March 8, 2025, 9:22 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Apple is the last of the major smartphone manufacturers that does not yet have a model with a foldable display in its range. The company is known to play it safe when it comes to new product categories — and this is also the case here.
A prime example of Apple’s timeline for adopting technology from other manufacturers is the Vision Pro mixed reality headset. Not until 2024, a full twelve years after the Oculus Rift popularized the technology, did the company release its own product to the market. Foldables haven’t been on the market that long — the first serious device was the original Samsung Galaxy Fold from 2019. However, the technology for foldable displays is developing rapidly, and Apple is falling further and further behind. However, according to current rumors from the supply chain, the launch of the iPhone Fold could be imminent. TECHBOOK has the details.
Overview
Leaked Details Despite Utmost Secrecy
Unlike other manufacturers, Apple is adept at keeping unpublished projects secret. However, this does not prevent industry experts with good contacts with suppliers from making well-founded assumptions. One of the best-informed insiders is Ming-Chi Kuo, who has published current forecasts for the iPhone Fold on the blog platform Medium.
Features of the New Apple Flagship
With the introduction of the iPhone 16e and the discontinuation of the iPhone SE, there are currently no more current Apple smartphones with Touch ID. Yet, the iPhone Fold may reintroduce fingerprint unlocking. According to Kuo, there could be no room for the Face ID sensors in the flat housing. Instead, the Touch ID button is expected to be integrated into the unlock button, similar to the iPad and iPad Air.
These space constraints present another challenge for Apple engineers: ensuring that the smartphone has an adequate power supply. Other foldable manufacturers are now relying on so-called silicon-carbon batteries, which can be significantly thinner than conventional lithium cells. While Kuo does not specifically name this technology, the ‘high energy density battery cells’ he refers to are presumably similar. An interesting detail in passing: Kuo mentions that the same battery cells are also used in the ultra-thin iPhone 17, which is currently being traded as the “iPhone 17 Air.”
Artificial intelligence is set to be a cornerstone feature of the iPhone Fold. The larger screen could offer new application possibilities. Kuo cites the example of a conversation with a chatbot to create travel plans while a map app is open next to it.
iPhone Fold to Come in a Classic Book Design
There are now not only flip phones with foldable screens but even tri-folds such as the Huawei Mate XT and many other variants — for example, with rollable displays. However, according to Kuo, Apple is likely to take its cue from the classic book design, which Samsung also launched in 2019 in the form of the Galaxy Fold.
Thus, the iPhone Fold is expected to resemble a traditional candy bar smartphone externally yet unfold along the vertical axis to reveal a larger tablet-sized display. At 5.5 inches, the external screen could be significantly smaller than Apple’s current iPhone models — the iPhone 16 and 16e start at 6.1 inches. The company would, therefore, finally have not only an iPhone Fold but also an iPhone mini in its range again. In September 2023, Apple discontinued the iPhone mini 13 without replacement.
Internally, users can anticipate a 7.8-inch display that, per Kuo, is designed to be crease-free at the juncture between the two halves of the casing. OnePlus recently proved with the Open that the crease can be reduced to a barely perceptible minimum in a foldable. There is currently no longer any talk of a self-healing coating, which earlier reports suggested.
The iPhone Fold is reportedly 9 to 9.5 millimeters thick when folded. This places it approximately on par with the Honor Magic V3 and potentially just a bit bulkier than the former record holder, the Oppo Find N5 (8.9 millimeters). When unfolded, the thickness is halved to 4.5 to 4.8 millimeters. Like the Pro models of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, as well as the upcoming iPhone 17, the casing is likely to be made of a titanium alloy. For the hinge, however, Kuo specifies a combination of stainless steel and titanium.
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Price and Availability of the iPhone Fold
While flip foldables are now available at affordable prices, models in book format are generally priced well above the 1000 euro mark. Huawei’s spectacular Tri-Fold Mate XT Ultimate even costs a hefty 3499 euros in Europe.
The iPhone Fold is also likely to be Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date. Kuo considers a price of between 2000 and 2500 US dollars (1840 and 2300 euros) to be realistic. Nevertheless, demand is expected to be high due to the desirability of a new premium Apple smartphone.
The features of the iPhone Fold have not yet been finalized. It is not expected to be ready until the second quarter of 2025. The official project launch is then slated for the third quarter, with mass production commencing in the fourth quarter of 2026. This means that a presentation in fall 2026 would still be possible. Insiders already considered this date very likely. Kuo also predicts that Apple will begin production of the second-generation iPhone Fold in quick succession in the second half of 2027.