iPhone fold predicted to launch in late 2026 with no Face ID
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the expected iPhone Fold will lack Face ID, but come with a 7.8-inch crease free display, in late 2026 or early 2027.
Render of a possible iPhone Fold - Source AppleInsider
Recent rumors claimed that an initial manufacturing run of a folding iPhone would begin in late 2025, with mass production coming ahead of a launch in the second half of 2026. Analyst Kuo now claims that the launch will not be until late 2026 or early 2027, although he has previously predicted launches starting in 2024.
AppleiPhone
https://t.co/7tIVjHkqQr pic.twitter.com/4sfKKlQt4K-- (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo)
Once more, Kuo omits mentioning whether his report is based on supply chain information or is entirely speculation. But he does offer specific details about the iPhone fold -- and a second generation of it.
Kuo says that the initial iPhone fold will:
- Cost between $2,000 and $2,500
- Utilize a book-like design
- Its outer screen will be 5.5 inches
- Its folded-out inner screen is to be 7.8 inches
- The folding screen will have no creases
- Dual camera rear lenses
- Opened screen has front camera
- Folded thickness approximately 9mm to 9.5mm
- Opened thickness approximately 4.5mm to 4.8mm
Face ID will be reportedly be dropped because of space constraints. Instead, the iPhone fold will have a fingerprint Touch ID sensor on the side.
These screen-size dimensions are similar to those claimed in the most recent other rumor. While that rumor came from a leaker with no track record, "Digital Chat Station" claimed the outer screen would be 5.49 inches, and the folded out inner screen would be 7.74 inches.
Earlier reports claimed that when opened out, the iPhone fold would have "a total size of over 12 inches."
Kuo's predicted schedule
Beyond the launch in either late 2026 or early 2027, Ming-Chi Kuo has offered a more detailed schedule for the development, as well as shipping estimates.
Kuo says that Apple will finalize its specifications before the end of 2Q25. He says that there will be an "official project kickoff in 3Q25," and mass production will start over a year later in 4Q26.
Apple is predicted to ship between three million and five million of the iPhone fold in 2026, with production volume constrained by the complexity of manufacturing the device. Kuo predicts that between the first and a second generation iPhone fold, Apple could sell 20 million in 2027.
Kuo does not back up these predictions. Even if he is basing this new report on supply chain information, it's unlikely that shipment figures could be accurate two years out.
His reference to the screen having no crease, however, is backed up by a recent rumor that says Apple has at least reduced how much the screen will crease after repeated use.
Rumor Score: Possible
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Interesting, because the only Samsung tech that exists on the market definitely has creases. Unless Samsung created something entirely new for Apple.
Lmao at the price-point, I hope many people will buy it though, so the price could come down, unless Apple wants to anchor the foldable at that price, which I think is insane.
Remember that Apple's modus operandi in creating new product lines is to make something that people didn't realize they wanted by bringing together feature sets in novel ways. They do not release "me too" devices that offer bells and whistles that others have released. They don't add complications and software bloat while bringing little new utility.
First off, there is no need for a folding iPhone. The device described above offers nothing beyond the brief novelty of saying "look, it folds!" There are already other manufacturers' devices that do that, and they're not exactly category killers.
The screen size described above is essentially a standard iPhone screen doubled to make it roughly square. This brings an added aspect ratio to support, without serving any particular purpose. The square aspect ratio would be like having an iPad mini with the bottom third of the screen lopped off. You could have more app and folder icons on the screen, but that's about it. A virtual keyboard spread across the bottom would be too small to type on with ten fingers, and would add extra stretch when trying to tap at it with your thumbs. The double-wide device would be harder to hold with one hand while tapping with the other hand's index finger. Viewing a standard 16:9 video would add nothing over a standard iPhone, because it would be essentially the same size viewing area, letterboxed in either orientation. An old 5:4 video would be larger, but that's about it.
The addition of an external screen would add bloat to iOS, which would now have to support multiple screens on the same device. That iOS bloat would have to be carried on all iPhone models, even as it adds nothing to the rest of the line. An outer screen would be more vulnerable to damage, because a folding device would make using a protective case impossible. The same issue would also make the device's hinge vulnerable to damage from dropping. This is particularly suboptimal because the hinge would be the structurally weakest point in the device, so dropping the device would be more likely to result in catastrophic damage.
The "limited space" reasoning for a reversion to Touch ID is of course preposterous. Were there any truth to this backwards step in security, it would be because the addition of an external screen would also necessitate the addition of a second Face ID module, whereas a Touch ID module on the side could serve both screens. Still, taking a backward step in tech on a profoundly more expensive iPhone would be anathema to Apple's normal approach to things.
This brings us to the cost of the device, which is suggested to range roughly between the price of a MacBook Air and the price of a base model MacBook Pro. Where would be the demand for a novelty iPhone that costs as much as a Mac? People balk at the price of the Vision Pro, but at least that continues to be something fundamentally different after the first week of use. After the immediate novelty of a folding iPhone wears off, what would be its purpose?
The need is there always. Does the fulfilling of the need involve compromises? Of course, Yes. Are those compromises worth it to pursue the device in question? - That is a difficult question to answer. Andriod OEMs have answered "Yes" to that question and have continued to make progress and minimized those compromises (particularly the Chinese OEMs Oppo/Vivo/Huawei/Xiaomi/Honor). Apple is yet to say "Yes" to that question. But never say never.
The vast majority of the time you pull out your phone (hundreds of times a day, it seems like) you just want to interact with a "phone" sized screen. And occasionally, you wish you had more screen real estate (say you're interacting with a complex web page). In those rare instances it would be nifty to have access to an iPad instead of an iPhone, but I don't know too many people who would pay 2 grand for that use case.
We’ve been hearing about an Apple foldable for years and Apple has around 10 patents for a foldable iPhone
as far as the phone itself goes, I would consider one. But like a lot of people buying higher end phones, the cameras are a very important reason why I upgrade. So if the cameras are of lessor quality than Apple’s top slab model, I wouldn't be interested. I feel that a lot of people would feel the same way.
as far as how true these rumors are, well, big deal. We all know Apple is working on this. We all know that either they can fix the biggest problems which consist of the crease and the fact that these screens go bad where screens in slab phones don’t, or they won’t come out with a folding phone until they do, or will just give up if they don’t think it’s solvable.
when? A year more or less doesn’t matter. There is no evidence that Apple is losing serious sales over this. If they lose a million sales a year, that sounds like a lot, but they discontinue sales if models only sell 3-5 million units a year, so I don’t believe that loss bothers a company that sells 220 million phones a year. In fact, unless this phone can be additive to Apple’s sales in a way that’s profitable, I doubt they will bother bringing it out even if they think they can do it.