After years of sitting on the foldable phone sidelines, Apple could be preparing to launch a device of its own, which rumormongers are calling either the iPhone Flip or iPhone Fold. Whatever name the device ultimately debuts with, we've got a clearer picture than ever about what Apple could be planning on the foldable front.
Updated April 16
• A leaker claims Apple's foldable iPhone will cost between $2,100 and $2,300.
• An analyst predicts a foldable phone and foldable tablet are coming from Apple in 2026.
• Samsung will reportedly supply a crease-free display for Apple's foldable.
A foldable iPhone is certainly long overdue, with everyone from Samsung to Google to Motorola already vying to offer the best foldable phones. Apple appears to be biding its time, though an influx of recent rumors has us thinking that plans for an iPhone Flip are starting to take shape.
We likely won't see such a phone this year, as even the most optimistic rumors point to a 2026 launch for the iPhone Flip. But enough details have leaked to give us some idea of how Apple could take on the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold once a foldable iPhone does appear.
Everything we've heard about the potential iPhone Flip is summarized below so you can get a top-level view of the state of the first foldable iPhone.
What kind of foldable is Apple building?
The first question to tackle with a foldable iPhone is what form it will take. Right now, foldables seem to come in two styles — a book-shaped phone that opens up to reveal a larger display inside and a design that equips the flip phones of an earlier generation with a foldable screen.
Most of the leaks around a foldable iPhone call it the iPhone Flip, which would indicate a clamshell design similar to the flip-phones styles we have with the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Motorola Razr Plus 2024.
However, more recent reports have indicated that Apple is developing a notebook-style phone much like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 — and these reports even cite specs that back up that claim. This is why you might hear the name iPhone Fold being used to refer to this foldable iPhone.
We're calling the phone the iPhone Flip for now, just to stay consistent with a lot of early rumors. But keep in mind that the ultimate name may take on another form altogether. For example, Apple calls the successor to the iPhone SE 2022 the iPhone 16e — which makes more sense to better fit with the other iPhone 16 releases. The foldable iPhone could follow a similar naming convention once it eventually appears.
iPhone Flip release date speculation
Given how long foldable iPhone rumors have been circulating, any release date has been a moveable target. At this stage, the iPhone Flip seems unlikely to be part of the iPhone 17 launch this fall, with Apple rumored to be releasing a standard iPhone, two iPhone 17 Pro models and an ultrathin phone tentatively called the iPhone 17 Air. That doesn't leave a lot of room for a foldable.
To that end, analysts now seem to be zeroing in on 2026 as a possible launch date. Specifically, analyst Jeff Pu has forecast a 2026 release for two Apple foldables — a tablet and a phone. While Pu has frequently adjusted launch date predictions, that 2026 release is backed up by a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. (That same report tips the iPhone to have a notebook-style design, incidentally.)
Still, don't rule out that launch date speculation shifting again, with some reports still indicating that 2027 is a more likely date.
iPhone Flip price: What would it cost?
If the release date for an iPhone Flip or iPhone Fold is still up in the air, then the price of such a device is even more uncertain. One thing we can safely assume, though, is that a foldable iPhone will cost a lot.
Consider that the Galaxy Fold debuted for $1,980 with a 7.3-inch tablet-like display when unfolded, and a tiny 4.6-inch panel on the outside. Just six months later, the Galaxy Z Flip released with a more vertically-proportioned 6.7-inch screen coated in Ultra-Thin Glass for better durability for $600 less. The same price difference has been maintained on the most recent Galaxy foldables, although with the most recent $1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 6 and $1,100 Galaxy Z Flip 6, the price for both has increased by $100 from previous generations.
With speculation pointing to a notebook-style design for Apple's foldable, that would suggest pricing in the $1,499 to $1,899 range that similar-looking phones currently command. A price rumor posted on Weibo suggests Apple's version of a foldable phone would cost between $2,100 and $2,300, though that number seems to be plucked out of thin air.
iPhone Flip: Design and display
Years of patents filed by Apple have teased potential designs for a foldable device out of Cupertino. But as we get closer to a rumored launch date, the end design seems to be coming into focus.
As we've noted, reports from Mark Gurman in Bloomberg indicate that Apple is focusing on a notebook-style design, with other news sites backing up that claim. We've even got an early indication of some of the specs Apple has in mind for its foldable.
In March 2025, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted his forecasted iPhone Flip specs, predicting a 7.8-inch main display for the phone when it's opened. (For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 gives you a 7.6-inch display while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold from Google gives you 8 inches of screen space.)
That same report indicates that the iPhone Flip would offer a 5.5-inch cover display, which is more compact than what you'd find on competing phones. That claim's consistent with other reports indicating a 4:3 aspect ratio that would have the iPhone Flip resembling an iPad.
Current foldables are characterized by a crease that can appear on the main display where the phone folds in two, with some models having a more prominent crease than others. Happily, that may not be the case with the iPhone Flip, as reports out of Korea indicate that Samsung's display unit is supplying Apple with a foldable screen that is crease-free.
Kuo believes that the iPhone Flip will be between 9mm and 9.5mm when folded, so an opened device would be just 4.5mm to 4.8mm thin. That compares to 8.25mm for the iPhone 16 Pro. The rumored iPhone 17 Air is supposed to be 5.5mm, so we're talking about a very slender foldable when opened.
iPhone Flip: Other specs
Most iPhone Flip rumors have focused on the design the phone will take and the size of its displays, with little attention on other aspects of the phone. That's understandable, given how a foldable iPhone launch is at least a year away.
For example, we don't know what silicon will power the phone. With the A19 system-on-chip likely to feature in this year's iPhone 17 release, you'd image the chipset developed for Apple's 2026 phones would also find its way into the foldable model.
Similarly, there haven't been many rumors about cameras, save for a post on the Weibo microblogging site in China. That report claims the iPhone Flip will have an under-display camera, much like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 does.
Another blog post details potential ways Apple can offer a thin phone that still delivers sufficient battery life. Apparently, it involves the display driver IC (DDI) that converts digital signals from the processor into analog ones for controlling display pixels. Apple is looking to make that run more efficiently, putting less of a drain on the phone's battery.
As for software, we'd assume a foldable iPhone would run on iOS, shipping with whatever the latest version is at the time it appears. But we would also assume Apple would tweak its iPhone software to make better use of the folding body. Don't expect iOS 19 to offer much of a clue when it gets a preview at WWDC 2025 in June — that update is supposed to focus on an interface overhaul.
iPhone Flip: The competition
If the iPhone Flip doesn't arrive until 2026, Apple will certainly be giving its rivals even more of a head start on the foldable phone front. Samsung is now up to its sixth version of the Galaxy Z Fold and there's a new Galaxy Z Flip, too. This summer should bring the Galaxy Z Fold 7, assuming Samsung sticks to its regular release schedule.
The foldable market has expanded beyond just Samsung, too. We're expecting a Pixel 10 Pro Fold this year, and while OnePlus has delayed its OnePlus Open successor, a new version could arrive before we get a glimpse of an iPhone Flip or iPhone Fold
In other words, Apple is going to have to offer something unique to stand out from a crowded field full of competitors who've had the chance to refine their designs. Then again, that hasn't been an issue from Apple in the past.
Apple has a history of instituting major change in the mobile market with every release: the abandonment of the headphone jack, elimination of bezels and adoption of the notch were all trends kicked off by iPhones. And although 5G handsets are more common than ever, 2020's iPhone 12 likely served as most people's introduction to 5G.
Ultimately, foldable tech and the smartphone industry at large has a lot riding on how Apple approaches the dream of an iPhone that folds.
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