Foldable iPhone's Crease-Free Display Tech Spotted at CES 2026

[-BigMac-]

That is a good request.

But there are also people who want a physically small sized phone.
A size where any of the current iPhone models would be considered oversized. Where even the iPhone mini would be considered too large.
They basically want a phone the size of a small wallet - but still with a decent sized screen. Not an Apple Watch sized screen.

This can be done with a foldable device. Imagine a regular iPhone 17 - that folds in half.

If one would want a large screen Internet communication device - there are iPads for that! An iPhone that folds into an iPad mini is not really adding anything new to the Apple lineup.
Yet if one would want a truly small sized phone - there is currently nothing from Apple.

That’s a fair use case in theory, but a foldable is a very expensive way to solve it. You’re trading thickness, weight, a hinge, a crease, worse durability, and battery compromises just to simulate ‘small when closed.’ A genuinely small phone with a modern edge to edge display would be the cleaner engineering solution.

Foldables don’t magically create space -they rearrange it and add failure points. If Apple can make a phone the size of a small wallet without a hinge, thats objectively the better design. The fact that Apple doesn’t currently offer it is a lineup choice, not a technical necessity.

 

[wonderings]

No one is forcing you to buy it.

It was sarcasm as obviously no one is forcing anyone to buy an iPhone they don't want.

 

[The Game 161]

That’s a fair use case in theory, but a foldable is a very expensive way to solve it. You’re trading thickness, weight, a hinge, a crease, worse durability, and battery compromises just to simulate ‘small when closed.’ A genuinely small phone with a modern edge to edge display would be the cleaner engineering solution.

Foldables don’t magically create space -they rearrange it and add failure points. If Apple can make a phone the size of a small wallet without a hinge, thats objectively the better design. The fact that Apple doesn’t currently offer it is a lineup choice, not a technical necessity.

Thing is the thinness and weight is expected to be very thin and light weight and still have a big battery. Bigger than pro max

There's certainly negatives to foldables like durability and cameras but the downsides are certainly very minimal to what they were

 

[iMac The Knife]

The Fold likely isn't the phone for me. I like a minimalist iPhone (Air) when I'm out, and a tiny tablet (iPad Mini) when I'm home, but I don't need/want to combine them because I use them in different places and in different ways (quick tasks when I'm out, heavy consumption when I'm home).

But I do always carry my iPad Mini around at home, and not being able to pocket it is annoying. So I might be interested in the Fold purely as an iPad Mini replacement that can fold in half and fit in my pocket. It will be expensive for a secondary device--although time-wise I do tend to use my iPad Mini quite a bit more than my phone so it might be somewhat justified.
The other question is will it function well as a secondary device in terms of software. Currently iPhones don't have all the same Continuity functions as iPads.

I jumped ship when the Z Fold 3 came out. I gave my wife my iPad Mini about a week later. I've never looked back and I have zero regrets. I'm glad Apple is finally coming into the fold.

 

[iMac The Knife]

I agree yeah. I only use my iPad at home and have no real use for it during the day on the move and could carry it now but I don't. It'll have its market but very much doubt and hope it doesn't become a mainstream iPhone that forces devices under it to lack the premium features. As long as Apple make Pro Max iPhones I will remain as a customer.

Once you buy a foldable, you'll be surprised how often you end up using the inner display. Whether I am at home or on the go, I use the inner display well over 50% of the time because it's a far better experience in both viewing and typing.

 

[iMac The Knife]

Really?

I've instantly been able to spot foldable phones on display whenever i walk into a store from 6 feet away, because it sticks out like dogs bollocks. Are you guys blind? Genuinely... my eyesight isn't what it used to be and i have zero issues spotting the crease to the point of it being distracting...

I assume your house isn't lit up like Best Buy, AT&T, Verizon, etc...and if it is, you're doing it wrong. 🙂 It's not even close to the same experience viewing a foldable in a store and viewing one at home.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Once you buy a foldable, you'll be surprised how often you end up using the inner display. Whether I am at home or on the go, I use the inner display well over 50% of the time because it's a far better experience in both viewing and typing.

I have have no interest in even going down that route though. The price of them is not likely to be competitive either for me, so as long as a Pro Max exists, I will happily stick with that.

 

[iMac The Knife]

I have have no interest in even going down that route though. The price of them is not likely to be competitive either for me, so as long as a Pro Max exists, I will happily stick with that.

I'm not trying to sell you on foldables or anything, I just wanted to mention what I mentioned because I was surprised with my own inner screen usage. People can buy whichever phone or phones make them happy. That's really all that matters.

 

[sleep/to/dream]

I won’t - and talking about why is literally what comment sections are for, sleeptodream. You might want to wake up to that part.

I’m awake (unfortunately), just growing tired of the negativity around here

You’re asking Apple not to make something other people may want. They aren’t reinventing the wheel, it’s a new product category. If it’s not for you that’s fine, but you’re complaining about something that hasn’t released yet, that doesn’t appeal to you, that has nothing to do with the iPhone Pro. If the Fold was out, and you wanted a foldable but had constructive criticism regarding how it actually turned out, that would be different

The Pro phone you’re asking Apple to make already exists, and will continue to be made. The new Pro is the most Pro it’s ever been now that the Air is there for the luxury side, with the biggest battery ever and essentially no bezel, I don’t understand what you’re asking them to change about it

Apple makes VERY few products for how big of a company they are, they could double their product portfolio if they wanted and it would be nothing compared to what a smaller company like Sony makes

Let those of us that enjoy foldables have our phone already. We’ve been waiting 7 years

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I'm not trying to sell you on foldables or anything, I just wanted to mention what I mentioned because I was surprised with my own inner screen usage. People can buy whichever phone or phones make them happy. That's really all that matters.

I know, its just this is a niche device really based on function and predicted pricing category anyway. I think the vast majority of iPhone users will be like me and continue buying regular or Pro iPhones. As long as there is choice, people will buy what is desirable. My iPad serves my needs for larger viewing, and I don't want one device serving both purposes.

 

[abowlby]

*reads comments*

Ah yes, this tired old canard.

1. Company that isn't Apple makes awesome thing.
2. Apple fans who accept stagnancy to varying degrees prattle on about how unnecessary said awesome thing is.
3. Apple comes out with same thing.
4. "OMG this is game changing, Apple just does it right." *pays 1,000 American dollarydoos for a monitor stand made out of old beer cans*

That said, I enjoy the Fold 7 and look forward to what Apple brings to the table in September.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The new Pro is the most Pro it’s ever been now that the Air is there for the luxury side, with the biggest battery ever and essentially no bezel, I don’t understand what you’re asking them to change about it

I must admit that isn't my take on the Air as I've never associated being thin with being luxurious. Different interpretations I suppose.

 

[abowlby]

I know, its just this is a niche device really based on function and predicted pricing category anyway. I think the vast majority of iPhone users will be like me and continue buying regular or Pro iPhones. As long as there is choice, people will buy what is desirable. My iPad serves my needs for larger viewing, and I don't want one device serving both purposes.

If I had my druthers it would be an iPhone, folded out to an iPad mini that when docked launched macOS. They have the silicon to do it, they just won't because of 💰.

 

[darngooddesign]

*reads comments*

Ah yes, this tired old canard.

1. Company that isn't Apple makes awesome thing.
2. Apple fans who accept stagnancy to varying degrees prattle on about how unnecessary said awesome thing is.
3. Apple comes out with same thing.
4. "OMG this is game changing, Apple just does it right." *pays 1,000 American dollarydoos for a monitor stand made out of old beer cans*

That said, I enjoy the Fold 7 and look forward to what Apple brings to the table in September.

3.5. Realizes that the issues they had with the awesome thing have been solved enough by Apple.

 

[frownface]

For the life of me I will never understand the people that flood every single iPhone fold article to tell everyone how they hate it etc, or even claim that nobody else would want the fold because they don’t want it. They act like they’ll be forced to buy it or that Apple is going to kill the existing lineup.

Apparently a company as large as apple can only work on one thing at a time.

I for one look forward to seeing what the new fold can do; even if i don't plan to buy one

 

[abowlby]

3.5. Realizes that the issues they had with the awesome thing have been solved enough by Apple.

Like when the notch solved for the hole punch?

 

[darngooddesign]

Like when the notch solved for the hole punch?

The iPhone X's notch came out like two years before the first holepunch, but Apple wasnt even the first with a notch.

 

[-BigMac-]

I’m awake (unfortunately), just growing tired of the negativity around here

You’re asking Apple not to make something other people may want. They aren’t reinventing the wheel, it’s a new product category. If it’s not for you that’s fine, but you’re complaining about something that hasn’t released yet, that doesn’t appeal to you, that has nothing to do with the iPhone Pro. If the Fold was out, and you wanted a foldable but had constructive criticism regarding how it actually turned out, that would be different

The Pro phone you’re asking Apple to make already exists, and will continue to be made. The new Pro is the most Pro it’s ever been now that the Air is there for the luxury side, with the biggest battery ever and essentially no bezel, I don’t understand what you’re asking them to change about it

Apple makes VERY few products for how big of a company they are, they could double their product portfolio if they wanted and it would be nothing compared to what a smaller company like Sony makes

Let those of us that enjoy foldables have our phone already. We’ve been waiting 7 years

You’re projecting a motive that isn’t there. I’m not asking Apple not to make anything, and I’m certainly not confused about choice existing. Criticising a product direction before launch isn’t ‘negativity’, it’s how expectations get set -especially when the direction involves obvious engineering trade offs like hinges, creases, thickness, durability, and battery density.

Calling it a ‘new category’ doesn’t magically exempt it from criticism. Foldables have existed for years - the strengths and weaknesses are well understood. Saying ‘wait until it ships’ only makes sense if this were an unknown concept. It isn’t.

And no, the Pro being ‘the most Pro ever’ doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Multiday battery life, structural simplicity, and durability are still unsolved problems in phones. Wanting Apple to push that further isn’t unreasonable just because another product is coming.

You’re excited for foldables. That’s fine. Some of us think they’re a compromise dressed up as progress. Both opinions can coexist in a discussion forum without anyone being told to stop talking.

 

[sleep/to/dream]

You’re projecting a motive that isn’t there. I’m not asking Apple not to make anything, and I’m certainly not confused about choice existing. Criticising a product direction before launch isn’t ‘negativity’, it’s how expectations get set -especially when the direction involves obvious engineering trade offs like hinges, creases, thickness, durability, and battery density.

Calling it a ‘new category’ doesn’t magically exempt it from criticism. Foldables have existed for years - the strengths and weaknesses are well understood. Saying ‘wait until it ships’ only makes sense if this were an unknown concept. It isn’t.

And no, the Pro being ‘the most Pro ever’ doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Multiday battery life, structural simplicity, and durability are still unsolved problems in phones. Wanting Apple to push that further isn’t unreasonable just because another product is coming.

You’re excited for foldables. That’s fine. Some of us think they’re a compromise dressed up as progress. Both opinions can coexist in a discussion forum without anyone being told to stop talking.

You said “Stop trying to reinvent the wheel”, to me that sounds like you’d rather they didn’t make a foldable? Unless I’m misunderstanding. We don’t yet know what the crease will look like, how thick it will be, how durable it will be, or what the battery life will be like in normal use

My 14 PM lasted me two days of heavy use, and by all accounts the 17 PM has significantly better battery life. How much do you want it to weigh? What is simpler than the unibody construction they switched to, and what do you think could be done to improve durability on a slab phone made of metal/glass, without a case?

I’m no engineer, but I think the heavier the phone is (more battery) the more likely it is to be damaged in a drop as it will have more kinetic energy that’s transferred to everything in it when it hits the ground. You also asked for zero bezels, which is antithetical to durability

Looking at these drop tests, the old Fold 3 appears to have survived better than the iPhone 17 and S25 🤷🏼‍♀️ I had a Fold 3, and didn’t have any issues with durability, and I didn’t notice the crease while the screen was on. If it wasn’t for it running Android I’d still be using it

 

[abowlby]

The iPhone X's notch came out like two years before the first holepunch, but Apple wasnt even the first with a notch.

Which they migrated to the industry standard hole punch. I don't care what they branded the thing as (Dynamic Island), it's a (double) hole punch.

Or take this creaseless display. It's Samsung and the Chinese OEMs pushing R&D into the foldable space that made it profitable for a company like South Korea's M-Tec to develop the laser drilled metal plate that will allow the dispersion of tension across the display thus eliminating the crease.

Apple will have M-Tec drill a hole in a different location so that influencers can say "Apple designed display" but the truth of the matter is that the actual progress is in the blood, sweat and tears of the foundational tech. Apple can then come along with an open wallet and buy "their" innovation.

This isn't to say this is always the case with Apple. For example, I think Apple Silicon is from soup to nuts top notch in-house innovation. But this folding iPhone release is going to be a super cycle of classic Apple cognitive dissonance.

 

[groove-agent]

A shame you are going to be forced to buy this then. I on the other hand would love to have one device that is my phone and is an iPad that still fits in my pocket.

Totally. As much as Apple would like us to participate in the Apple trifecta of purchasing (iPad, Mac, iPad), I would love to have a foldable iPhone that could be used as a Mac and an iPad so I don't have to constantly rotate devices throughout my day.

Heck, I'd be happy with an iPad that ran MacOS for my daily driver. I love the iPad form factor, but hate being so limited with iPad crippleware versions of MacOS.

 

[Dglacier]

I might be wrong but it seems from the comments here that most of these people have not actually used a foldable phone as a daily driver. These things are more durable than what they seem and
very sturdy and well-built, and they just keep getting better and better. I've had the fold 2, the fold 3, and the fold 6 now. I can see why people would think about the quality because when I got my first one I would also fold it and open it very slowly but then I realized these things were more than meets the eye. I also like taking pictures and editing so it's great doing it here and every time I take pictures with my friends and then I show them the pictures we take they love how it looks on the display. Even for typing messages or anything else it feels great with the wide keyboard as if you were holding a sheet of paper. But anyway, to each its own. Just my two cents 🙂

 

[ScanTheNavian]

I'll buy it when you can roll up the screen 🙂.

 

[KevinN206]

That’s a fair use case in theory, but a foldable is a very expensive way to solve it. You’re trading thickness, weight, a hinge, a crease, worse durability, and battery compromises just to simulate ‘small when closed.’ A genuinely small phone with a modern edge to edge display would be the cleaner engineering solution.

Foldables don’t magically create space -they rearrange it and add failure points. If Apple can make a phone the size of a small wallet without a hinge, thats objectively the better design. The fact that Apple doesn’t currently offer it is a lineup choice, not a technical necessity.

The thickness, weight, and battery size are no longer trade off with foldable phones today. For example, the Honor Magic V5 has the same thickness, lighter, while having a larger battery capacity (edit: compared to iPhone Pro 17 Max).

I agree on the durability though, but the crease never bothered me. The fact that Apple hasn't entered the foldable market is certainly a choice, because Apple tends to be more conservative and wait until the technology is more ready. I am just glad that many players including Motorola is now entering the foldable phone market, and the last mover is Apple.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

For me, a crease in a foldable isn't the deal breaker. It's the hinge getting dirt/dust in it.

That's a good point. I keep my iPhone in my right front pants pocket, and there are days when just doing simple yard work outside the house, like blowing leaves, or vacuuming them up, trimming branches above my head, etc. drops enough debris into my pants pockets that if my iPhone was foldable, I'd be concerned about whether some of that debris was getting into the hinge. Guess we'll see what Apple's hinge design is like. A simple solution might be to take my iPhone out of my pocket when doing yard work, but I'd prefer to have it with me.