We’ve seen foldables in all shapes and sizes from manufacturers like Samsung, Honor, Oppo, Motorola and Huawei, but what about Apple? Will we ever see the fabled iPhone Fold?
In short; yes. Apple is undoubtedly working on a foldable behind closed doors at Apple Park, and while it might still be a couple of years away from its debut, rumors provide great insight into Apple’s foldable iPhone plans – and it could be the best foldable yet.
With that said, here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone Fold right now, from the latest release date rumors to hardware leaks and more.
iPhone Fold at a glance
- Book-style foldable with crease-less inner screen
- Release likely in 2027
- Could cost $2000+
- Titanium build
- Touch ID could make a return
iPhone Fold rumored release date and pricing
Apple hasn’t officially announced when it’ll showcase the foldable iPhone, but rumors give us a pretty good idea of what to expect – and we’ve still got a bit of a wait on our hands.
Early 2024 whispers suggested the iPhone Fold could be released in 2026, following the launch of a foldable iPad sometime this year. However, more recent rumors suggest that date has been pushed back by an entire year.
Analyst firm TrendForce was the first to report on the supposed delay, suggesting that Apple is still at the stage of “evaluating component specification and performance.”
The report also claims that the delay is due to the crease on the inner screen, an issue that has plagued foldables since their inception. Per TrendForce, Apple has “strict requirements for crease and reliability.”
Notable Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes in a similar timeline, claiming in early 2025 that the iPhone Fold would enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026 with a release on the cards in late 2027.
Kuo also claims that the iPhone Fold could sell at quite the premium – around $2000-2500 – with Apple expecting huge interest in the foldable despite the high price tag.
iPhone Fold design and display rumors
The idea of a foldable iPhone isn’t new, and Apple has clearly been working on it for quite some time, with a slew of foldable-related patents dating back to 2016. Of course, future-facing patents often don’t go far beyond the concept stage, but it at least indicates Apple’s interest in the emerging technology.
In fact, leaker Jon Prosser claimed that Apple was testing both a flip-style and book-style foldable iPhone internally at one time, though more recent leaks suggest that Apple has finally settled on the latter. That essentially means it’ll look like the Honor Magic V3 rather than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone Fold could be quite the looker once it debuts in 2027. The analyst claims that Apple will use a premium titanium alloy material for the foldable, likely closely matching the titanium finish of the Pro-level iPhones.
What’s more impressive, though, is how thin it’ll be. Kuo claims that Apple is aiming for a thickness of 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded, increasing to 9-9.5mm thick when folded. That is seriously thin, especially compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s 5.6mm and 12.1mm respectively, but we’ve already seen thinner foldables.
More specifically, the Oppo Find N5, which measures in at an impossibly thin 4.2mm unfolded and 8.9mm when folded. The widely available Honor Magic V3 isn’t too far off at 4.35mm and 9.2mm, and that foldable is nearly a year old at the time of writing. So yes, while it is a marvel of engineering, it’s not something we’ve not already seen from the competition.
Interestingly, rumors suggest that Apple will do away with Face ID, the staple of the iPhone collection since the iPhone X, with the iPhone Fold. Likely due to size constraints, Apple is currently believed to be working on a Touch ID sensor that’ll be embedded into the power button.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how Apple markets the return of the older technology, given how much it has praised Face ID for the past eight years.
We’ve also heard rumblings about potential screen sizes, with two separate sources claiming Apple is considering a relatively pocketable 5.5-inch cover screen and a more expansive 7.8-inch foldable screen within.
What’s more exciting is the claim that Apple is working to entirely eradicate the foldable screen’s crease, an issue that has plagued every single foldable since they first appeared on the market. Some manufacturers, like Oppo and Honor, have made serious headway in reducing the look and feel of the crease, but it’s still there if you look for it.
iPhone Fold camera rumors
With a phone rumored to cost north of $2000, you’d assume it’d have the best camera hardware Apple has to offer – but that may not be the case.
Apple’s foldable is said to offer a dual camera setup, likely due to the size constraints of fitting a larger multi-camera module into a thin chassis.
The specifics of the setup are yet to be detailed, but it’s safe to assume that it’ll more closely mirror the combination of a main and ultrawide on the entry-level iPhone 16 – albeit possibly with the upgraded 48MP main and ultrawide sensors of the Pro models. Again, that’s pure speculation for now.
Trusted Take: What we think the iPhone Fold needs
Apple has a reputation for being late in adopting technology, but it does it in a way that bests the competition, and that’s what we expect from the iPhone Fold.
If Apple manages to eliminate the internal crease that has plagued Android foldables since their inception, that’ll be a massive win.
Apple will desperately need it if it wants to hit that $2000-2500 price point, especially as we’ve already seen foldables that are thinner and offer better camera hardware than what’s rumored to be on offer from the iPhone Fold.
