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foldable iPhone

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on foldable iPhone:

New CAD drawings reveal Apple’s upcoming folding iPhone

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Apple’s folding iPhone takes shape in new CAD drawings
The folding iPhone might look much like this concept based on leaked CAD drawings.
AI image: ChatGPT/Sonny Dickson/Cult of Mac

CAD drawings supposedly revealing the design of the first folding iPhone indicate the device will sport a very different shape than rival foldable smartphones.

The early Monday leak comes from a reliable source, and the design shown matches earlier reports about the so-called iPhone Fold. So this may well be what the new premium iOS device looks like when it debuts in the fall.

How Apple might toughen up iPhone Fold display

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Polyimide film from Kolon Industries
Polyimide film (PI) is tougher than the usual polyethylene terephthalate film (PET).
Photo: Kolon Industries

Apple currently weighs the option of using a more durable display protection solution for its first foldable iPhone, according to a new report. The tougher film would offer better scratch resistance than what Samsung currently uses in its Galaxy Z Fold and other devices.

iPhone Fold leak shows Apple borrowing design cues from iPad

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Foldable iPhone's crease-free display
The first foldable iPhone may take design cues from the iPad.
AI Image: Google Gemini

A new leak out of China purports to detail the iPhone Fold’s design. The leaker known as Instant Digital says the foldable iPhone will feature a Touch ID power button, as seen on the iPad Air and iPad mini.

The device will supposedly feature a black rear camera plateau, housing two cameras, a microphone and the flash.

Apple’s foldable plans may not stop at just one iPhone

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AI-generated mockups of folding iPhone and flip iPhone
Do you want a flip iPhone?
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Before Apple even launches its first folding iPhone, the company is reportedly exploring a follow-up model with a clamshell-like form factor, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr.
There’s no guarantee that Apple will launch such a model. But for now, it’s at least under consideration.

Samsung teases the foldable iPhone’s key feature

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Foldable iPhone's crease-free display
This could be the foldable iPhone's crease-free display.
AI Image: Google Gemini

The first foldable iPhone may feature a crease-free inner folding screen. And Samsung has quietly given a first real look at the foldable’s display at CES 2026.

At the event, the company showcased a folding OLED panel with no visible creases — one that closely aligns with the display technology rumored for Apple’s long-awaited foldable.

Folding iPhone: What to expect in 2026

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AI-generated image of a folding iPhone: What to expect in 2026
2026 could be the year Apple reinvents the iPhone — again.
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

The first folding iPhone is expected to break iOS out of its years-long rut, and new rumors give us the most complete picture yet of a handset supposedly set to launch in 2026.

These come from a formerly prolific source of often reliable Apple leaks.

New rumor details foldable iPhone screen size — and possible delay

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New rumor details foldable iPhone screen size and possible delay
This AI mockup shows a possible look for the first foldable iPhone.
AI image: chatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple’s highly anticipated first foldable iPhone could face a delay from 2026 until 2027 because Apple needs more time to finalize design elements like the hinge mechanism, according to a new report. And it also offers some new details on screen size and other specs. 

Foldable iPhone might bring back Touch ID

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Folding iPhone concept
A folding iPhone might be in short supply for a long time.
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

The first folding iPhone reportedly will utilize Apple’s in-house C2 modem, switch to an advanced display technology to improve touch accuracy and make the screen crease less visible, and bring back a classic feature: Touch ID.

Codenamed V68, the book-style foldable is on track to debut in 2026

Foldable iPhone might push iPhone 18 launch to 2027

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Image of an iPhone with white screen on pink background, with the words,
Apple might shake up the traditional iPhone release schedule next year.
Image: Matteo Vella/Unsplash License/Cult of Mac

Apple might shake up the iPhone release schedule in a big way next year, delaying the iPhone 18 release date until the first quarter of 2027, according to a new report.

Why the big switch?  To make room for next year’s standout device: the first folding iPhone.

What I want from Apple’s first foldable iPhone

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A folding iPhone might look something like this concept.
Apple needs to ensure the folding iPhone stands out.
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

The folding iPhone rumored to arrive in 2026 might mark a major turning point for foldable devices. But to pull that off, Apple’s first folding phone needs to do more than just look good — it needs to nail the fundamentals.

From durability and design to software and camera performance, here’s everything I want to see in the foldable iPhone.

Folding iPhone could stay a niche product for years

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Folding iPhone concept
A folding iPhone might be in short supply for a long time.
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Production of the long-awaited iPhone with a folding screen begins in a few months, according to a trusted analyst. But Apple supposedly plans to make only a few million of them, indicating the company expects this to be a niche product.

Previous reports indicate the price for the folding iPhone could be around $2,000 — about what similar Androids with foldable screens cost. High cost keeps this entire class of handsets out of the hands of average users, and so far it doesn’t seem like Apple has a solution.

Apple chooses Samsung for foldable iPhone OLED displays

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Folding iPhone concept
Folding iPhone concept
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple chose Samsung Display as the exclusive supplier of OLED panels for its first foldable iPhone, expected to launch in 2026, according to a new report. The decision marks a departure from Apple’s typical multi-supplier strategy. It could help ensure high quality and reinvigorate the foldable OLED market.

Apple turns to unique production method for durable, crease-free folding iPhone

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A folding iPhone might look something like this concept.
A folding iPhone might look something like this concept.
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

To avoid mistakes made by rivals, Apple reportedly will do everything it can to create a crease-free folding iPhone with a durable hinge. According to a report released Friday, that includes producing the hinges using a liquid metal process.

The innovative handset should arrive in 2026.

Apple’s first foldable iPhone could cost a fortune

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Folding iPhone concept
A folding iPhone might look a little something like this concept.
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple’s first foldable iPhone may sport a book-style design and a steep $2,000+ price tag. It will apparently sport a 7.8-inch inner folding display, with a 5.5-inch cover display.

Despite its high price tag, the foldable iPhone will seemingly have a strong replacement demand among loyal Apple fans.

Folding iPhone won’t suffer from unsightly screen crease

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Folding iPhone concept
Apple moves ahead with the long-awaited folding iPhone.
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

Apple’s display supplier reportedly solved the biggest technical challenge slowing the acceptance of foldable phones: the ugly screen crease where the display bends.

With that hurdle cleared, production of components for the slim, folding iPhone supposedly will begin later this year.

iPhone can’t compete in ‘new paradigm’ of high-end phone design, analyst says

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Folding iPhone Prototype
Does Apple really need a folding iPhone to be successful in 2024?
Photo: KJMX

iPhone’s lack of two key features — generative AI and a foldable design — could cause a significant decline in shipments in 2024. TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says without these advances, the iPhone will fall behind amid a “new paradigm in high-end mobile phone design.”

Kuo cites supply chain sources to back up his predictions. However, there are numerous reasons to doubt his opinion.

Apple could be working on thinner OLED panels for a foldable iPhone

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An iPhone concept shows a realistic folding iPhone design
Apple wants to remove the polarizer from OLED panels to make them thinner
Screenshot: ConceptsiPhone

Apple has started developing an OLED panel without a polarizer that will make them thinner than traditional displays.

Reportedly, these slim OLED panels are ideal for use in foldable displays. Samsung already uses OLED displays with similar technology on the Galaxy Z Fold3.

Why a folding iPhone is probably just 2 years away

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Why a folding iPhone is probably just 2 years away
A 2023 iPhone could look like this, letting users put an 8-inch screen in their pocket.
Concept: Ran Avni

There’s plenty of proof that Apple has had a folding iPhone on the drawing board for years. But the company held off until flexible displays are past the prototype phase. The latest foldables from Samsung show that the technology has finally matured to the point where an iPhone Fold could become a mass-market success.

This surely hasn’t escaped Apple’s attention, which is why a folding iPhone is probably coming in 2023.

8-inch folding iPhone might launch in 2023

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An iPhone concept shows a realistic folding iPhone design
If Apple makes a foldable iPhone, it might look like this concept design.
Screenshot: ConceptsiPhone

A folding iPhone is two years away, according to a trusted industry analyst. When open, the device will have an 8-inch screen, significantly bigger than the current largest iOS model, which has a 6.7-inch display.

Apple’s first foldable phone could feature 2 displays joined by hinges

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Microsoft Surface Neo
Apple's foldable iPhone could take a similar approach to Microsoft's Surface Neo.
Screenshot: Microsoft

Apple’s “foldable” iPhone will use dual displays to get around the foldable screen problem that plagues other folding phones like Samsung’s beleaguered Galaxy Fold, claims Apple leaker Jon Prosser.

“The current prototype has two separate display panels on a hinge,” Prosser wrote in a tweet Monday. He claims the foldable iPhone prototype boasts “round, stainless steel edges like current iPhone 11 design” and features no notch. Instead, there is a “tiny forehead” on the outer display that houses the Face ID sensors.

iPhone 12 Flip concept makes iOS handsets pocketable again

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The foldable iPhone 12 Flip concept could someday be a reality.
Apple is exploring technologies needed to make this foldable iPhone concept a reality.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The iPhone 12 Flip is the foldable iOS device many are hoping for. This proposed concept fits a large screen into a tiny package.

While currently only a dream, Apple is hard at work on technologies that could eventually make it real.

Watch a video of the iPhone 12 Flip concept now: