With over half a decade of foldable phones launched, units from Samsung, Google and Motorola, such because the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Motorola Razr Ultra and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (in addition to others from Oppo, Huawei and extra) have given customers a lot to select from. Notably absent is a foldable iPhone, leaving the folding cellphone area of interest handily dominated by Android devices.
Whereas we have but to see any official phrase on a foldable iPhone from Apple, the corporate 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 elements into the highest half of the Air, some have theorized that the system is a stepping stone to a foldable, which might reap the benefits of the Air’s inside design.
Foldable telephones characterize a tiny fraction of all telephones offered globally. CNET found that 64% of individuals surveyed stated they do not desire a foldable cellphone. However these numbers might change if Apple had been to promote a foldable iPhone. There’s plenty of hope and expectation positioned on Apple to launch one, and if rumors are right, we cannot have to attend for much longer for the corporate to take action.
Watch this: iPhone Flip: What Apple’s Foldable Future May Look Like
iPhone Fold historical past
Mock-ups of what the iPhone foldables might seem like.
Rumors recommend Apple is growing a book-style foldable just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Years in the past, in 2017, people predicted {that a} foldable iPhone might 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 maintain their hopes alive. Absent any confirmed particulars from Apple, here is the whole lot we all know up to now in regards to 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, reveals how lengthy the corporate has been engaged on a folding iPhone. Kuo’s report in early March stated that an Apple foldable might 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 related 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 targeted on the corporate’s struggles to get rid of the crease inside the inside 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 keeping with 9to5Mac. Prior rumors stated Apple could not launch its personal versatile display system till 2025, and Samsung hasn’t let cellphone followers overlook it by releasing an app that may let Apple cellphone homeowners expertise a Z Fold-esque expertise by placing two iPhones side-by-side.
Learn extra: I Visited Samsung’s Home Turf to See if Foldable Phones Are Really the Future
iPhone 2026 lineup
Apple’s Sept. 2025 lineup is made up of 4 iPhone fashions; every designed to attraction to totally different folks.
There isn’t any assure about which telephones Apple will launch throughout its typical September window, however the most secure guess is on one other collection of flat telephones, which we count on to be the iPhone 18 collection. However what else may very well be coming alongside the same old lineup?
There may very well be an iPhone Air 2, although rumors battle on whether or not to count on 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 recommended a clamshell system has been prioritized and will come first — given reviews of Apple researching a book-style foldable, we might get a type of as nicely.
iPhone Fold or iPhone Air 2?
Here’s a mockup that CNET designer Zooey Liao made exhibiting what an iPhone Air 2 with dual-rear cameras would possibly seem like.
There’s the possibility that we get an iPhone Fold subsequent yr, which rumors have stated might launch in 2026 on the earliest, although it might additionally come out in 2027 or later. It needs 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 Information says that Apple is delaying the discharge of the subsequent model of the iPhone, citing folks acquainted with 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 keeping 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 may very well be attributable to engineers who’re re-considering the Air’s design in order that it might assist a second rear digital camera.
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 attainable 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 inside specs the iPhone Fold can 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 wishes 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 might have a 5.5-inch outer display and seven.8-inch internal show. When folded up, it is going to be 9-9.5mm thick and 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded. A front-facing digital camera will probably be obtainable whether or not the cellphone is folded or unfolded, whereas it’ll 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.
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 might come out in 2026 or be pushed till subsequent yr.
As for timing, because the iPhone Air was launched alongside the iPhone 17 fashions, the Fold might come alongside the iPhone 18 collection. However since Apple launched the iPhone 16E early this yr, far earlier than the September window for its essential iPhone launch, the corporate might do the identical with the iPhone 17E in 2026. Apple might 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 keeping with an ET Information report. On condition that Samsung offsets its customary and foldable cellphone releases at Unpacked occasions months other than one another, Apple might do the identical.
What Apple’s new patent says in regards to the iPhone Flip
Here’s a mock-up of a Galaxy Z Flip working iOS to offers us some concept of what an iPhone FLip might presumably seem like.
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 Units With Sturdy Folding Shows,” was filed in November 2021 and granted on July 16, 2024.
Sadly for folding iPhone hopefuls, the patent would not provide a lot illumination of what an iPhone Flip would possibly seem like. 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 in regards to the bend axis when the digital system is jolted through 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 vital to notice that each one proof reveals Apple engaged on a foldable iPhone, however the patent broadly applies to folding shows basically — to wit, some determine schematics describe a tool that “could also be a mobile phone, pill laptop, laptop computer laptop, wristwatch system or different wearable system, a tv, a stand-alone laptop show or different monitor” or screens as far-ranging as on autos, in kiosks, in media gamers or different digital gear.
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 concept displays we saw at CES that unfold nearly 360 degrees.
Two foldable iPhone Flips?
Foldable iPhone hopefuls will a minimum of be inspired that Apple seemingly continues to tinker with an iPhone Flip design. The corporate is alleged to be engaged on two sizes of folding iPhones: a book-style and a clamshell-style, in keeping with an older report by The Information, though this can be contradicted by a more recent report by the same site suggesting Apple had settled on the latter for a smaller system. This aligns with prior rumors hinting the iPhone Flip will probably be within the clamshell format much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip collection or Motorola Razr Extremely.
It seems like Apple’s been struggling to fulfill its excessive expectations: The corporate’s design staff desires the iPhone Flip to be half as skinny as present iPhone fashions and to have shows on the skin which are seen when the system is folded shut, in keeping with the report.
Growth on the iPhone Flip was halted round 2020, the older report famous, with a view to concentrate on a brand new challenge, 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 might launch in 2027
The emblem for Apple’s fall 2025 occasion invitation is interactive: a warmth signature stays the place you contact or click on and maintain.
The newest indications of an iPhone Flip launch date got here again in June, when analyst Kuo suggested manufacturing might kick off in 2026 with telephones popping out that yr. This follows Kuo’s earlier prediction in March that the corporate might launch a crease-free foldable by the top of 2026. Moreover, this might possible be a book-style foldable with a 7.8-inch inside show and 5.5-inch exterior display, which is counter to different predictions anticipating a clamshell-style foldable.
It is attainable that these timeline predictions apply to 1 or the opposite or, as a result of imprecise nature of rumors, even each — that’s, Apple may very well be engaged on each a book-style and clamshell type foldable, although it is much less clear if launch date expectations could 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 (bear in mind AirPower?), there’s nonetheless been buzz and attainable launch dates floated for years — although nonetheless not one strong 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 (via MacRumors) recommended 2023 is perhaps extra real looking (although that yr has come and gone). In response to 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 Power On 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 Fixed Focus Digital, recommended that the foldable iPhone challenge 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 just a few 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 more moderen March 2025 predictions explicitly famous a crease-free foldable show, suggesting Apple may need moved previous this roadblock — if all these rumors are to be believed, after all.
Learn extra: Top Foldable Phones for 2025
Watch this: Foldable Telephones Could Be the Future. In South Korea, They’re the Current
Design: What is going to the foldable iPhone seem like?
This illustration, in keeping with Apple’s patent submitting, reveals 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 below the solar in terms of 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 lower, however each Kuo and Bloomberg appear to agree that the present prototype is extra of a standard 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 likely use a clamshell design and come in several “fun colors.” Between the bright 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 risk.
YouTuber ConceptsiPhone additionally gave us a glimpse into what the iPhone Flip might look with idea artwork of the foldable iPhone within the colours blue, pink, 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 inside display, and be 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded however 9-9.5mm thick. It could 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 can have two rear cameras and a front-facing digital camera on each the exterior and inside shows. Most curiously, Kuo additionally expects that Apple’s book-style foldable will see the return of Contact ID as a facet button, as Face ID is perhaps unnoticed as a result of house 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.
One in every of these ache factors is the crease. Lots 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 sort 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 news site The Elec also reported that Apple was working with LG to develop a foldable OLED panel.
Price: Foldable telephones do not come low-cost
Value is one other main drawback for most of these units. Though Samsung nonetheless has probably the most inexpensive 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 count on a foldable iPhone to be cheaper than its rivals. Apple’s foldable must be in keeping with 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 may very well be priced wherever from $2,000 to $2,500 because it’s “anticipated to generate sturdy alternative demand-despite the premium price-provided high quality meets expectations.”
A report final yr discovered that half of American customers are curious about shopping for a foldable cellphone, although Apple clients are barely much less keen 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.
