Foldable iPhone: latest rumors, news and everything we know so far
It’s been a while since we heard anything compelling about a foldable iPhone. In fact, there’s a good chance that we might not see one arrive for some time. While the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and OnePlus Open dominate our list of the best foldable phones, Apple’s foray into folding or flipping phones is conspicuously absent.
However, Apple tends to wait until technology has fully matured before it approaches a nascent device area. And one could argue that there’s still some way to go before foldable phones are completely ready to be bona fide alternatives to mainstream phones.
Nevertheless, tidbits and rumors around a foldable iPhone have floated around, so we’ve collated everything we’ve herd so fr and what you need to know.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Potentially the first folding phone from Apple
- When is it out? Possibly early 2027, or maybe never
- How much will it cost? Expect it to be expensive
Foldable iPhone release date and price
The working assumption (based on multiple rumors) is that the iPhone Fold – if indeed it is on the way – won’t land until at least 2025.
If anything, it will probably land even later, with a report from October 2018 suggesting Apple might first launch a foldable iPad in late 2024 or early 2025, with a foldable iPhone landing at a later date.
However, a more recent rumor has claimed Samsung Display, which makes a huge amount of iPhone displays, is bolstering its existing teams in a effort to be ready to make folding screens for a foldable iPhone. This could suggest that the foldable iPhone may arrive sooner than expected; but it’s not a rumor we’d put a lot of weight behind just yet.
Even more recently we’ve heard that Apple apparently doesn’t yet have a “concrete timeline” for when it will release a foldable device. This was reported in December 2023, suggesting that it’s still a long way out.
That said, in February 2024 a report stated that a foldable iPhone launch in 2026 or 2027 is likely, with Samsung Display and LG Display apparently both having sent screen samples to Apple. Though curiously Apple reportedly hasn’t decided whether to launch this first foldable as a phone or a tablet.
Another report later in February said a September 2026 launch was planned for the foldable iPhone, which would likely see it land alongside the iPhone 18. This report added that Apple was apparently moving much of the Vision Pro team over to development of this phone, and that the company is aiming for sales of 50 million. The 2026 claims have since been backed up by a leaked Apple roadmap too.
However, at around the same time we heard from another source that development of the foldable iPhone was on hold because Apple couldn’t find any screens it was happy with. So it’s a bit unclear what the time line actually is.
More recently still, we’ve heard that the foldable iPhone might be delayed from late 2026 until early 2027, and some analysts now believe the foldable iPhone project might end up getting canceled, so there’s a chance we won’t see it at all.
And even more recently, a TrendForce report states that Apple is “unlikely to release a foldable phone before 2027”, due to the company’s “strict requirements for crease and reliability”. Though around the same time we heard from another source that the foldable iPhone might launch in 2026.
Naturally, we also don’t know how much the foldable iPhone might cost if and when it does land, but given that a lot of foldable phones demand well over the $1000 / £1000 / AU$2000 mark, it’s safe to expect a high price to pay. The one price leak we have seen so far points to a figure of $2,500 (which is around £2,220 / AU$3,970), so we’d recommend saving now.
As for the name, we’ve heard mutterings that it could be called the iPhone Flip, likely referring to the Galaxy Z Flip-like patents we’ve seen that hint at a clamshell folding format. In truth, though, it could be called anything.
Foldable iPhone leaks and rumors
At this point, foldable iPhone rumors fall broadly into two camps: those which suggest the device will have a true folding display, and others that point towards it having two distinct screens separated by a hinge.
Several designs were revealed in a patent dump back in February 2019, some with a large display on the inside of folding sections with a single hinge, while another had two hinges for a hypothetical three displays that fold in on themselves in a Z-shaped formation.
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Other patents, like the one discovered in March 2020, reveal that Apple could be working on a foldable with two distinct displays separated by a hinge. While the patented design suggests the tech giant would attempt to minimize the bezel between the screens as much as possible, it would still be more noticeable than a truly folding long display.
That’s what leaker Jon Prosser suggested on Twitter in the same year: Apple’s foldable iPhone design (at the time) had two separate display panels on a hinge.
Apple’s “foldable” iPhone isn’t really a foldable. 🧐 The current prototype has two separate display panels on a hinge. Round, stainless steel edges like current iPhone 11 design.No notch — tiny forehead on outter display that houses Face ID.June 15, 2020
While it’s purportedly just a ‘current prototype’ and not a final design, it’s described as having rounded edges like the iPhone 11, unlike the squared-off edges on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 ranges.
There’s also no notch for front-facing cameras: the sensors checking Face ID will be housed in a ‘tiny forehead’ on the outer display, according to Prosser.
This matches a later Prosser leak that suggested the iPhone Flip may come in a clamshell shape – similar to the Motorola Razr 2020 or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip – and the same source said it’d be sold in “fun colors.”
We think that means you can expect some bold shades for the iPhone Flip when it lands.
We’ve seen another image of what the foldable iPhone could look like thanks to another patent, this one showing a device that folds out into a bigger device like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This device, which we’re dubbing the iPhone Fold, has one display that’s longer than the other, so when it’s folded shut you can see your notifications to one edge.
A separate leak suggests this folding iPhone could come with Apple Pencil support, and have a display measuring 7.3-inch or 7.6-inches across.
Indeed, we’ve more recently heard that Apple’s first foldable may have a screen of roughly 7-8 inches, which likely means it would be a book-style foldable.
More recently, another source claimed the foldable iPhone could have a 7.9-inch screen and that the foldable display could be on the outside of the phone, like the Huawei Mate Xs 2 pictured below. This would mean there’s only one display, but it can be used either like a phone or a tablet depending on whether it’s folded or unfolded.
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We’ve also heard from an analyst that Apple is testing an Electronic Paper Display (EPD) from E Ink for the cover screen of a foldable phone. This would be like an e-reader screen, but in color, and could be left on for long periods without draining much battery.
Apple’s foldable phone might also have a protective layer on top of the screen that can defend against cracks and fill in pre-existing micro-cracks, to help avoid fractures. Apple has a patent for this tech, so it’s certainly something the company is toying with, at least.
Elsewhere, an Apple patent details a slim yet strong hinge that could be used with a smartphone with a flexible display. This doesn’t tell us much but it’s more evidence that an iPhone Fold or iPhone Flip might be in the works.
Plus, one report also suggests that Apple has two foldable iPhone designs that have already passed durability tests. That doesn’t mean this will be happening any sooner, but it’s a good sign that Apple is on the right track.
The most recent Apple patent we’ve seen details touch-sensitive, solid-state buttons that would allow users to navigate a foldable iPhone using its edges, rather than its display alone. Alongside basic illustrations of the device (below), Apple explains how touch sensors would sit within “sidewalls” (as opposed to conventional walls) made up of “thin metal lines that are sufficiently small to be invisible to the eye.”
Beyond all the leaks, we’ve also now seen essentially a prototype iPhone Flip made unofficially by a team in China. You can see some images of this below.
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There were a lot of compromises involved in making it, but if Apple’s foldable is similar in design to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip line, then it could look like a much more polished version of this.
iPhone Flip: 5 things we’d like to see
1. Top-tier cameras
Foldables bridge the gap between phones and tablets, but the ones we’ve seen released, like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate Xs, have packed the best cameras featured on those brands’ other flagship phones.
While there’s no reason to guess Apple wouldn’t do the same, the tech giant hasn’t bothered to upgrade the cameras on its iPads in generations. What’s more, given that the iPhone SE 2020 didn’t improve upon the lens of its predecessor, the iPhone 8, Apple set a precedent that could see it give its foldable iPhone a single camera instead of the full suite seen in today’s best iPhones.
2. Apple Pencil support
One way Apple could easily match other foldables: introduce Apple Pencil support. Samsung introduced stylus integration with its Z Fold series, and given how the Apple Pencil 2 attaches magnetically to the newest iPad Pro tablets, we’d love to see how Apple’s styluses could be integrated with its foldable iPhone.
3. The old Apple polish
Yes, we’ll say it: even though the first few rounds of foldables have been impressive for simply pulling off folding screens, they’ve come with design weaknesses, from hinge issues to cracking screens. We’d love to see a design that makes everything move smoothly and stand up to punishment.
Not that Apple’s lineup is unimpeachable, as crackable iPhone displays, malfunctioning butterfly keyboards, and battery-throttling on older iPhones have shown. But in looks and function, at least, Apple has maintained a reputation for sleek and functional design.
4. iPadOS integration
When iPadOS split off from iOS, we got excited for the possibilities of a new operating system forking off to truly take advantage of iPad screen real estate. Thus far, we’ve been pretty pleased with the multitasking features that let us pull up multiple apps at the same time, which we’ve found personally handy in writing in Google docs while looking up stuff in Safari, for instance..
We’d love to see a version of the OS in the foldable iPhone for the same reasons, though of course, there’s a lot of unknowns. Will the device’s display be large enough to properly handle the iPadOS controls? If it expands to 7.9 inches, the size of the iPad Mini’s screen, it conceivably could be able to, but until we know what the foldable will look like, it’s unclear how good a fit iPadOS will be.
5. Strong battery life
Foldable phones like the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X have had respectable battery life for first-generation devices, but we’d like more in Apple’s take on foldable phones. iPhones in general aren’t known for lasting longer than a day, and flagships from Samsung and Huawei pack larger-capacity (in sheer milliamp Hours) batteries that seem to take them past the one-day mark handily.
We’d like Apple to use the extra device space to keep its own foldable last longer than the competition.
