Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max: how will the next Pro look next to the iPhone Fold?
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April 13 update: this post, first published on April 11, has been updated with more details of the folding phone and a further update to its release date.
The first folding iPhone, likely called the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, is expected to land this September (and a new report doubles down on that release date: while the latest rumor casts doubt on how the schedule is doing: more on that below). And what it’s going to look like has just leaked, if the first alleged dummies are legit. The design may divide reactions but at least some will think it has the potential to look stunning. Here’s all you need to know.
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In a post on X, Sonny Dickson, a leaker with an exceptional track record revealed new images. “Exclusive First Dummies of what the final size of the iPhone Fold, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look like,” he wrote.
The pictures show bright pink metallic shapes (these are dummies, the real thing won’t be pink), showing the designs of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Fold and iPhone 18 Pro.
The images are striking for several reasons. First, the Fold is, as predicted, very wide. If you squint just right it could look like an iPad mini lying on its side. Which is the point: almost all folding phones right now open up from a regular-shaped handset to an almost-square aspect ratio tablet. There are reasons tablets are not designed in this shape.
So, the wide folded shape here permits the open dimensions to make a more successful tablet approximation.
The second eye-catching element is how the folding phone looks next to the Pro models, which are thought to be very similar to the current iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The folder, thanks to its stubbier height, looks tiny in comparison, if you imagine it folded, that is, half the size of the dummy.
While it’s certainly not a Flip phone, that is one that folds down from regular phone size to something more pocketable, it suggests that it will fit into a jeans pocket easily, assuming it’s thin enough. And that the unfolded screen, while bigger than an iPhone Pro Max, won’t be that much bigger. Early reports suggest that it will have an unfolded display a little smaller than the original iPad mini.
Just days ago, a report suggested that Apple would be late to release the iPhone Fold. Now, as part of the latest Power On newsletter from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, there’s a claim that it’s bang on time.
This is good news for anyone eagerly awaiting the new phone and it contradicts both the report from the Nikkei that a delay was coming and a previous claim from Gurman himself that there was no doubt the folding phone would be late. The Nikkei report had led some to surmise the release wouldn’t come until 2027 because of serious manufacturing and testing headwinds that would delay the launch by months.
“Mostly based on that rumor, Apple stock slid more than 5% on Tuesday… The good news for both investors (and people like me who cannot wait to get the foldable iPhone): The fears are overblown,” Gurman reported.
He went on to say that there’s no folding iPhone crisis at Apple and normal schedules will be observed. “The company remains on track to announce the device in the first half of September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Better yet, while supply could be limited, the plan as of now is to start selling the foldable iPhone at the same time as the new Pro models or very soon thereafter,” he concluded.
However, on Monday, April 13, things took a different turn — though it’s important to remember that this is a developing story and the release is at least five months away even if it’s bang on target, so things could change in the meantime.
A new report from DigiTimes, picked up by MacRumors, claims that the new phone is behind schedule, though still slated for this fall.
“The site says that production has been pushed back by "roughly one to two months," but Apple has not communicated any launch delays to suppliers. Apple is still planning for a 2026 launch, which suggests a tighter production schedule,” it reported.
It goes on that mass production was meant to start in June but has slipped to early August, with a delay in the test phase predicted. However, it also suggests that “Apple may be able to make up ground during the mass production phase. Prior to mass production, the iPhone Fold will still need to go through Design Validation Testing and Production Validation Testing,” as it described it.
Right now, all this suggests that the phone could still launch roughly on time, but it may be that initial supplies will be constrained.
That said, in the past rumors like these have been premature and Apple has managed to speed up production at the last minute.
ForbesCan’t Stand Liquid Glass? This New Hidden iPhone Setting Is A Game-ChangerBy David Phelan此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。