Last updated: June 9, 2026
This is our living roundup of everything rumored about Apple’s first foldable iPhone. We will keep updating it as new leaks and reports land, so bookmark it and check back. The latest changes are logged at the bottom of the page.
Apple has been working on a foldable iPhone for more than a decade, and we have been hearing about it for just as long. It is finally happening, and it is expected before the end of 2026. This is shaping up to be the most interesting iPhone in years, so let’s get into everything we know.
At a Glance
Apple’s first foldable launches as part of the fall 2026 lineup, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The quick version:
- A book-style fold that opens like a small iPad
- Around 5.5 inches when closed, around 7.8 inches when open
- An extremely thin design with a nearly invisible crease and a durable hinge
- A titanium and aluminum frame
- Touch ID instead of Face ID
- The A20 chip with 12GB of RAM
- A price tag starting north of $2,000, making it the most expensive iPhone ever
The Headline Rumored Features
- Book-style fold with a 4:3 aspect ratio
- Roughly 5.5 inches closed, 7.8 inches open
- Titanium and aluminum frame
- A nearly invisible crease
- Touch ID side button (no Face ID)
- A20 chip and 12GB RAM
- Likely a “$2,000-plus” starting price
Now let’s break it all down.
The Big Picture
The foldable will be introduced in September 2026 next to the iPhone 18 Pro models, and it may ship in the same window. Some rumors say it launches right alongside the Pro phones, while others suggest it arrives slightly later, perhaps October, because of manufacturing complexity. We will dig into that timing further down.
Naming is still up in the air. Rumors have floated both “iPhone Fold” and “iPhone Ultra.” Since Samsung already sells the Galaxy Fold, Apple is unlikely to actually call it the iPhone Fold, but that is the placeholder the rumor world has settled on.
The most distinctive thing about Apple’s design is the shape. It is a book-style foldable that is wider than it is tall, which makes it unique. Most foldables are taller than they are wide, but Apple is reportedly going with a 4:3 aspect ratio like an iPad, aiming to make the unfolded device feel like a small tablet. When opened, the OLED display is close in size to an iPad mini. Mark Gurman has called it the “most significant overhaul in the iPhone’s history,” which is not a phrase he throws around lightly.
Closed, it is around 5.5 inches; open, it is around 7.8 inches, just a bit smaller than the 8.3-inch iPad mini. The headline spec, though, is the thinness. It could be as thin as 4.5mm unfolded, which would make it Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever. For context, the current thinnest is the iPhone Air at 5.6mm, so going thinner than that in a folding device is a serious engineering flex.
To pull that off without the phone bending, Apple is reportedly using a titanium chassis for durability, along with a carefully engineered hinge and a display that is close to crease-free. That last point matters, because the visible crease has been the defining flaw of foldables so far, and getting rid of it is one of the big reasons Apple took this long.
The trade-off for going this thin is fewer cameras. The Fold gets two rear lenses instead of three, a Wide and an Ultra Wide like the standard iPhones, with no Telephoto because there simply is not room. There was also no space for the TrueDepth system, which is why the phone falls back to Touch ID instead of Face ID.
And it will not be cheap. Rumors point to a starting price above $2,000, making it the most expensive iPhone in the 2026 lineup and the priciest iPhone Apple has ever sold.
Design
Apple reportedly tested several fold styles before settling, including a clamshell design that folds vertically and a middle fold that opens into an iPad-sized device. It landed on the book-style approach, with an outer display and camera you can use while closed, and a larger inner display for more room when open.
The frame is rumored to mix titanium and aluminum. Titanium would handle the stress-bearing parts so the device does not bend, while aluminum elsewhere helps with heat dissipation and keeps the weight down.
How Big Will The iPhone Fold Be?
On exact dimensions, the leaks are detailed. One leaker says the inner display measures 7.76 inches at 2,713 x 1,920, while the outer display comes in at 5.49 inches at 2,088 x 1,422 with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Another leaker has suggested a 7.6-inch inner display. As for thickness, it could be around 4.5mm open and 9mm to 9.5mm closed. If that 4.5mm open figure holds, it beats Apple’s current thinnest device, the 13-inch iPad Pro at 5.1mm.
One outlier worth noting: analyst Jeff Pu believes Apple could be working on two foldables in 7.9-inch and 8.3-inch sizes, though no other rumors back that up, so treat it as a single data point for now.
The Crease (and How Apple Plans to Hide It)
This is the part Apple obsessed over, so it deserves its own section. The 2026 foldable reportedly has no visible crease, and Apple is said to have chased that goal “regardless of cost,” even developing a “new material property” to make the fold line disappear. The crease is described as “nearly invisible” when unfolded.
Here is the stack of techniques making that possible:
- Ultra-thin glass, with Chinese manufacturer Lens Technology rumored as Apple’s primary supplier and Corning providing the raw materials. Lens Technology was reportedly chosen for its expertise in glass strengthening and minimizing side cracks after cutting.
- A new Samsung display panel built on a custom process Apple holds the trademark for. It integrates touch sensors directly into the panel, cutting overall thickness by roughly 19 percent, which means a lighter build and a more rigid display structure that still hits Apple’s targets for thinness, efficiency, and brightness. Apple has now reportedly approved Samsung Display to begin mass production of these panels, with the supplier clearing Apple’s yield bar comfortably.
- A structural glass mid-frame to minimize the crease in the fold, paired with a color filter-on-encapsulation layer and a circular polarizer module to improve color purity and light transmission.
- Advanced optically clear adhesive (OCA). This one is quietly crucial. Tiny shifts in how the display layers align can cause micro-cracks or deformation that show up as a crease. The new OCA formulations stay pliable during bending and flow into microscopic irregularities, reducing light scattering and the visibility of the fold.
The numbers, if accurate, are impressive. Leakers suggest a crease depth under 0.15mm and a crease angle under 2.5 degrees. Shallow depth means it is less noticeable to the eye and the touch, and a small angle means a smoother, flatter transition across the fold. The catch is that makers like Samsung do not publish crease measurements, so there is no clean way to compare these rumored figures to existing foldables. Still, the direction is clearly toward the flattest fold on the market.
Hinge Design
To help kill the crease, Apple plans to use liquid metal (also called amorphous metal) for the hinge, which should improve durability. Liquid metal’s structure resists bending, deformation, and denting better than traditional metal, thanks to a manufacturing process involving rapid heating and cooling. It ends up tougher than titanium alloy with a stainless steel look, and Apple may use a titanium and stainless steel combination as well.
It is not all smooth, though. Apple is reportedly running into hinge problems, with the component failing to meet quality control standards under prolonged, high-frequency opening and closing. The good news is that this issue is not expected to affect launch timing.
Design Mockups and Dummy Models
A 3D-printed mockup has given us an early sense of the device, and while it is not based on Apple’s exact specs, it lines up with the rumors at roughly 7.6 to 7.8 inches open and 5.5 inches closed. It is smaller than the iPad mini but would still have the largest display of any iPhone to date, with that short, wide, book-like 4:3 form factor.
The first alleged dummy models appeared in early April, with more following later that month. We cannot confirm they reflect the final design, but they carry all the rumored features and sizing. They show a raised camera bump that does not span the full width of the back, a two-lens camera system, and a thin chassis. Notably, the dummies show no Action Button and no MagSafe magnetic ring, so those features could be missing due to the thinness. As expected, there is no SIM slot either, much like the iPhone Air.
Cases
The first leaked cases have a split design with a bar-shaped cutout for the dual cameras, a circular area for MagSafe magnets, and a cutout for the Camera Control button. As always, case makers rush to be first by working from CAD renders and supplier leaks rather than official info, so these designs are speculative. That said, accessory leaks have a strong track record of being accurate, because it is a big-money business.
Colors
Do not expect anything wild. Apple is reportedly going to “stay away from fun colors” and stick to traditional finishes, something like a space gray or black, and a silver or white. One rumor describes the darker option as a shade of indigo rather than true black, similar to the iPhone 17 Pro’s Deep Blue, which is clearly a dark blue rather than black. Another rumor suggests there may not be a black option at all, and that the device could launch in just two colors. A leaked image has supposedly shown the lighter finish.
Repairability
Here is a pleasant surprise. The Fold could be the most repairable foldable on the market. Leaker Instant Digital says Apple used “rigorous underlying engineering logic” with a modular design that eliminates the internal ribbon cable routing that complicates competing foldables. Apple reportedly placed the motherboard on the right side and routed the volume button cables upward rather than across the back of the display, maximizing internal space. The result is an innovative stacked design that dedicates almost all the internal volume to the display and battery.
No Face ID
Because the device is so thin, there is no room for a TrueDepth camera system, so Face ID is out. Instead, the Fold gets a Touch ID side button like the iPad Air and iPad mini. There will still be a front-facing hole-punch camera for both the inner and outer displays for selfies, but biometric unlocking is handled by Touch ID.
A20 Chip
The foldable runs Apple’s A20 chip, built on TSMC’s 2nm process. The move to 2nm packs in more transistors, with rumored gains of up to 15 percent faster performance and 30 percent better efficiency than the A19. Apple is also expected to use TSMC’s Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) packaging, which integrates the RAM directly onto the chip’s wafer alongside the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine. That could mean faster overall performance, better thermal management, and improved Apple Intelligence.
On the cooling front, Apple plans to use vapor chamber cooling despite the manufacturing difficulty, the same technique it already uses in the iPhone 17 Pro. It circulates deionized water to pull heat away from the chip and distribute it across the frame, which is no small feat in a device this thin.
RAM
The iPhone Fold is expected to ship with 12GB of RAM, in line with the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup.
Cameras
The Fold could feature an under-display camera for the interior screen, with a single hole-punch camera on the exterior when folded. That inner under-display camera is rumored to be 24 megapixels, which would be an industry first. Some Android devices use under-display cameras, but not at anywhere near that resolution.
The rear setup pairs a Main lens and an Ultra Wide lens, with no Telephoto. Both rear lenses are rumored to be 48 megapixels, which tracks with current iPhones. Add it all up and the Fold is expected to carry four cameras in total.
Modem
The foldable is expected to use Apple’s second-generation C2 modem, the successor to the C1X. The C2 is rumored to be on par with Qualcomm’s modems and, crucially, to support mmWave 5G, which the C1 and C1X did not.
It also brings the privacy-focused Limit Precise Location setting, which reduces the location data shared with mobile networks. Rather than your exact address, carriers might only see your neighborhood. Not every carrier has opted in yet, but as Apple modems spread across the lineup, networks may add it to stay competitive.
The C2 could also add 5G satellite connectivity via NR-NTN (New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks), covering both direct phone-to-satellite links and the use of satellites as backhaul to extend carrier coverage into remote areas. In practice, that could give the Fold full internet access over satellite to supplement 5G where normal coverage is unavailable, with third-party apps, Apple Maps, and Photos all able to work over satellite.
No SIM Slot
Like the iPhone Air, the Fold will skip the physical SIM slot entirely and rely on eSIM.
Battery
Battery was an obvious concern given the thinness, but the rumors are encouraging. Apple reportedly worked hard on the display’s power efficiency, including shrinking the display driver integrated circuit from 28nm to 16nm for battery savings, and it plans to use high-density battery cells.
The payoff could be a battery in the 5,400 to 5,800 mAh range, which would be the largest capacity Apple has ever put in an iPhone. For comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max tops out at 5,088 mAh. A bigger battery than the Pro Max, in a device this thin, would be a genuinely impressive result.
Naming
Several rumors, including from Macworld, claim Apple will call it the “iPhone Ultra” rather than the iPhone Fold, and that it reportedly will not carry “18” numbering like the iPhone 18 Pro models. The reasoning makes sense: Samsung already owns the Fold name, and Apple already uses “Ultra” branding for the Apple Watch Ultra and for the more deeply integrated version of CarPlay. So while the rumor mill says “Fold,” the smart money is on “iPhone Ultra.”
iOS Updates
This is where the iPad-like ambitions show up in software. With a 4:3 display close to the iPad mini in size, the Fold will be able to run two apps side by side for the first time on an iPhone, with a simplified version of multitasking. Apple is updating iOS to suit the larger screen, and Fold apps will also get left-hand sidebars similar to iPadOS.
Important caveat, though: the Fold does not run iPadOS and will not support iPad apps. It still runs iOS. Apple does plan to provide APIs to make it easy for developers to adapt their apps to the Fold’s layout, which will be the real test of how useful that bigger screen ends up being.
Pricing
This is the eye-watering part, and the analysts are not exactly aligned. Here is where the estimates land:
- Ming-Chi Kuo: between $2,000 and $2,500.
- Mark Gurman: a similar range.
- UBS: between $1,800 and $2,000.
- Fubon Research: $2,400.
The Fold is rumored to come in three storage tiers, with one set of approximate prices floating around:
- 256GB: around $2,320
- 512GB: around $2,610
- 1TB: around $2,900
Whichever estimate is closest, this is going to be the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever made by a wide margin. And with foldables depreciating faster than any other phone category, one study suggests a foldable iPhone could lose around $1,300 of its value in the first year.
Launch Date
The timing rumors have gone back and forth, so here is the current picture. Some reports point to a delay past September due to late-stage production issues, while others say it is on track for September. For the full timing breakdown, see our dedicated guide to the iPhone Fold release date.
A few specifics worth knowing:
- In March, a Barclays analyst suggested the Fold could be introduced in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro but launch later, possibly as late as December.
- In April, Nikkei reported Apple was hitting so many issues that the Fold might slip to 2027, but Gurman called that report “off base,” saying it should be available “around the same time” or “soon after” the iPhone 18 Pro models.
- DigiTimes tried to reconcile things, reporting a delay in the test phase that Apple may make up during mass production. Mass production was set for June 2026 but has reportedly been pushed to August.
The consensus is that even if the Fold does launch in September, it will likely be in short supply, since everyone agrees the device is complex and manufacturing is not going smoothly. Back in December, Kuo warned that production challenges could cause shortages into 2027.
Other Apple Foldable Rumors
The iPhone is not the only foldable Apple is exploring. Rumors point to foldable iPads and MacBooks with foldable OLED displays as well. Early on, it sounded like a foldable iPad or Mac might arrive before a foldable iPhone, but the current expectation is that the iPhone gets there first.
Apple’s Second Foldable iPhone
Apple is not stopping at one. After the 2026 launch, a second-generation foldable is expected in 2027, which happens to fall on the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone. That timing is almost certainly not a coincidence, and it suggests Apple sees foldables as a long-term part of the lineup rather than a one-off experiment.
What’s Changed: Update Log
We update this page as new information comes in. Here is the running log so you can see what is new at a glance.
- June 23, 2026: Apple reportedly approves Samsung Display to begin mass production of the foldable’s OLED panels, with yields said to be above 80 percent.
- June 9, 2026: The first iOS 27 developer beta leaves foldable references in its code (foldState, angleDegrees and a check for the number of built-in displays), all but confirming the hardware.
- June 7, 2026: Our clearest look yet at the foldable arrives via a detailed dummy unit, pointing to a white-only launch.
- June 5, 2026: Leaker suggests the foldable may not come in black.
- June 1 to 2, 2026: Reports of a liquid metal hinge and vapor chamber cooling despite the thin design.
- May 27, 2026: First cases for the foldable surface online.
- May 18, 2026: Production reportedly stalls amid hinge issues.
- May 14, 2026: Details on the quiet privacy benefit tied to the modem switch.
- May 13, 2026: Survey suggests few smartphone owners care much about foldables or AI.
- May 11, 2026: Rumors the foldable will launch in just two colors.
- May 6, 2026: Claims it could be the industry’s most repairable foldable.
- April 24, 2026: Reports it could be missing five key features despite the $2,000-plus price.
- April 13, 2026: Production pushed back but fall 2026 launch reportedly still on track, plus details on the smart adhesive behind the crease-free display.
- April 8, 2026: The price range is revealed, and Apple’s three-year plan to “reinvent” the iPhone is reported to be underway.
- April 7, 2026: Fold expected to launch on time in September despite delay rumors.
Have a tip or spotted a new leak we missed? We will fold it into this roundup as soon as it is verified.
