iPhone Fold rumored to launch with foldable iPad in 2026

AppleInsider

Another analyst has forecasted that Apple will be launching foldable devices in 2026, with the claim that Apple plans for two items to launch that year.

iPad Mini could be replaced by a foldable iPad

Rumors have been circulating about Apple's fabled flexible smartphone, the iPhone Fold, with the rumor mill believing in a 2026 launch for the hardware. Now, an analyst has doubled down on the release timing, but that something else will go on sale too.

According to Haitong Securities analyst Jeff Pu, via BGR, Apple will be bringing out foldable devices in 2026. This matches other rumors about the iPhone Fold timeline, but with the added wrinkle that it won't be alone.

Pu offers that Apple could go down the route of providing a foldable iPad alongside the iPhone Fold, in the second half of 2026. While it could've arrived earlier, Pu believes that display durability issues has caused delays in its development and release.

The folding iPad has been rumored almost as equally as the iPhone Fold, with it offering basically the same concept but in a larger form. In February, it was rumored that it could be a 7-inch or 8-inch device and usable as a replacement for the iPad mini.

There have also been hints that larger foldable screens as big as 20 inches are also in development.

At the same time as discussing flexible devices, Pu also brings up the prospect of the iPhone 17 Slim, a thinner version of the iPhone that could replace the Plus model. The model is thought to help drive sales for the 2025 generation of devices, on top of Apple Intelligence developments.

Rumor Score: Possible

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AniMill

Maybe I’m in the way minority, but a foldable iPhone is a stupid idea. My sister has the Samsung and it’s such an ugly form-factor plus the crease is terrible. The screen is so scratched. What she likes best, is the small lcd on the outside.

tht

AniMill said:

Maybe I’m in the way minority, but a foldable iPhone is a stupid idea. My sister has the Samsung and it’s such an ugly form-factor plus the crease is terrible. The screen is so scratched. What she likes best, is the small lcd on the outside.

Well, we are counting on Apple to solve the crease and touch issues seen in current folding OLED phones. 

If Apple can make a folding OLED phone that doesn’t have a crease and it has an oleophobic-glass like cover, I think that addresses one of the big weaknesses with folding OLED phones in the market. 

scampercom

While I have no interest in folding tech, I’ve come up with a brilliant marketing strategy. Apple calls the foldable the iPhone 17.5.

Get it? See what I did? Can you believe it? No? No one? Anyone? Hello?

radarthekat

scampercom said:

While I have no interest in folding tech, I’ve come up with a brilliant marketing strategy. Apple calls the foldable the iPhone 17.5.

Get it? See what I did? Can you believe it? No? No one? Anyone? Hello?

Or 34/2. 

M68000

What kind of case will these phones need?   A pouch?  If so,  first you have to take it out of pouch and then flip it open?  Who wants to be bothered with that?  lol.  Or,  will this might new form factor already have the phone with some kind of case material as part of it?   

longfang

M68000 said:

What kind of case will these phones need?   A pouch?  If so,  first you have to take it out of pouch and then flip it open?  Who wants to be bothered with that?  lol.  Or,  will this might new form factor already have the phone with some kind of case material as part of it?   

Caseless has always been my default. I bought the phone in part because of its appearance, why would I then cover it up in a case?

radarthekat

longfang said:

M68000 said:

What kind of case will these phones need?   A pouch?  If so,  first you have to take it out of pouch and then flip it open?  Who wants to be bothered with that?  lol.  Or,  will this might new form factor already have the phone with some kind of case material as part of it?   

Caseless has always been my default. I bought the phone in part because of its appearance, why would I then cover it up in a case?

Crystal Clear cases solve that issue. Here in The Philippines they can be found for less than $8.  They’ve saved my phone on numerous occasions.  

charlesn

Yes, no doubt Apple is looking at the high end folding phones from Samsung and Google, just salivating at the thought of massive R&D investment for a product category that commands some tiny fractional percentage of the market after five years on sale. Oh, and, it will likely not bring in many new buyers to Apple but simply steal sales from the Pro Max. Let's face it: nobody is deciding to not get an iPhone because it doesn't fold. 

But who knows... maybe if the mysterious soothsayers who seem to be privy to Apple's plans two years from now--'cause we all know how leaky Apple is when it comes to products years away!--maybe if they just keep wishing for an iPhone Fold long enough, Apple will agree to make this stupid and unprofitable product. Because that's how Tim Cook rolls. 

M68000

longfang said:

M68000 said:

What kind of case will these phones need?   A pouch?  If so,  first you have to take it out of pouch and then flip it open?  Who wants to be bothered with that?  lol.  Or,  will this might new form factor already have the phone with some kind of case material as part of it?   

Caseless has always been my default. I bought the phone in part because of its appearance, why would I then cover it up in a case?

Because it doesn’t do so well when drops on concrete.   I too love the look and feel of no case.  But I need me phone for personal and business,  a really big risk going no case with a $1000 plus phone.

dewme

Making the phone fold won't make it any lighter. But I suppose I can then switch from wearing cargo pants to wearing carpenter pants or maybe even a scabbard, like an Apple Magic Scabbard. Bring it on.

9secondkox2

Doubt it. 

But I have confidence that if d add my one can do it right and make it both reliable snd compellibg, it’s Apple. 

9secondkox2

M68000 said:

longfang said:

M68000 said:

What kind of case will these phones need?   A pouch?  If so,  first you have to take it out of pouch and then flip it open?  Who wants to be bothered with that?  lol.  Or,  will this might new form factor already have the phone with some kind of case material as part of it?   

Caseless has always been my default. I bought the phone in part because of its appearance, why would I then cover it up in a case?

Because it doesn’t do so well when drops on concrete.   I too love the look and feel of no case.  But I need me phone for personal and business,  a really big risk going no case with a $1000 plus phone.

This. I used to never use a case. Hated to cover a work of art. But then iPhones kept getting bigger snd I kept dropping them

so the last two phone have had full leather wrap around cases with magnetic latch. I’ve dropped it a couple of time since snd so thankful for the case thst has kept it protected. 

chasm

The iPhone would have to be much thinner than it presently is for the idea of a hinge and folding will work for most people, I believe. That doesn't seem likely to happen in the next year or two, but it could happen eventually. Perhaps Apple could introduce a more basic model that could be thin enough to fold, and put vital info on an outside screen window, like most foldables do now.

eightzero

AniMill said:

Maybe I’m in the way minority, but a foldable iPhone is a stupid idea. My sister has the Samsung and it’s such an ugly form-factor plus the crease is terrible. The screen is so scratched. What she likes best, is the small lcd on the outside.

I do sorta wonder if Apple could do something with the back. But that said, I've found that while I was enthusiastic about the action button, I haven't actually found a use for it. Same with the always on display and lock screen widgets. Thought these would be useful, but for me, they aren't. That said, I'd still really like a hardware snap open/close lens cover. This thing spends a lotta time in my pocket, and even with a clear case, it gets scratched up. And the same for a little snap cover for the USB-C port. 

Zirlin

I would like a 1Tb 32Gb minimum M4 Max iPhone Pro Max that can both open up to be an iPad Pro mini to run iPadOS and dock into a Magic Keyboard to run MacOS. Come on Apple! Make it happen!

charlesn

Zirlin said:

I would like a 1Tb 32Gb minimum M4 Max iPhone Pro Max that can both open up to be an iPad Pro mini to run iPadOS and dock into a Magic Keyboard to run MacOS. Come on Apple! Make it happen!

Or, instead of waiting on wishware to appear, you could just buy an M4 iPad Pro 11" now. 

charlesn

eightzero said: ...I've found that while I was enthusiastic about the action button, I haven't actually found a use for it. 

Oh, I love my action button! I love pressing it by accident all the time and turning my phone to silent without realizing it until I see the backed-up voice messages later for calls I never heard come through. It's so much better than that old, outdated "silence" button which had the misfortune of performing perfectly at silencing your phone in an immediately accessible way, visually indicating at a glance whether the phone was on silent and with no possibility of an accidental activation by an errant button press. I"m so glad we got rid of that!

kiwimachead

That crease and the inevitable (not to mention complex and expensive) faults on every folding phone I’ve seen are like a really bad joke. Seriously I would never buy one. Here’s the billion dollar question: If Apple could make a phone that unfolds into an iPad form factor … without a screen crease … would it weigh less than an 80’s Motorola brick and cost less than an AVP? 🤣