All-screen MacBook Pro and iPhone fold get new and aggressive rumored launch timetable

AppleInsider

An Apple analyst believes that a foldable iPhone and an all-screen MacBook Pro are coming far sooner than expected, but there are reasons to be cautious about the latest rumor.

The 'iPhone Fold' is expected to take design cues from existing Apple products

In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, Jeff Pu from Hatton International Securities has laid out a timetable for Apple's foldable lineup. This includes the long-rumored "iPhone Fold" and a more recent revelation, an all-screen folding MacBook Pro.

Pu believes that the MacBook Pro will arrive first in late 2025. He believes the folding iPhone will hit the market a year later alongside or as the iPhone 18, in 2026.

This is not the first time we've heard rumors of these devices. As we've mentioned, the "iPhone Fold" rumors have been floating around almost as long as foldable smartphones from other vendors have. The general timetable for the iPhone Fold isn't clear, but has been one of those rumors that is perpetually "next year."

As far as the all-screen folding MacBook Pro goes, Ming-Chi Kuo and Ross Young both believe that this is a 2026 or 2027 product. There are others who think that 2026 is early and 2027 is far more likely.

It's also not clear why Pu believes that the MacBook Pro will ship first. Folding screens for smaller devices are more mature and less of a present engineering challenge than larger form-factor devices.

Pu believes that the folding iPhone will be either 7.9 inches or 8.3 inches when unfolded. The existing iPad mini has a 8.3-inch screen, so folded, this would be a wider device but not as "tall" as the existing iPhone 15 Pro Max. It's not clear how thick the device would be yet.

A 20.3-inch all-screen folding MacBook Pro as rumored by Pu would likely be in-between the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in width and length, depending on how the hinge area is handled. Again, device thickness is in question.

Pu is prolific with Apple rumors, but not that accurate. He's been doling out timetables for Apple releases for about three years, and has been wrong more often than he's been right.

We believe that there are folding devices in Apple's labs. We're less certain that they'll ever see the light of day, and Pu's timetable is much faster than everybody else's.

So, there's enough smoke behind the fire of foldable device rumors. We just think right now that the smoke is obscuring the release date for Pu.

Rumor Score: Unlikely

Read on AppleInsider

charlesn

It's hilarious. Everytime an Android maker embraces the latest nobody-asked-for-this gimmick to sell phones, the knee-jerk reaction is so predictable: "OMG! Apple's iPhone has fallen behind! When will they add this gimmick, too?" And that starts the rumors and predictions for when Apple will debut a gimmick it has never indicated it has an interest in seriously pursuing. I can still remember the countdown for Apple to add a stylus to the iPhone which, doncha know, was an absolute MUST to "catch up" with Samsung. Samsung debuted the Galaxy Fold five years ago. To say this folding screen phone has never taken off is wildly laughable understatement. It's an expensive, barely visible blip on the screen of overall phone sales. There is no reason for Apple to pursue this and they won't. 

M68000

charlesn said:

It's hilarious. Everytime an Android maker embraces the latest nobody-asked-for-this gimmick to sell phones, the knee-jerk reaction is so predictable: "OMG! Apple's iPhone has fallen behind! When will they add this gimmick, too?" And that starts the rumors and predictions for when Apple will debut a gimmick it has never indicated it has an interest in seriously pursuing. I can still remember the countdown for Apple to add a stylus to the iPhone which, doncha know, was an absolute MUST to "catch up" with Samsung. Samsung debuted the Galaxy Fold five years ago. To say this folding screen phone has never taken off is wildly laughable understatement. It's an expensive, barely visible blip on the screen of overall phone sales. There is no reason for Apple to pursue this and they won't. 

Hypothetical question for you - If it was instead Apple who came out first with a folding smartphone and not Android, what would you think about that?  Would it still be “nobody-asked-for-this-gimmick” OR would it be “innovative”?   

What is my point?   I am open to the idea of companies other than Apple doing something great, new or worthwhile.  Are you?

i am reminded of what is probably my favorite advertising slogan ever.  It’s from Red Hat Linux…. They said “Revolution of choice”

charlesn

M68000 said:

charlesn said:

It's hilarious. Everytime an Android maker embraces the latest nobody-asked-for-this gimmick to sell phones, the knee-jerk reaction is so predictable: "OMG! Apple's iPhone has fallen behind! When will they add this gimmick, too?" And that starts the rumors and predictions for when Apple will debut a gimmick it has never indicated it has an interest in seriously pursuing. I can still remember the countdown for Apple to add a stylus to the iPhone which, doncha know, was an absolute MUST to "catch up" with Samsung. Samsung debuted the Galaxy Fold five years ago. To say this folding screen phone has never taken off is wildly laughable understatement. It's an expensive, barely visible blip on the screen of overall phone sales. There is no reason for Apple to pursue this and they won't. 

Hypothetical question for you - If it was instead Apple who came out first with a folding smartphone and not Android, what would you think about that?  Would it still be “nobody-asked-for-this-gimmick” OR would it be “innovative”?   

What is my point?   I am open to the idea of companies other than Apple doing something great, new or worthwhile.  Are you?

i am reminded of what is probably my favorite advertising slogan ever.  It’s from Red Hat Linux…. They said “Revolution of choice”

I'm not hesitant to criticize Apple or to poke fun at its sometimes ridiculous marketing. The whole campaign for the 15 Pro models was based on one word, "Titanium," even though the only titanium in the whole phone is a piece of trim. I think Apple's 120mm "tetraprism" lens is gimmick to keep up with the telephoto wars that is actually a step backward in quality for most photographs. Why? If forces the main lens--which is 24mm and doesn't zoom optcially--to cover everything up to 119mm with image cropping and computational photographic tricks. It can't compete, quality wise, in the heavily used telephoto range of 77-119mm, with the previous telephoto lens that kicked in at 77mm. Of course, once you get to 120mm and above, the new lens is better, but to get that, you're giving up better quality in a range that's used far more often. I also think "Dynamic Island" is a gimmick to cover whatever the reason is that Apple hasn't yet moved to a pinhole design so that the screen is as uninterrupted as possible. I wouldn't switch to Android, but I do love the look of Samsung and Pixel screens that don't have a notch or an island. 

avon b7

charlesn said:

It's hilarious. Everytime an Android maker embraces the latest nobody-asked-for-this gimmick to sell phones, the knee-jerk reaction is so predictable: "OMG! Apple's iPhone has fallen behind! When will they add this gimmick, too?" And that starts the rumors and predictions for when Apple will debut a gimmick it has never indicated it has an interest in seriously pursuing. I can still remember the countdown for Apple to add a stylus to the iPhone which, doncha know, was an absolute MUST to "catch up" with Samsung. Samsung debuted the Galaxy Fold five years ago. To say this folding screen phone has never taken off is wildly laughable understatement. It's an expensive, barely visible blip on the screen of overall phone sales. There is no reason for Apple to pursue this and they won't. 

Folding phones have shown consistent YoY growth since they came to market. Lots of them are premium priced phones and the Chinese market in particular is a hotbed of folding options. 

Many of those are going global. Prices are coming down (especially for flip variants). 

Apple saw a 13% decline in China sales in Q1. An 8% decline in Q2. 

Some attribute part of that decline to a lack of folding devices. 

M68000

charlesn said:

M68000 said:

charlesn said:

It's hilarious. Everytime an Android maker embraces the latest nobody-asked-for-this gimmick to sell phones, the knee-jerk reaction is so predictable: "OMG! Apple's iPhone has fallen behind! When will they add this gimmick, too?" And that starts the rumors and predictions for when Apple will debut a gimmick it has never indicated it has an interest in seriously pursuing. I can still remember the countdown for Apple to add a stylus to the iPhone which, doncha know, was an absolute MUST to "catch up" with Samsung. Samsung debuted the Galaxy Fold five years ago. To say this folding screen phone has never taken off is wildly laughable understatement. It's an expensive, barely visible blip on the screen of overall phone sales. There is no reason for Apple to pursue this and they won't. 

Hypothetical question for you - If it was instead Apple who came out first with a folding smartphone and not Android, what would you think about that?  Would it still be “nobody-asked-for-this-gimmick” OR would it be “innovative”?   

What is my point?   I am open to the idea of companies other than Apple doing something great, new or worthwhile.  Are you?

i am reminded of what is probably my favorite advertising slogan ever.  It’s from Red Hat Linux…. They said “Revolution of choice”

I'm not hesitant to criticize Apple or to poke fun at its sometimes ridiculous marketing. The whole campaign for the 15 Pro models was based on one word, "Titanium," even though the only titanium in the whole phone is a piece of trim. I think Apple's 120mm "tetraprism" lens is gimmick to keep up with the telephoto wars that is actually a step backward in quality for most photographs. Why? If forces the main lens--which is 24mm and doesn't zoom optcially--to cover everything up to 119mm with image cropping and computational photographic tricks. It can't compete, quality wise, in the heavily used telephoto range of 77-119mm, with the previous telephoto lens that kicked in at 77mm. Of course, once you get to 120mm and above, the new lens is better, but to get that, you're giving up better quality in a range that's used far more often. I also think "Dynamic Island" is a gimmick to cover whatever the reason is that Apple hasn't yet moved to a pinhole design so that the screen is as uninterrupted as possible. I wouldn't switch to Android, but I do love the look of Samsung and Pixel screens that don't have a notch or an island. 

Okay,  I appreciate and respect your reply.