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Apple's first foldable iPhone should arrive around the end of 2026 or early 2027 with a book-style design and a premium price tag of over $2,000, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a report today, Kuo outlines his expectations for the device, noting that it will have an approximately 7.8-inch "crease-free" inner display and a 5.5-inch outer display, matching a rumor from last month.

iPhone-Fold-Vertical-Feature.jpg

Kuo says that the foldable iPhone will measure between 9 and 9.5 mm when folded, and around 4.5 to 4.8 mm when unfolded. It will feature a titanium alloy casing with a hinge made of stainless steel and titanium alloy, and it will have a dual-lens rear camera with a front-facing camera for both folded and unfolded states.

Notably, Kuo says that the phone will forgo Face ID authentication, instead using a Touch ID side button as a means to save precious internal space. It will also be positioned as a "true AI-driven phone," with the larger screens allowing for a better multi-tasking AI experience.

With premium pricing above $2,000 and perhaps even above $2,500, Kuo believes the foldable iPhone will tap into Apple's loyal fanbase, some of whom will view it as a "must-have device" if its quality meets expectations.

Kuo says Apple is aiming to finalize the specs of its first foldable iPhone during the second quarter of this year and officially kick off the project in the third quarter. Mass production is reportedly planned for the fourth quarter of 2026, so we could perhaps see a launch late next year or in early 2027. A second-generation model is said to be in the pipeline for a year later.

Article Link: Kuo: Apple's First Foldable iPhone to Feature Book-Style Design, Sell for Over $2,000
 


Apple's first foldable iPhone should arrive around the end of 2026 or early 2027 with a book-style design and a premium price tag of over $2,000, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
It isn't surprising. Any phone maker's sandwiching two smartphones together so it becomes 2x the price.

I'd never buy one because of durability concerns and it'll add another step for me to use it.
 
Man, I’d be tempted to purchase it at 2K, but above that and it’s a tough sell to me.

I’d be more curious how it feels and if it feels as premium as the price (or cheap like other foldable phones can be after many uses and touches), so would more than likely wait this out until I could hold it on my own hands at a local Apple Store before purchasing.
 
I am probably one of a few that can remember and lived through what I am about to say. Apple's offerings from phones to SoCs is starting to look and feel MESSY. A la 1995 through 1997 when Apple's entire series of 'Performa' and 'Power Macintosh' machines were essentially the same, but with different labels, e.g. the 5200/5400 series and the 6200/6300/6400 series. Now they want to introduce a foldable.
 
$2000 is an underestimation. The Pro Max is $1200.
Timmy wants super margins. I see it being $3K+ easily.

Either it’s $1,999, or it’s DOA. Aside from influencers and posers, there’s no way anyone would buy it when they could get an iPhone and an iPad Mini for the same price or less.

If it goes beyond $3K, it’ll just sit there collecting dust on Apple Store shelves—just like the Vision Pro.
 
Foldable phones have been really niche thus far, it will definitely be interesting to see how Apple plays this out. If it runs the iPad version of apps when in tablet mode, that might actually be useful, in particular if there’s some sort of Apple Pencil mini. Running 2 iOS apps side by side would also be useful especially if you can drag and drop between apps.

$2000 is definitely a lot to ask though. Even the $1800 prices from Samsung are a bit much.

Another interesting thing will be how they handle the aspect ratio for both the internal displays and external.
 
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