What? $2k is several hundred dollars more than both a better iPhone AND a better iPad.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
JPMorgan: Foldable iPhone to Launch in September 2026
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I’m holding out for the foldable Apple Car like on the Jetsons
No way
They are way too big of a company to just up and fail like that
Aside from hardware, they have many services (like the most recent AppleCare One) that have been killing it
agree...in general iphone pro starts from 999 and ipad pro from 999 so in total around 2k anyway...its just the convenience that you can carry around you a mini tablet thats all...but if the tablet has different OS and store like macOS then, i will change my mind
Just like the ProMax the iPhonebook will start at 256GB.
Compare
512GB iPhoneBook for $2200
to
512GB iPhone Pro + 512GB cellular iPadMini + 3 years of a data plan for the iPad
It's hard to say which slab phone will be its closest analog price-wise because it will probably have the iPhone Air's cameras, but it will have the Pro Phone RAM and at least the ProMax's battery.
But yeah, if you keep one or both of your device base then the iPhonebook will be more expensive.
Last edited:
This could be the device that thieves will covet the most and be easier to "borrow" because it will be too wide for a person's one hand to have a solid grip like on the current iPhones.
Apple is usually good at figuring out what people want before people want it. This is the key thing.
If you had asked people what they want 20 years ago, they would've said a Blackberry but with a bigger keyboard. Hell, people would have wanted floppy disks with higher capacity instead of CDs or SSDs
10 years too late
Apple will launch its first foldable iPhone in September 2026 as part of the iPhone 18 lineup, according to JPMorgan.
In a market research note to investors, the bank supported the increasingly corroborated rumor that Apple will launch the device next year. The iPhone 17 lineup will apparently offer few compelling upgrades, resulting in investor focus shifting to Apple's 2026 launches.
The first foldable iPhone will apparently be priced at $1,999 and create a $65 billion market opportunity for Apple, with high-single-digit earnings accretion in the medium term. JPMorgan forecasts foldable iPhone sales of around 45 million units by 2028, starting in the low-teens millions in 2027. Foldable smartphone sales in 2025 reside at around 19 million units; Apple's influence on the market is expected to be considerable.
Apple's first foldable iPhone is rumored to feature an inward-folding book-style 7.8-inch display with virtually no crease, a 5.5-inch outer display, a titanium chassis, a durable hinge with Liquid Metal, two rear cameras, and Touch ID instead of Face ID.
Article Link: JPMorgan: Foldable iPhone to Launch in September 2026
Here is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold cover screen (blue) vs. the iPhone Fold (green). You lose some height, but gain some width:
Visual TV Size Comparison : 6.3 inch 1080x2424 display vs 5.49 inch 1422x2088 display
Visual size comparison of a 6.3 inch 1080x2424 display vs 5.49 inch 1422x2088 display
There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s a big enough market for a $2K foldable iPhone. First, you’ll see them in the hands of celebrities and influencers. And it’ll go from there. I’m not sure that I personally would want one (certainly not at that price). I’d be much more interested in an iPhone Flip - but that’s just me. My 16 Plus is good to go for several years. So I’ll have plenty of time to check out any foldable iPhone as well as any iPhone Air.
Alongside my 16pm, I have an honor magic v3 folder…it has its place and there’s definitely some bonuses to a flip phone. If Apple can FINALLY get their software act together, the Apple folder can be a major win. But…yes BUT…it all depends on the software department. They’ve absolutely blown it for years now. Hardware side has pretty much always been rockstars, but software at Apple
Should be ashamed of themselves. If they can get it right, the marriage of hardware and software on the new Apple device will be amazing I’m sure.
Should be ashamed of themselves. If they can get it right, the marriage of hardware and software on the new Apple device will be amazing I’m sure.
Same. It's all anecdotal of course, but I prowl reddit fairly heavily, have for some years, and I've *never* seen anything like the iOS -> Android switching that the Fold 7 has brought out. The hardware is amazing. If not for iCloud/ecosystem lock-in I'd already have one.
People that denigrate folding phones simply haven't tried them. I have been using the Fold 6 and now Fold 7 - and there lots of advantages here for many users (not all). Multitasking and productivity features are truly a pleasure. And it's not the same as having an iPad mini - you just can't carry that everywhere. I'm using them with MacBooks without too much trouble although do miss some integrations. These are easily worked around though. If Windows were not such a complete disaster, I'd consider shifting away completely. The (rumored) size of the (rumored) Apple foldable is way too small, and defeats the purpose - so I'm not sure it will be such a great product. Also, Samsung will be releasing the Fold 8 in July 2025 - not to mention a bunch of other competitors are in the field like Oppo, Honor, etc (though they are not players in North America).
Everyone has different use cases for their Apple ecosystems, but I was very deep in the Apple ecosystem and I made the switch back when the Z Fold 3 came out. It really wasn't that difficult to make the switch, and I owned pretty much every Apple device (some multiples) outside of the Mac Pro.
Yup I hear you. If it were just me I could easily switch. Thing is we have something like 10 shared family calendars on iCloud. Family members have already said they are not willing to make their iCloud calendars public so that they can be shared to gCal or anywhere else. And they're not willing to switch to gCal or anything else. So that's kinda that for me.
I will say though, that if Apple's foldable doesn't do it for me, I'm going to switch to the Fold 8 or Pixel Fold 11 next year. iCloud calendar sharing be damned.
Apple has been slipping on many of their scheduled projects. I'll be surprised if they meet the September 2026 timeline.
Yeah, that would be a tougher switch in your case for sure!
Too bad we cannot wager, because I would give great odds against your "...predict they will go out of business by 2030."
In 2026 I wonder if the foldable or non-foldable iPhone will have higher quality cameras? Maybe the non-foldable iPhone will have superior camera lenses & system because of being thicker? 🤔
Yup. I made the switch at Fold 6 and at 7 I am really happy with it. I've also owned every single Apple device. Integrated system is not hard - just have to use 3rd party software for notes, reminders etc. These are often superior but maybe not as seamless.
Option - they could just move their iCloud calendars to GCal. Rather than 'sharing' them. It would be easy enough and works just as well with Apple Calendar apps etc. Also, sharing them to gCal does not make them 'public' - but if they are concerned they could just move them.
A) We have not touched one yet. Not even seen an Apple PR release.
B) An Apple folding phone will literally be a new device. So it is not about "improves anything," it is about a new device. Call it a ffablet or whatever you like, but the point is that it is a different product, neither an improved iPhone nor an improved iPad.
Will I personally want one? Maybe, but see item A above.
Indeed they have gone downhill. I have sold off my AAPL in chunks over the past 2 years. I don’t think they’ll go out of business, but the days of major innovation and outsized growth are in the past