Apple’s Foldable iPhone Extremely: Launch Date, Worth, and Leaks

With Apple’s fall launch occasion proper across the nook, Samsung might not have the foldable highlight to itself for for much longer. After years of rumors, mounting studies recommend this might lastly be the 12 months Apple unveils its first foldable iPhone, which is rumored to be referred to as the iPhone Extremely.

However asserting it and getting it into folks’s arms could also be two completely different challenges. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as reported by MacRumors, says Apple might unveil the foldable alongside the iPhone 18 lineup, however wait till later within the 12 months to place it on sale, much like the iPhone X launch in 2017.

A folding iPhone is expected to arrive at a beginning value north of $2,000. The title that’s caught within the rumor mill for years, the iPhone Fold, may even change earlier than it hits retailer cabinets. Leaks more and more level to iPhone Extremely, a label that may elevate the system above the Professional lineup and sign a brand new tier of Apple {hardware}. Right here’s the whole lot the leaks, analyst studies and dummy unit photographs have revealed thus far.

And even as soon as it does go on sale, it might be onerous to get. The latest rumor comes from leaker Fixed Focus Digital, who stated in a Weibo put up that though the preliminary run of foldable iPhones will probably be round 10 million models, manufacturing might take three to 5 months to ramp up. That’s about 30%-40% slower than the iPhone 17’s manufacturing of 5 million models per 30 days. That might imply a provide scarcity delaying folks from selecting up the folding iPhone for a while after its potential launch in September, however we’ll have to attend and see the way it pans out.

We’ve gotten way more design leaks suggesting how Apple’s foldable might look. Most leaks recommend that the iPhone Fold will probably be a book-style foldable that’s squat and large, trying extra like the unique Pixel Fold or the brand new Galaxy Fold 8 than taller, thinner fashions, such because the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

The display on the iPhone Fold is rumored to have little or no crease, in line with a current report by the Chinese publication UDN. Display creases, particularly on early foldable telephones, have lengthy aggravated customers and critics, they usually nonetheless stay, regardless of the seam getting much less noticeable through the years. Even Samsung’s most superior Galaxy Z TriFold has two display creases, one for every of its hinges. It will be a significant breakthrough if Apple have been to discover a option to fold a display in half with out leaving a crease.

One other report from leaker Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo means that Apple’s hinges may very well be fabricated from liquid metallic, an alloy probably offered by Liquidmetal Applied sciences, with which Apple has had an unique contract since 2010. It’s been the subject of many rumors since then and the premise of a number of patent applications, however thus far, no merchandise aside from the SIM ejector device that after shipped with iPhone fashions.

However we’ve but to listen to any official phrase on a foldable iPhone from Apple.

Foldable telephones symbolize a tiny fraction of all telephones bought globally. In a current survey, CNET found that 64% of individuals stated they don’t need a foldable cellphone. However these numbers might change if Apple have been to promote a foldable iPhone. As of April, IDC analysts predict that world foldable gross sales will leap 19% if the iPhone Fold launches in 2026, with Apple’s folding system capturing round 24% of the worldwide market share.

Loads of hope and high expectations have been positioned on Apple’s launch of a foldable cellphone. And if rumors are right, we received’t have to attend for much longer for the corporate to take action.

iPhone Fold specs

There are not any confirmed specs for the iPhone Fold; Apple hasn’t even confirmed one exists or is popping out. So provided that we don’t but have an anticipated launch 12 months, it’s onerous to foretell what sort of inside specs the iPhone Fold may have. Presumably, Apple will equip it with its strongest A-series chip, together with sufficient RAM to deal with two or three shows (relying on whether or not it folds inward or outward and desires a devoted outer display).

We do have some predictions for different specs, although just for the rumored book-style Fold (not the clamshell). In March, analyst Kuo predicted the bigger Fold might have a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch interior show. When folded, it’s rumored to be 9 to 9.5mm thick and 4.5 to 4.8mm when unfolded. Plus, a front-facing digital camera can also be rumored to work whether or not the cellphone is folded or unfolded, together with two rear cameras.

Kuo predicted that the system would use the identical high-density battery cells as utilized in what he referred to then because the “ultrathin iPhone 17,” which presumably meant the iPhone Air. However that trim thickness means the foldable might forgo Face ID, so the system might find yourself utilizing Contact ID in a facet button. 

Some rumors about {hardware} have emerged, too. In January, an analyst word seen by MacRumors urged Apple’s foldable might launch with 12GB of RAM, the identical quantity within the Galaxy Z Fold 7‘s beginning configuration. That might imply Apple doesn’t want a lot reminiscence to deal with a number of screens or isn’t banking on massive AI options that require vital RAM.

And we lastly have a prediction on the iPhone Fold’s battery, with Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital posting that it might have a 5,500-mAh capability, as 9to5Mac first reported. That’s considerably bigger than batteries on another foldables. (The Galaxy Z Fold 7, for instance, has a 4,400-mAh battery, however Samsung has been within the foldable recreation for years and has possible improved effectivity in an effort to slim down its gadgets.) But if the Weibo leak is true, this would be the largest battery ever on an Apple handset. The iPhone 17 Professional Max has a 5,088-mAh battery.

Design: What is going to the foldable iPhone appear to be?

Apple appears to have taken out each patent beneath the solar relating to foldable shows, together with an origami-style folding show, a flip-up show and even a wraparound show. Way back to 2021, a report from Bloomberg indicated Apple already had a prototype of a foldable iPhone show, and rumors since then have bounced backwards and forwards between suggesting Apple will go for both a clamshell- or a book-style foldable first. 

In March 2025, analyst Kuo made a number of particular predictions for Apple’s foldable: It will be a book-style system with a 5.5-inch outer display that unfolds right into a 7.8-inch inside show, measuring 4.5 to 4.8mm thick when unfolded and 9 to 9.5mm when folded. It will additionally use the identical high-density battery cells because the “ultrathin iPhone 17” and embrace a hinge fabricated from chrome steel and titanium alloy — a favourite materials in Apple’s iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max, in addition to the Apple Watch Extremely 3.

Per Kuo’s predictions, the foldable may have two rear cameras and a front-facing digital camera on each the exterior and inside shows. Most apparently, Kuo additionally expects that Apple’s book-style foldable will see the return of Contact ID as a facet button, as Face ID may be unnoticed because of area constraints — presumably for the array of depth-of-field sensors and cameras wanted for the tech. 

Then there are the renders, which have gone from a trickle to a gentle stream by 2026. One set of 3D CAD renders from leaker Sonny Dickson (pictured above) points to a squat, wide design that appears way more just like the Pixel Fold than the tall, skinny Galaxy Z Fold 7 or the Honor Magic V6 Foldable. Whereas Dickson didn’t provide any context for the renders, making them unlikely to have come from Apple itself, it does recommend a special design for the foldable than the present vogue of slim reasonably than large foldables.

The iPhone Fold has been rumored for years, with delays reportedly because of Apple’s dissatisfaction with a visual crease. Experiences say the corporate has solved this difficulty, and a current rumor from TrendForce (cited by 9to5Mac) means that a complicated adhesive led to a breakthrough in lowering the crease of its anticipated folding show.

iPhone Fold launch date: It might launch later this 12 months… or in 2027

Apple has neither confirmed the iPhone Fold nor introduced a launch date. However analysts and rumors have predicted that the foldable might come out in 2026 or be pushed till subsequent 12 months.

As for timing, for the reason that iPhone Air was launched alongside the iPhone 17 fashions, the Fold might come alongside the iPhone 18 sequence. However since Apple launched the iPhone 16E early this 12 months, far earlier than the September window for its important iPhone launch, the corporate might do the identical with the iPhone 17E in 2026. Apple might even delay the launch of the usual iPhone 18 to the spring of 2027 to make room for the iPhone Fold in Apple’s September 2026 launch, in line with an ET Information report. On condition that Samsung offsets its normal and foldable cellphone releases at Unpacked occasions months aside from one another, Apple might do the identical.

The most recent indications of an iPhone Fold launch date come from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who stated the foldable is on observe for a September launch. That was affirmed by analyst Kuo’s suggestion in June 2025 that manufacturing might kick off in 2026, with telephones popping out later within the 12 months. This follows Kuo’s earlier prediction in March 2025 that the corporate might launch a crease-free book-style foldable by the top of 2026. Different analysts predict the iPhone Fold might launch in December. However it’s value noting that Nikkei Asia reported in April on a number of manufacturing snags that would delay the iPhone Fold into 2027. 

It’s been an open secret for years that Apple is working towards a foldable iPhone, however buzz and doable launch dates have been floated for simply as lengthy. Early rumors pointed to 2021 as a possible goal date, however the 12 months handed with no foldable iPhone in sight, as have successive rumors for potential releases in 2023 and 2025. 

Learn extra: Top Foldable Phones for 2026

iPhone Fold value

Analyst Kuo predicted {that a} book-style iPhone foldable coming in 2026 may very well be priced wherever from $2,000 to $2,500, because it’s “anticipated to generate sturdy alternative demand — regardless of the premium value — offered high quality meets expectations.”

A report final 12 months discovered that half of American customers are taken with shopping for a foldable cellphone, although Apple prospects are barely much less prepared to make the leap than Samsung or LG customers. Maybe the “Apple impact” will change these stats if and when a foldable iPhone ever turns into a actuality.

Though Motorola gives one of the crucial inexpensive folding telephones with its clamshell Razr at round $700, most others within the class are book-style foldables, such because the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Pixel 9 Professional Fold, which price round twice as a lot as most flagship telephones. We don’t anticipate a foldable iPhone to be cheaper than its rivals. Apple’s foldable must be consistent with present foldable and nonfoldable fashions to have the ability to compete in opposition to different manufacturers and entice iPhone customers to ditch their single-screen gadgets and pay extra for a foldable.

iPhone Fold historical past

Rumors recommend Apple is creating a book-style foldable just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Years in the past, in 2017, people predicted {that a} foldable iPhone might launch within the then-near way forward for 2020. Analysts and leakers have pushed the discharge date again ever since, whereas rumors and want lists have persevered as cellphone followers hold their hopes alive. 

Early rumors pointed to 2021 as a possible launch window, however Kuo’s March 2021 report (via MacRumors) urged a 2023 debut. That 12 months has since come and gone. Dependable show analyst Ross Younger stated in February 2024 that the foldable iPhone had been pushed again to 2025, a timeline Kuo had beforehand reaffirmed in a tweet in April 2022.

Why the lengthy wait? In February 2024, Weibo-based blogger Fixed Focus Digital urged that the foldable iPhone challenge was delayed as a result of Apple was dissatisfied with the screens’ efficiency. A mid-2024 TrendForce market evaluation, reported in 9to5Mac, predicted that Apple’s strict necessities for reliability and the cellphone show’s crease meant it won’t be launched till 2027. However Kuo’s newer March 2025 predictions explicitly famous a crease-free foldable show, suggesting Apple might need moved previous this roadblock.

A brand new patent granted to Apple in July 2024, which was utilized for years in the past, reveals how lengthy the corporate has been engaged on a folding iPhone. Kuo’s report in March 2026 stated that an Apple foldable might launch on the finish of 2026, with a 7.8-inch, crease-free interior show and a 5.5-inch outer show.

Though many studies have centered on the corporate’s struggles to remove the crease inside the inside folding show, Apple’s patent signifies that the event has been ongoing for a while. Creases have plagued good foldable telephones since their introduction in 2020, and though the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 have diminished the crease, it’s nonetheless seen and noticeable. Nonetheless, Samsung hasn’t let cellphone followers overlook it’s lengthy outpaced Apple in releasing foldables by releasing an app that lets Apple cellphone house owners expertise a Z Fold-esque expertise by placing two iPhones side-by-side. 

Whereas rumors started aligning in 2025 round the concept that Apple would launch a book-style foldable first, that they had beforehand asserted for years {that a} clamshell-style foldable would come first. Apple leaker Jon Prosser reported in early 2021 that the iPhone Fold will likely use a clamshell design and come in several “fun colors.” Between the bright pastels of the then-new iPhone 15 and Plus and the sleeker deep blue of the iPhone 15 Professional and Professional Max, an array of enjoyable colours for Apple’s first foldable is a chance, although they may be restricted to the clamshell model of the cellphone.

Learn extra: I Visited Samsung’s Home Turf to See if Foldable Phones Are Really the Future

iPhone 2026 lineup

There’s no assure about which telephones Apple will launch throughout its normal September window, however the most secure wager is on one other sequence of flat telephones, which we anticipate to be the iPhone 18 line. However what else may very well be coming alongside the same old lineup?

There may very well be an iPhone Air 2, although rumors battle over whether or not to anticipate one subsequent 12 months. There’s been much more proof for an iPhone Fold, although whether or not it comes out in 2026 or in later years continues to be unsure. If the iPhone Fold does launch subsequent 12 months, extra rumors have urged a clamshell system has been prioritized and should come first — given studies of Apple researching a book-style foldable, we might get a kind of as properly. 

In mid-January, MacRumors reportedly noticed a analysis word from analyst Jeff Pu suggesting that the iPhone Fold will pack 12GB of reminiscence — as will all the iPhone 18 line. Apple by no means discloses how a lot RAM is included in its telephones, however specs websites comparable to GSMArena have reported that the usual iPhone 17 has 8GB of RAM, whereas the remainder of the sequence (iPhone Air, 17 Professional and Professional Max) all have 12GB. If right, meaning Apple doesn’t assume its foldable will want extra reminiscence than its normal flat telephones; it will have extra display space however probably no extra superior {hardware} than its iPhone 18 siblings.

It’s additionally attention-grabbing to see the usual iPhone 18 packing 12GB of reminiscence, because the RAM shortage is predicted to hike costs on telephones launched in 2026, and probably even wipe out the cheapest budget phones from the market till reminiscence costs drop sufficient to make low-cost telephones worthwhile once more. Apple could also be prepared to soak up the prices for a extra succesful primary mannequin of the iPhone 18, or maybe it’ll move these prices on to the buyer with a value hike. 

iPhone Fold or iPhone Air 2?

Whereas the iPhone Air got here out with the iPhone 17 handsets, there are conflicting rumors about whether or not we’ll see an iPhone Air 2 in 2026. A current report from The Information says Apple is delaying the discharge of the following model of the iPhone, citing folks aware of the matter. This follows rumors that disappointing iPhone Air gross sales led Apple to dial again manufacturing, although that declare was disputed by TD Cowen in a word seen by AppleInsider, which stated the corporate would proceed producing the skinny cellphone. The Data later amended its story to say the delay may very well be brought on by engineers reconsidering the Air’s design to assist a second rear digital camera.

All of this casts doubt on whether or not we’ll get an iPhone Air 2 subsequent 12 months, however there’s not sufficient proof but to roundly dismiss the chance. 

Two foldable iPhone foldables?

Foldable iPhone hopefuls will a minimum of be inspired that Apple seemingly continues to tinker with an iPhone Fold design. The corporate is claimed to be engaged on two sizes of folding iPhones: a book-style and a clamshell-style, in line with an older report by The Information, though this can be contradicted by a more moderen report by the same site suggesting Apple had settled on the latter for a smaller system. This aligns with prior rumors hinting that the iPhone Flip will use a clamshell design much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip sequence or Motorola Razr Extremely.

It seems like Apple’s been struggling to satisfy its excessive expectations: The corporate’s design staff needs the iPhone Fold to be half as skinny as present iPhone fashions and to have shows on the skin which are seen when the system is folded shut, in line with the report. On condition that the iPhone Air, launched in September 2025, whittled the standard iPhone thickness down to five.6mm, Apple has made progress towards this aim. 

Improvement on the clamshell iPhone Flip was halted round 2020, the sooner report famous, to give attention to a brand new challenge: a folding iPad. This system would have an 8-inch show, roughly the scale of the iPad Mini. The foldable pill reportedly had much less strict sturdiness and thickness necessities, because it wouldn’t want to slot in pockets like an iPhone Flip. Apple was additionally engaged on methods to scale back the crease within the show and get the iPad to lie absolutely flat.

Roadblocks: What nonetheless stands in Apple’s method? 

Samsung and others have been testing the waters, however Apple has been studying from the ache factors of its rivals’ foldable gadgets and determining how they’d be used.

One in all these ache factors is the crease. Lots of the present cowl supplies, together with the glass and plastic combine that Samsung makes use of for the Z Fold and Z Flip, present a visual crease when folded out to full display. To keep away from it, Apple would possible have to attend for Corning, Apple’s glass supplier, to create some type of bendable model of its Ceramic Defend display. The corporate is already engaged on a bendable glass however hasn’t introduced a launch date for it. 

Kuo tweeted in April 2022 that Apple was testing a foldable OLED display. Korean tech news site The Elec also reported that Apple was working with LG to develop a foldable OLED panel. 

David Lumb

Managing Editor, Cellular

David Lumb is a managing editor for the cellular staff, protecting cellular and gaming areas. Earlier than CNET, he coated tech, gaming, and tradition for TechRadar, Engadget, Well-liked Mechanics, NBC Asian America, Increment, Quick Firm and others. As a real Californian, he lives for espresso, seashores and burritos.

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As Director of Content material, {Hardware}, I lead CNET’s staff of journalists and editors, protecting information and testing on smartphones, laptops, wi-fi carriers, AI, and just about something with a battery.

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