web site The Elec additionally reported that Apple was working with LG to develop a foldable OLED panel.
Price: Foldable telephones do not come low-cost
Worth is one other main drawback for these kinds of units. Though Samsung nonetheless has essentially the most reasonably priced folding cellphone with the clamshell Motorola Razr at $700, most others within the class are book-style foldables just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, that are round twice the worth of most flagship telephones. We would not anticipate a foldable iPhone to be cheaper than its rivals. Apple’s foldable must be according to present foldable and nonfoldable fashions to have the ability to compete towards different manufacturers and entice iPhone customers to ditch their single-screen units and pay extra for a foldable.
Analyst Kuo predicted {that a} book-style iPhone foldable coming in 2026 could possibly be priced wherever from $2,000 to $2,500 because it’s “anticipated to generate robust alternative demand-despite the premium price-provided high quality meets expectations.”
A report final yr discovered that half of American shoppers are taken with shopping for a foldable cellphone, although Apple clients are barely much less prepared to make the leap than Samsung or LG customers. Maybe the “Apple impact” will change these stats if and when a foldable iPhone ever turns into a actuality.
