iPhone Fold will dominate the market despite 2026 arrival
Apple's late arrival to the folding smartphone market after years of rumors with the iPhone Fold in 2026 is still expected to dominate the market segment.
A possible render of the iPhone Fold - Image Credit: AppleInsider
The iPhone Fold has been repeatedly rumored about over the years, but the release hasn't really improved beyond claims of it coming "next year." A Sunday report went along with the 2026 claim once again.
Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg insisted that the iPhone Fold will debut "next year," meaning a 2026 launch.
Mark Gurman goes on to write about how Apple won't be breaking technological barriers with its introduction at all. Instead, Samsung has done much of the "heavy lifting" in the category over the last seven years, and has set Apple up for success, he believes.
Apple has a tendency of not being first to a product category, Gurman states, but ends up being among the best when it does enter. However, while Apple tends to do this relatively early in a product category's life, it's oddly proposed in the piece that Apple is quite late here.
The oddity is that one paragraph before stating that, Gurman praises the Apple Vision Pro as bring a "distinctive approach to an emerging category," which has been around for many years.
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An early multi-view render of the iPhone Fold - Image Credit: AppleInsider
Apple's phone won't be a "carbon copy" of others on the market, as it will introduce changes that address the folding smartphone category's various weaknesses. This includes minimizing the inner display crease with a better hinge mechanism.
The development of iOS 27 will also apparently have a focus on software features that take advantage of the form factor.
Gurman goes on to say that Apple is also embracing the foldable iPhone design now, because it is extremely popular in China. The reason is that Apple could capitalize on it to boost sales in the region.
The iPhone Fold discussion ends with a pricing estimate of at least $2,000, matching previous rumors.
"Next Year"
The claim of a 2026 iPhone Fold certainly seems plausible, based on the rest of the tech industry, but it's also a claim to be wary about. In part because, much like the "Two Weeks" chorus in the film "The Money Pit," we keep hearing the claim that it's just around the corner.
In November 2020, it was said to be launching in September 2022. By September 2021, it was said to be arriving by 2024.
In February and March of 2024, we started to hear about the 2026 release of the device, then delays into 2027 from various sources.
While thin, the iPhone Fold should still have a lot of cameras - Image Credit: AppleInsider
By February 2025, it was claimed that manufacturing would start in early 2026 for a 2027 release. However, that same month, the debut was also said to be happening in the second half of 2026 with manufacturing starting in late 2025.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo added in March 2025 that the foldable would debut in late 2026 or early 2027, hedging the bet.
Ultimately, despite claims and forecasts from some respected rumor sources, no-one really knows when the iPhone Fold will come out.
Flexible spec lists
The iPhone Fold is currently anticipated to have a large internal display measuring about 7.8 inches, with a smaller outer screen at 5.5 inches. To decrease the possible crease from the internal display being folded repeatedly, Apple has considered many different techniques, including hinge mechanisms with supportive elements.
When folded, it is thought to measure 9mm to 9.5mm thick, while the unfolded version could be an extremely thin 4.5mm to 4.8mm.
Cameras can include a new Meta Lens front camera, while the rear is expected to have two cameras.
Rumor Score: Possible
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Comments
I’ve seen the foldables available and I can’t believe people are paying 2G for these hideous screens with a half-baked square format marred by an ugly crease right in the middle of them. Also, they are way thicker than a regular phone. The only format that makes sense to me is the Z, because it has a tiny form factor (although too thick) and unfolds to a regular size screen (with an ugly crease)
Whatever Apple decides to do, I am absolutely convinced of one thing: if they can’t address the crease issue AND make it thin even when folded, and come up with a form factor that makes sense, they will not release a product. That’s what makes Apple different from Samsung: they won’t release crap.
Really? Folding phones at the $2,000+ price point are "extremely popular" as in generating high volume sales? I find that hard to believe. For sure, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, etc. have some truly impressive folding phones in that price category and above--Oppo's Find N5 that's under 9mm thick when folded and sports a Hasselblad-developed camera system is a real knockout--but this is not a volume sales price point.
folding screens are a gimmick.
i rarely open up my google fold, usually just to show people how it opens.
sounds great as a concept, but not usable in daily life.
what you do get is a bulky single screen phone, with amazing battery life, to be fair
unless you are the type of person that likes watching their media on a tiny screen with crappy audio
then this was made for you .
i prefer to watch media on a TV, or at least an iPad
Apple is famously late to the party with new products, but it's because they've taken time to reimagine the whole idea and produce something that has intrinsic usefulness that's lacking in the existing competition, which is always satisfied with the novel, regardless of actual utility. The iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods all reimagined existing concepts. These things didn't just replace mp3 players, smart phones, tablets, smart watches and wireless ear buds. They re-defined those categories. In doing so, Apple did better than being first to release something by instead becoming the first that anyone thinks of.
Showing up five years late with an Apple-branded folding Samsung phone that breaks no new ground doesn't do any of that. Why would anyone believe that this is something Apple is actually going to do?