We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things.
- Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple wants to get away from the pesky crease that impacts most foldable smartphones on the market. Apple is aiming for an entirely creaseless look so you won't be distracted by a visible line going through the middle of the display.
- It'll open like a book. Based on the myriad rumors we've heard, Apple experimented with multiple designs. There was talk last year that Apple would go with a clamshell design that opens top to bottom, like the Galaxy Z Flip. That's possibly something we'll see in the future, but now it's sounding like Apple's first foldable iPhone will have the book-like design we've seen in foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold. iOS isn't designed for a horizontal orientation, so this is going to require some major software updates. Apple is rumored to be working to redesign iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 to be more consistent cross-platform, and that kind of design would work well when you need an operating system that works seamlessly in both vertical and horizontal orientations.
- For size, imagine the iPad mini. When it's closed, Apple's foldable iPhone is rumored to have a 5.5-inch outer display, which is smaller than current iPhone models that start at 6.1 inches. When opened, though, it will be 7.8 inches, which isn't too far off from the old 7.9-inch iPad mini. Picture the iPad mini in horizontal orientation, or put two 6.1-inch iPhones side by side to get an idea of how big the display might be.
- It's going to be thick and thin. Apple is going to use some iPhone 17 Air tech for the foldable iPhone, and it could be as thin as 4.8mm when it's opened up. That's even thinner than the 5.1mm 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is Apple's thinnest device to date. When closed, though, it'll be somewhere around 9mm to 9.5mm, which is chunky.
- It might have Touch ID. This is a weird one, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple might use a Touch ID power button instead of Face ID. If Apple can't slim down that front-facing TrueDepth camera module enough to get the screen to an acceptable thinness, Touch ID could work instead.
- It's going to cost you. Foldable smartphones are far from cheap, even from Android manufacturers. Apple's version is going to be expensive, with rumors suggesting it will be priced somewhere around $2,000 to $2,500.
These are just the current rumors, and in the years before a device actually launches, information can be all over the place due to Apple's experimentation. The details we're hearing are starting to firm up, but there could be changes before it comes out. And given Apple's track record lately, it might never be released.
Right now, it looks like we could get the first foldable iPhone right around late 2026, so we might be hearing more in the coming months as we get into the 2026 iPhone rumor cycle.
