The long-awaited foldable iPhone — rumored to be called the iPhone Fold — could be here soon.
Tech enthusiasts and early adopters already love foldable phones — and they have plenty of options — but Apple's been notably absent from the genre. But that's reportedly due to change in 2026, when Apple is expected to release the iPhone Fold. Here's everything we know about the future addition to the iPhone lineup, including the latest rumors and pricing information.
When will the iPhone Fold be released?
We think the iPhone Fold is coming in 2026. Chinese site UDN (via MacRumors) reported last month that the phone was coming next year and that it would, indeed, be called the iPhone Fold. That's far from a guarantee, but as Mashable's Stan Schroeder wrote, it is a bit of comfort for Apple fans who'd seen other reports that it could be pushed to 2027.
That's also in line with new rumors that hit the internet this week, suggesting Apple had purchased about 11 million OLED panels from Samsung Display — a much higher than expected figure — for its new foldable. That bit of rumored news could be misleading, however, because the original report — from a Korean site called ET News — has since been deleted.
How much will the iPhone Fold cost, and will people buy it?
The iPhone Fold is likely to be expensive. A recent estimate from research analyst Arthur Liao suggested the price tag for the Fold — gulp — could come in around $2,399. That's in line with expectations in a new report from International Data Corporation (IDC). I
Despite the sizable cost (the flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is priced at $1,999.99), sales expectations remain high. The IDC report estimated Apple would siphon one-third of the spending in the foldable market in 2026.
"But the real game-changer for the category comes at year-end when Apple enters the foldable space, projected to capture over 22% unit share and a staggering 34% of the foldables market value in its first year, thanks to an expected average price point of $2,400,” read the report.
What will the iPhone Fold specs look like?
The iPhone Fold remains a mystery to some extent, of course, but we do have a very rough idea of what it could offer. The report from UDN noted the iPhone Fold could be creaseless, which means you wouldn't see that awkward line when it was folded open.
In August, Mashable also reported on predictions from Apple reporter Mark Gurman, who said that the foldable iPhone would be a book-style foldable with four cameras — two on the back, one on the inside, and one front selfie camera. Gurman also predicted it would use Touch ID, even though iPhones typically use Face ID.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported earlier this year that the iPhone Fold would have a 7.8-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch outer display, and measure in at just 9 to 9.5mm of thickness. We heard another rumor in September, which claimed the iPhone Fold would look like two iPhone Airs put together, with a similar thickness of 5.6mm. Why the discrepancy between the two reports? It could be the difference between the device's thickness when folded and unfolded.
Mashable's Alex Perry also compared the potential specs of the iPhone Fold with the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, which we know a lot more about. Obviously, the Samsung trifold will be larger and thicker than the iPhone Fold. Otherwise, we're still waiting on official details. But if recent rumors prove true, the wait shouldn't be too much longer.
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