Apple doesn't mind being late to the party. Will its first foldable phone be its next big hit?
By
Stan Schroeder
Senior Editor
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
,
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
, and
Timothy Beck Werth
Tech Editor
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
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A hypothetical rendering of the iPhone Fold. Credit: Mashable / Zain bin Awais
Table of Contents
The long-awaited foldable iPhone should arrive in 2026; all signs point to a fall or winter 2026 release. Apple kept a very tight lid on its first-ever foldable phone right up until dropping the iOS 27 developer beta, which includes some direct and indirect references to the iPhone Fold (also rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra or iPhone Ultra Fold).
Early adopters already love foldables — and they have plenty of options — but Apple's been notably absent from the genre. However, don't count Apple out. The company has a history of showing up late to the party and then absolutely cornering the market, as it did with AirPods and iPhones.
So, as we await official details, here's everything we know about the first foldable iPhone, including the latest rumors, specifications, release date, and pricing.
When will the iPhone Fold be released?
We think the iPhone Fold will arrive in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Numerous rumors pointed to this over the last year. However, while Apple traditionally releases all of its new iPhones in September, the Fold might not be ready by then.
A tech analyst named Tim Long recently claimed that shipments of the iPhone Fold will begin in December of this year, not September, though Bloomberg's Mark Gurman threw cold water on this rumor. And Gurman seems to have a crystal ball looking right into Apple headquarters these days.
Still, given the ongoing global memory shortage, last-minute delays are always possible, so we'll have to wait and see.
What's the iOS 27 beta telling us about the iPhone Fold?
The iPhone Fold isn't (yet) an official device. We do know a lot about it, but mostly via rumors, whispers, and reports coming out of Apple's supply chain.
But now, with the first iOS 27 developer beta, we have some actual clues about the iPhone Fold's existence. Software researcher M1Astra dug through the code (via Bloomberg), and found code that determines whether a device is folded or unfolded. Strings like “mechanicalAngleDegrees” and “angleDegrees" point to Apple fine-tuning the experience depending on how widely a foldable device is open. Researcher Sam Henri Gold found similar clues in the code.
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That's not all. Certain widgets, such as Music, News, and Weather, can now be configured to take up the majority of the iPhone's display. Doesn't make a ton of sense on a regular iPhone (you'd probably just want to have the Music app open instead), but on an iPhone Fold, such a widget could occupy one side of the display while you do something else on the other.
Apple seems to be preparing developers to handle a larger variety of form factors. Credit: Apple
Then, at WWDC 2026, Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, pointed out a developer-specific feature called the Device Hub, which allows developers to simulate their apps in different screen configurations.
Finally, Macworld found references in the code suggesting a device that has both the Dynamic Island and a Touch ID; such a device does not exist today, but the iPhone Fold is rumored to have both.
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What will the iPhone Fold specs look like?
What would you want to see in a foldable iPhone design? Let us know in the comments. Credit: Zain bin Awais / Mashable
The iPhone Fold remains a mystery to some extent, of course, but we do have a very rough idea of what it could offer. Based on all the rumors and leaks, the iPhone Fold will have a wider design than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the impressive Motorola Fold.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman predicts that the foldable iPhone will be a book-style foldable with four cameras — two on the back, one on the inside, and one front selfie camera. Gurman also predicted it would use Touch ID like the iPad Air and Pro, even though iPhones typically use Face ID. All the recent leaks back up Gurman's reporting.
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In fact, the smartphone market is already adapting to the expected size of the iPhone Fold, and a Samsung Z Fold 8 Wide model recently leaked. Huawei was the first to market with a wide foldable, though the new Pura X Max is only available overseas.
The iPhone Fold specs could look something like this:
Mashable Light Speed
Displays: 7.8-inch inner OLED display, 5.5-inch outer OLED display
Thickness: 9.5mm unfolded, 4.5mm when folded
Security: Touch ID
Processor: A20 processor
Cameras: Dual rear cameras (48MP), dual inner/outer front cameras
Price: $2,399
Battery: At least 5,088 mAh
We've seen several reports claiming that Apple is committed to making the iPhone Fold's display the best it can possibly be. It should be very durable, super thin, and without a visible crease. Samsung Display is reportedly producing the OLED displays for the iPhone Fold, as Samsung's got the best flexible display tech in the game. There's a reason Samsung released the Galaxy TriFold while the world is still waiting on the first foldable iPhone.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported earlier this year that the iPhone Fold would have a 7.8-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch outer display, and measure in at just 9 to 9.5mm of thickness. We heard another rumor in September 2025, which claimed the iPhone Fold would look like two iPhone Airs put together, with a similar thickness of 5.6mm. Why the discrepancy between the two reports? It could be the difference between the device's thickness when folded and unfolded.
There's also talk about Apple using innovative tech to make the iPhone Fold lighter and more durable than most foldables. These rumors include a report that the company is using liquid metal for the phone's hinge, which should improve durability.
What will the foldable iPhone be called?
Up until now, most of the tech world has simply called the unannounced device the "iPhone Fold." However, since it's not a confirmed product yet, it's very possible that the phone will have a different name at launch. Some outlets, such as 9to5mac, have lately taken to calling it the "iPhone Ultra" or "iPhone Ultra Fold."
While that would be a cool name (and may actually be the name when it comes out), we're going to stick with "iPhone Fold" for now, just for the sake of simplicity.
How much will the iPhone Fold cost, and will people buy it?
A hypothetical rendering of the rumored iPhone Fold. Credit: Zain bin Awais / Mashable
The iPhone Fold is likely to be expensive. An early estimate from research analyst Arthur Liao suggested the price tag for the Fold — gulp — could come in around $2,399. That's in line with expectations in a new report from International Data Corporation (IDC). Last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone Fold is likely to retail between $2,000 and $2,500.
Despite the sizable cost (the flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is priced at $1,999.99), sales expectations remain high. The IDC report estimated Apple would siphon one-third of the spending in the foldable market in 2026.
"But the real game-changer for the category comes at year-end when Apple enters the foldable space, projected to capture over 22% unit share and a staggering 34% of the foldables market value in its first year, thanks to an expected average price point of $2,400,” read the report.
In March, Mark Gurman claimed that Apple could classify the iPhone Fold as an "Ultra" product, putting it in a higher price tier than other devices in its portfolio alongside other high-end machines like the Apple Watch Ultra. If the phone ends up costing at least $2,000 as expected, this would make sense.
In December 2025, we saw lots of alleged iPhone Fold renders circulating on social media, which all share a similar design. We'd take these with a grain of salt, of course.
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In February, a leaker known as Instant Digital posted some alleged renders of the iPhone to the Chinese social media site Weibo. Like most leaks, especially the ones pertaining to Apple, we can't confirm their authenticity. However, they line up with earlier reports of the overall look of the phone.
More recently, Apple leaker Sonny Dickson shared another potential iPhone Fold render in March 2026.
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Dickson shared more purported dummy units of the iPhone Fold in April, giving those renders a bit more physicality than they had before.
April has been fairly bounteous in terms of iPhone Fold leaks. Aside from Dickson's dummy units, YouTuber Vincent Zhong got his hands on the newly released (in Asia) Huawei Pura X Max Wide. This Chinese phone is one of the first real "wide foldables" that we've seen hit the market, and its screen dimensions are almost exactly the same as the alleged dimensions of the iPhone Fold.
While the iPhone Fold will almost certainly look different from Huawei's device, Zhong's hands-on video gives us a decent idea of what to expect from the iPhone Fold as a physical object in your hands.
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We've also gotten some interesting dummy photos from tech leaker Majin Bu on X in April. In these photos, the dummy units look very similar to what we've seen in other recent leaks. In other words, it looks like a shorter, more book-style foldable than previous foldables. It looks like it'll also support MagSafe cases.
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What about the cameras and battery?
Instant Digital makes some interesting claims. Most notably, the report says the iPhone Fold will have the largest-ever iPhone battery. (For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is estimated to have a roughly 5,088 mAh battery.)
"The volume buttons are not on the left side," reads a translation of the post. "Instead, they are placed directly on the top of the right-side frame (similar to the volume button layout on the top of the iPad mini). This may take some getting used to for users’ typical phone habits."
The post also stated, "The rear dual camera + right-side microphone + flash are arranged horizontally. The camera module appears to be fully black and does not match the body color. Currently, the only confirmed color is white, but it is expected that Apple will launch two color options."
What else do we know about the iPhone Fold?
Beyond physical design, another recent report suggested you'll be able to run multiple apps side-by-side when the phone is unfolded, sort of like multitasking on iPadOS 26. However, by all accounts, this device will run iOS, not iPadOS, so you won't exactly get a full iPad experience from the iPhone Fold. (Apps that are designed to run natively in iPadOS, for example, would not be compatible.)
Finally, even though the iPhone Fold is still in the realm of fantasy, there are already rumors about a follow-up, clamshell-style foldable from Apple, potentially called the iPhone Flip. That one probably isn't coming until next year, though.
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Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.
