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.
Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Looking forward to this!
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things.
These are just the current rumors, and in the years before a device actually launches, information can be all over the place due to Apple's experimentation. The details we're hearing are starting to firm up, but there could be changes before it comes out. And given Apple's track record lately, it might never be released.
- Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple wants to get away from the pesky crease that impacts most foldable smartphones on the market. Apple is aiming for an entirely creaseless look so you won't be distracted by a visible line going through the middle of the display.
- It'll open like a book. Based on the myriad rumors we've heard, Apple experimented with multiple designs. There was talk last year that Apple would go with a clamshell design that opens top to bottom, like the Galaxy Z Flip. That's possibly something we'll see in the future, but now it's sounding like Apple's first foldable iPhone will have the book-like design we've seen in foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold. iOS isn't designed for a horizontal orientation, so this is going to require some major software updates. Apple is rumored to be working to redesign iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 to be more consistent cross-platform, and that kind of design would work well when you need an operating system that works seamlessly in both vertical and horizontal orientations.
- For size, imagine the iPad mini. When it's closed, Apple's foldable iPhone is rumored to have a 5.5-inch outer display, which is smaller than current iPhone models that start at 6.1 inches. When opened, though, it will be 7.8 inches, which isn't too far off from the old 7.9-inch iPad mini. Picture the iPad mini in horizontal orientation, or put two 6.1-inch iPhones side by side to get an idea of how big the display might be.
- It's going to be thick and thin. Apple is going to use some iPhone 17 Air tech for the foldable iPhone, and it could be as thin as 4.8mm when it's opened up. That's even thinner than the 5.1-inch 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is Apple's thinnest device to date. When closed, though, it'll be somewhere around 9mm to 9.5mm, which is chunky.
- It might have Touch ID. This is a weird one, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple might use a Touch ID power button instead of Face ID. If Apple can't slim down that front-facing TrueDepth camera module enough to get the screen to an acceptable thinness, Touch ID could work instead.
- It's going to cost you. Foldable smartphones are far from cheap, even from Android manufacturers. Apple's version is going to be expensive, with rumors suggesting it will be priced somewhere around $2,000 to $2,500.
Right now, it looks like we could get the first foldable iPhone right around late 2026, so we might be hearing more in the coming months as we get into the 2026 iPhone rumor cycle.
Article Link: Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone
It’s not for me, but hopefully it finds it’s demo.
I once tried to use both a mini and an 11” for work where in the morning I had to make rounds to check in on departments but I found the Max I already had in my pocket the best óption by far for me)l. With a foldable I can easily picture myself fuddling around with the folding screen. I am certain I’ll break it within a week, just as I broke both my Mini and 11”. But then again, I was using them on the go, whereas most people will likely just use it in their home or office.
I once tried to use both a mini and an 11” for work where in the morning I had to make rounds to check in on departments but I found the Max I already had in my pocket the best óption by far for me)l. With a foldable I can easily picture myself fuddling around with the folding screen. I am certain I’ll break it within a week, just as I broke both my Mini and 11”. But then again, I was using them on the go, whereas most people will likely just use it in their home or office.
This is hilarious. Apple has been trying for years to make a foldable screen without a crease because they don't like how the crease is a distraction. At the same time, they have put a notch in all their screens and don't see any distraction issues with that whatsoever. Steve Jobs is rolling in his grave watching how idiotic his company has become...
If this is what they put out for 2K i will happly buy it on day one if i can. I will save up all next year for this as this is what ive been wanting for YEARS...
Look. Ive bought (And Returned) the Ipad Mini 6 and 7, multiple times. I want to love that device, i truly do but it feels so lazy now espically compared to my iphone 16 pro max.
If i can have both (be it a smaller) Iphone Pro and a Pro Ipad Mini in the same device...i want that device. Its so fustrating that right now we got two devices that if we just blended together would be a dream device for me, and neither one does everything as good as it could.
Why we dont have Split Screen Apps on the Iphone still boggles my mind. Why the Ipad Mini does not have FaceID or OLED 120HZ screen infuriates me despite it being the perfect portable size.
It so aggervating that we have the technology to build this all in one wonderful device, yet we have to wait for apple to do it.
I want this phone! Ok so maybe we lose faceID...i can live with that but everything else about this phone sounds like a dream come true for me.
Please let it happen. Just give me a heads up so i can save for it!
Look. Ive bought (And Returned) the Ipad Mini 6 and 7, multiple times. I want to love that device, i truly do but it feels so lazy now espically compared to my iphone 16 pro max.
If i can have both (be it a smaller) Iphone Pro and a Pro Ipad Mini in the same device...i want that device. Its so fustrating that right now we got two devices that if we just blended together would be a dream device for me, and neither one does everything as good as it could.
Why we dont have Split Screen Apps on the Iphone still boggles my mind. Why the Ipad Mini does not have FaceID or OLED 120HZ screen infuriates me despite it being the perfect portable size.
It so aggervating that we have the technology to build this all in one wonderful device, yet we have to wait for apple to do it.
I want this phone! Ok so maybe we lose faceID...i can live with that but everything else about this phone sounds like a dream come true for me.
Please let it happen. Just give me a heads up so i can save for it!
I wish they would bring TouchID back to the regular phones. That was so premium having my phone unlocked before it’s out of my pocket. Now I have to pull my phone away from my face to put it at the ideal distance for it to be able to focus. It makes it seem like I’m taking an selfie and feels silly.
This is such a tired argument. Phones stopped being only a phone long ago. Now they are pocketable PCs. I haven’t researched it but believe you can get basic phone only devices for a fraction of the cost.
Can’t avoid crease and if the prices go above $2000 then chances of success will be limited. People will forget about it. Also, people avoid first two iterations in any case to see if it’s worth! At $2500, welcome to AVP fate!
Can’t agree with this….It is not so easy to carry and iPad Mini or 11” with you. Personally I believe if Apple can solve the problems it will fly off the shelves. Most people are bad at knowing what they want until they see it.
The screen size define the UI and the UX of a product, to fold a screen mining the screen size is changing on-the-go mining the UI and UX changing on-the-go, it’s a new philosophy on how mobile device “behaves”.
this product is not an iPhone, I think foldable devices will define new categories of devices that eventually replace/combine iPhone and iPad software and use cases on some degree with new form factors and new UI & UX, new behaviors and new thinking.
I would call this new category of devices Quantum or Due or Fusion, something like that.
this product is not an iPhone, I think foldable devices will define new categories of devices that eventually replace/combine iPhone and iPad software and use cases on some degree with new form factors and new UI & UX, new behaviors and new thinking.
I would call this new category of devices Quantum or Due or Fusion, something like that.
Last edited:
I've never understood why companies want to make a foldable phone. With foldable screens, wouldn't it be better to have an expandable phone, instead of foldable?
You wouldn't have to deal with the crease and the double thickness, and it would be more elegant to expand the phone screen to become and tablet-size phone.
You wouldn't have to deal with the crease and the double thickness, and it would be more elegant to expand the phone screen to become and tablet-size phone.
Let's keep going with this. Will it even have a camera on the inside for FaceTime calls in its open tablet state?
If I had to guess, the device will have both FaceID and TouchID - FaceID for the "phone state", TouchID for the "tablet state"
1. good luck, I'm not holding my breath on this one.
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things.
These are just the current rumors, and in the years before a device actually launches, information can be all over the place due to Apple's experimentation. The details we're hearing are starting to firm up, but there could be changes before it comes out. And given Apple's track record lately, it might never be released.
- Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple wants to get away from the pesky crease that impacts most foldable smartphones on the market. Apple is aiming for an entirely creaseless look so you won't be distracted by a visible line going through the middle of the display.
- It'll open like a book. Based on the myriad rumors we've heard, Apple experimented with multiple designs. There was talk last year that Apple would go with a clamshell design that opens top to bottom, like the Galaxy Z Flip. That's possibly something we'll see in the future, but now it's sounding like Apple's first foldable iPhone will have the book-like design we've seen in foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold. iOS isn't designed for a horizontal orientation, so this is going to require some major software updates. Apple is rumored to be working to redesign iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 to be more consistent cross-platform, and that kind of design would work well when you need an operating system that works seamlessly in both vertical and horizontal orientations.
- For size, imagine the iPad mini. When it's closed, Apple's foldable iPhone is rumored to have a 5.5-inch outer display, which is smaller than current iPhone models that start at 6.1 inches. When opened, though, it will be 7.8 inches, which isn't too far off from the old 7.9-inch iPad mini. Picture the iPad mini in horizontal orientation, or put two 6.1-inch iPhones side by side to get an idea of how big the display might be.
- It's going to be thick and thin. Apple is going to use some iPhone 17 Air tech for the foldable iPhone, and it could be as thin as 4.8mm when it's opened up. That's even thinner than the 5.1-inch 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is Apple's thinnest device to date. When closed, though, it'll be somewhere around 9mm to 9.5mm, which is chunky.
- It might have Touch ID. This is a weird one, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple might use a Touch ID power button instead of Face ID. If Apple can't slim down that front-facing TrueDepth camera module enough to get the screen to an acceptable thinness, Touch ID could work instead.
- It's going to cost you. Foldable smartphones are far from cheap, even from Android manufacturers. Apple's version is going to be expensive, with rumors suggesting it will be priced somewhere around $2,000 to $2,500.
Right now, it looks like we could get the first foldable iPhone right around late 2026, so we might be hearing more in the coming months as we get into the 2026 iPhone rumor cycle.
Article Link: Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone
2. meh
3. the phone will be so big it will be difficult to handle and use with the hinge, especially when it start wearing out and becomes difficult to keep open while using it.
4. this will be a problem for the thinmint crowd, personally I want a thicker phone with more battery life.
5. I am indifferent on this but am not interested in a foldable phone in any way.
6. this will be a huge turn-off for many, this price range is simply too much for a phone, especially given that one can buy a decent computer for this price.
I thought about the same, then tried out the Galaxy Fold in a store, and it dawned on me that it's perfect for reading pdfs, which is 90% of what my ipad is used for, and it can do in situations where an ipad is less practical. The Z Fold is cheaper than a base iphone + an ipad air (your country may vary), so the only thing keeping me back from taking one home was android. But if this pricing rumours are true, then it will be a whole different situation.
Apple should view this device as something to keep that 5% in the ecosystem (and if they'd consider this phone, they are among the big spenders) no to lose their service spending and other Apple product purchases, not as a product to milk them even more on hardware. If they'll apply their usual margins and bigger screen surcharge, it will be a disappointment for both sides.
It used to be with the old Home Button Plus phones. Back then, I was toying around with using my iPhone 7 Plus as my only computer with a Bluetooth keyboard. Worked very well for me, was disappointed when they removed this with the iPhone X the next year. It would be nice to see landscape mode come back to all iPhones.
If I was in the market for both a new iPhone and a new iPad, I think I can eat this cost fine. A $1000 iPhone plus a "Pro" iPad mini would probably come up to around this price as separate devices. I rarely buy both a new iPad and iPhone in the same year. My biggest question is if I can replace my laptop with this too? Can I dock it at my desk monitor or a Nexdock and use a second screen with this? I'd love to finally just use one device for everything.
Last edited:
There are situations where taking out that ipad from a bag is impractical, like riding a crowded tram or bus, or you just wouldn't take it with yourself for whatever reason, like going out in the evening, etc. If I could convert these empty minutes to work (my work involves reading lots of pdfs) instead of mindless doomscrolling or whatever, that means more quality free time. Or one can calculate with their hourly rate how much these daily 10-20-30 minutes would add up to in a year.
However, if I'd be living in the US with abysmal public transport and widespread car usage, then probably I'd see little point of this device too compared to a phone+ipad combo.