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Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that for the last six years, is always rumored to be a year away. Here’s what you need to know about the iPhone Fold, what it may look like, and how much it may cost.
Rumors about the iPhone Fold have circulated for over half a decade. An iPhone with a foldable display is a naturally attractive target for wild speculation, and it has fueled the rumor mill for years.
While there have been the occasional Apple patent application confirming elements of the supposed smartphone have been considered by the company, the rumor mill has picked up the slack when it comes to discussing the hardware.
It’s reached a point where the main design concepts of the model have been decided upon by rumor merchants and analysts.
With rivals such as Samsung already occupying the folding smartphone market, there is pressure for Apple to actually join in with its own effort. Something that may actually happen within a few years.
This is a summary of what the rumor mill believes is on the way.
iPhone Fold release timing
As a tricky-to-design and produce smartphone, you could be forgiven for believing Apple could push the release of the iPhone Fold into the future until it gets things just right. Based on the repeated supposed pushbacks in the Apple rumor space, this is a thing that could’ve been happening for quite a few years.
Back in November 2020, Foxconn was said to be testing foldable iPhone prototypes. The prospect at the time was it would launch by September 2022.
By September 2021, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo proposed that it would instead arrive by 2024.
When February and March 2024 arrived, Apple was then said to be planning a 2026 release, but then delayed it to 2027. By June 2024, the 2027 launch seemed more certain.
An August claim from analyst Jeff Pu insisted that a 2026 launch would happen, alongside a foldable iPhone. Pu would go on to reiterate the claims in March and April 2025.
The external display of the iPhone Fold – Image Credit: AppleInsider
In February 2025, it was anticipated that manufacturing could start in early 2026, pointing to a 2027 release. However, another report from the same month insisted that a debut would happen in 2026, with production starting in late 2025.
Ming-Chi Kuo resurfaced in March 2025, backing up the claim of a late 2026 or early 2027 debut and manufacturing in Q4 2026. In the same month, Mark Gurman wrote about a forecasted 2026 launch for the iPhone Fold, which another report backed up in May 2025.
Gurman also posted in May about the 2026 or 2027 launch.
In June, Kuo said that Foxconn will kick off a project to produce Apple’s first foldable smartphone in late Q3 or early Q4 2025, with mass production anticipated for summer 2026. This would feed into a late 2026 or early 2027 release.
At the start of July, DigiTimes insisted that Apple had produced a prototype iPhone Fold, fitting in with the summer 2026 mass production rumor. Later that same month, Gurman doubled down on the debut “next year,” meaning 2026.
Overall, the current consensus is for a 2026 or early 2027 launch of the iPhone Fold. This all pretty tidily lines up with the typical iPhone production schedule, and seems quite plausible.
Of course, there is always the possibility of further delays, and of the rumor mill being wrong once again.
iPhone Fold display supplier
Apple has a close relationship with display suppliers in its supply chain, with it arguably the most important component overall. However, even for the iPhone Fold, there has been some debate over who will provide the screen tech.
In April 2022, rumors indicated that Apple was working with LG Display on a foldable MacBook or iPad screen, but only a month later, reports about a foldable iPhone display began to appear.
By September 2022, it was thought Apple was working with LG Display and Samsung Display, its usual suppliers, to develop displays that won’t crumple. All by creating hybrid OLED panels that put together inflexible sections of glass with flexible plastic substrate panels that handled the actual bending.
The iPhone Fold’s display, unfolded – Image Credit: AppleInsider
However, Apple was apparently still deciding on the supplier by January 2025. A month later, one leaker proclaimed the iPhone Fold display would be developed exclusively by Samsung, contradicting prior LG Display rumors dating back to 2017.
It appears as though Samsung has an edge thanks to its experience with its own foldable products. Reports from April 2025 and May 2025 have both said that Apple has chosen Samsung as its display partner.
This also lines up with a December 2023 rumor claiming folding iPhone displays were the focus of a then-new Samsung business group.
In July, a report said that Samsung Display was nearing completion of a new production line, which would be used just to produce folding displays for Apple.
iPhone Fold display specifications
The iPhone Fold is expected to have two screens in total. The folding screen will be the larger of the pair, and will be inside the folded section when the iPhone Fold is folded up.
A smaller outer display will also be available for general use while the iPhone Fold is in its folded form.
In February 2025, one leaker said the display for the iPhone Fold could be “comparable to two 6.1-inch iPhones folded together, resulting in a total size of over 12 inches.”
However, the math of that measurement feels a bit wrong. It would realistically be a screen size in the ballpark of 7.5 inches, not far off the 8.3-inch iPad mini.
That same month also saw a different rumor that Apple’s foldable iPhone would have a 5.49-inch outer screen. The inner screen, to make it look more like an iPad, reportedly measures a more realistic 7.74 inches diagonally.
Unfolding the iPhone Fold will effectively double its width – Image Credit: AppleInsider
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo seemingly agreed with this, by saying in March 2025 that the “folded-out inner screen” would be 7.8 inches, while the outer screen would be 5.5 inches. Two April 2025 rumors also provided similar dimensions.
Both leakers proposed that the inner display will have a resolution of 2,713 by 1,920. This would give the display a pixel density of 428 pixels per inch. A
According to the same source, the external-facing display will measure 5.49 inches and have a resolution of 2,088 by 1,422. This is a pixel density of 460ppi, matching that of Apple’s typical iPhone displays.
By June 2025, a Weibo leaker said the internal screen size measures 7.58 inches, smaller than previous claims of 7.74 inches and 7.76 inches. The resolution was maintained at 2,713 by 1,920.
Analysts at Trendforce also contributed in July, with a 5.5-inch external display and a 7.8-inch internal folding display claimed. Again, this is in the same ballpark as other previous claims.
iPhone Fold display creases and hinges
The ways Apple could approach a folding iPhone can dictate how durable the device ultimately is. Namely, Apple would need the screen to withstand repeated folding over prolonged periods, with movements and flexing developing a crease over time.
Apple patents have discussed the topic, including one from October 2021 that introduced the concept of a folding iPhone that puts the display on the outside. While this minimized creasing by maximizing the radius of the screen when folded, it does have the downside of leaving the screen at the mercy of the elements.
Apple’s patents reveal that the company has been considering a foldable iPhones since 2015. One such patent, from 2020, indicates that Apple may implement technology so iPhone displays themselves could “heal” the inevitable wear and tear.
The iPhone Fold should fold up like a book – Image Credit: AppleInsider
“Electronic Devices With Flexible Display Cover Layers,” proposes mixing rigid and flexible areas for a display and using what Apple calls “self-healing.” This could be related to the scratch-resistant display coating rumored for the iPhone 17 range, though this was reportedly abandoned in April.
Apple has also considered internal screen fold designs too, but with remarkably complicated hinge mechanisms. The idea was to use added supports for the display at its most vulnerable point, so that users could press down on flexible sections without damaging the screen.
The iPhone maker’s patents have proposed the idea of using stretchable displays as well. However, it seems unlikely for Apple to go down that route for the iPhone Fold for the moment.
In February 2025, a report said that Apple’s folding iPhone may not be plagued by a crease at all. A source doubled down on claims Apple was working hard to avoid wrinkles in the display, which can emerge over time.
Ming-Chi Kuo said in March 2025 that Apple would use a liquid-metal hinge for the iPhone fold display. The same month, a different leaker explained that the material could be twice as strong as titanium.
Liquid metal technology has also appeared in Apple patents from 2014 and 2015.
In July 2025, Kuo wrote that Apple could end up using Samsung Display’s design for the iPhone Fold, rather than one of Apple’s own design. The decision would mean that Samsung’s tech would need to be reliable enough to avoid creasing to a level Apple is happy with.
It would also avoid any further delays in mass production through the use of an established design.
iPhone Fold design and battery
When it comes to the thickness of the device, Kuo claimed in March 2025 that it would have a folded thickness of approximately 9mm to 9.5mm. When opened, its thickness would be approximately 4.5mm to 4.8mm.
The iPhone Fold should be less than a centimeter thick when folded – Image Credit: AppleInsider
In March 2025, two separate leakers said that iPhone Fold display engineering efforts were focused on power efficiency. Supposedly, this will “achieve the goal of slimming the battery by improving the Display Driver Integrated Circuit (DDI).”
One of the leakers believed that the driver IC chips in the folding display are being upgraded, from using a 28-nanometer production process to a 16-nanometer version.
Improved battery life may be the end result of these efforts. We could also see flexible batteries in the iPhone Fold, as an Apple patent from 2020 references this technology.
One February 2025 leak added that there would be a “3D Stacked” battery cell system in use, though that leak wasn’t considered reliable at the time.
iPhone Fold camera
Arguably more important than the battery is the camera system that Apple employs, and the challenge of using two displays will make that a crucial decision for the company.
To some leakers, the internal display will supposedly use a hidden under-display camera that will be similar to other foldable device screens, while the external display will rely on a visible punch hole camera.
A dubious February 2025 leak claimed this entailed the use of a new “Meta Lens” front camera, as well as rear Main and Ultra-Wide options.
Dual rear cameras are the current hot favorite for the iPhone Fold – Image Credit: AppleInsider
In March 2025, Kuo posted that there would be dual rear camera lenses, though stopped short of providing resolutions. There would also be a front camera on the main display too, though no Face ID in favor of a Touch ID sensor.
In June 2025, Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station said Apple will use a dual camera system on the rear, including a 48MP sensor.
iPhone Fold pricing
When the iPhone Fold eventually goes on sale, it will almost certainly be an expensive mobile device. If the rumor mill is to be believed, it could end up being twice the cost of a normal iPhone.
A March 2025 report insisted that the cost could be around $2,300, more than a Mac Studio.
However, Ming-Chi Kuo has also put forward a price range estimate of $2,000 to $2,500 as well. A third April 2025 estimate puts it at between $2,100 and $2,300.
Whichever price is right, it’s expected that consumers will have to shell out a lot if they want the fanciest iPhone on the block.
