A foldable iPhone in 2025? Probably not, but these 5 rumors bring the hype

8 hours ago 3

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source connected Google.

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The iPhone Fold could travel adjacent to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 successful presumption of thickness.
Apple's archetypal foldable iPhone mightiness bring Touch ID backmost to iPhones.
It is rumored to athletics a smaller show than the iPhone 16.

Apple is reportedly acceptable to motorboat its first-ever foldable iPhone successful 2026. Ahead of the large iPhone 17 launch, much details astir the long-rumored iPhone Fold person emerged. It is said to beryllium a book-style foldable similar the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Also: Apple's iPhone 17 lawsuit is close astir the country - here's everything we cognize truthful far

While rival companies person been making specified phones for a fewer years now, the Apple iPhone Fold volition debut successful a much mature market. I expect it to beryllium much mature than first-generation Android foldables. However, this besides means Apple volition beryllium entering a caller conception that's much competitory than ever.

Here are the 5 iPhone Fold features that could marque it connected par (or adjacent better) than Android folding phones.

1. Slightly thicker than the Samsung Z Fold 7

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported aggregate times that the archetypal Apple foldable volition beryllium akin to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series. It volition besides travel adjacent to the book-style foldable's plan successful presumption of thickness and crease visibility. According to industry expert Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone Fold could measurement betwixt 9- and 9.5mm erstwhile folded, and astir 4.5- to 4.8mm erstwhile unfolded.

Also: How to wide your iPhone cache (and wherefore you should bash it earlier the iOS 26 update)

For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9mm erstwhile folded and 4.2mm erstwhile unfolded. While a fewer millimeters mightiness not look similar a large deal, they impact the in-hand consciousness immensely. That's wherefore I similar the Samsung foldable much than its competitors.

2. Not a tense crease situation

In a recent report, Gurman explained that in-cell interaction surface exertion could assistance marque the iPhone Fold's crease little obvious. It is besides said to person liquid metallic successful the hinges to amended durability and assistance destruct the crease. It could diagnostic a titanium chassis, with the hinge made from a operation of titanium and stainless steel.

Also: iPhone 17 Air: Everything to cognize astir the 'ultra-thin' Plus slayer coming successful September

As of now, some the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Oppo Find N5 person tiny creases, but they get much pronounced with age. Apple's archetypal foldable crease concern should beryllium amended than the two-generation-old Galaxy Fold 5, and it'll beryllium absorbing to spot if it comes adjacent to the current-gen models, particularly erstwhile astir Chinese foldables person solved the contented successful caller years.

3. Unfolding into an iPad (not iPad Mini)

The iPhone Fold is said to diagnostic a 5.5-inch outer display, which is smaller than the basal iPhone 16's 6.1-inch screen. This volition assistance it unfold into a 7.8-inch iPad-style screen, giving you a 4:3 facet ratio display. Unlike the iPad Mini's 3:2 facet ratio, a 4:3 surface is person to the squarish facet ratio of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Also: These 14 concealed codes revealed hidden menus connected my iPhone and Android

As a result, it'll person much letterboxing successful video contented than an iPad Mini, but it should beryllium connected par with different foldables. You should inactive get a bigger surface country to ticker your favourite shows than you get with a regular slab phone. The interior show is rumored to person a 2,713 x 1,920-pixel resolution, whereas the screen surface could athletics a 2,088 x 1,422-pixel resolution.

4. One little camera than others

Most book-style foldables person 5 cameras successful total: 1 wrong the screen screen, different wrong the folding display, and 3 connected the rear, comprising a superior camera, a telephoto sensor, and an ultrawide-angle lens. However, the archetypal Apple foldable could driblet a rear camera successful favour of lodging a full of 4 sensors.

According to a caller study from Gurman, the iPhone Fold volition diagnostic a dual rear camera setup, alongside 1 connected the beforehand and 1 connected the inside. So, it could beryllium little versatile than Samsung, Google, and different Chinese offerings. The Vivo X Fold 5 and Oppo Find N5 are connected a full different level of foldable telephone photography, and it'll beryllium hard for the iPhone Fold to bushed them.

5. One throwback diagnostic and an iPhone 17 Air-like spec

The iPhone Fold could usage Touch ID alternatively of Face ID for biometric authentication. The erstwhile was phased retired earlier this twelvemonth from iPhones with the motorboat of iPhone 16e. However, Touch ID remains an integral portion of different Apple products, including iPads and MacBooks. It remains to beryllium seen if the Cupertino elephantine opts for an all-new in-display fingerprint scanner oregon follows the iPad exemplary by embedding it into the powerfulness button.

Also: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: I compared some Androids, and here's the winner

According to Gurman, the archetypal Apple foldable volition besides deficiency a SIM card, similar the iPhone 17 Air. (Google precocious moved to an eSIM-only format successful the Pixel 10 lineup for the US market.) It's a tricky concern to not person a carnal SIM paper slot successful your phone, and it doesn't truly payment the consumer, successful my opinion. I speculate the iPhone Fold volition clasp a SIM slot for different markets, similar the Pixel 10 lineup, but there's nary confirmation connected it yet.

What else?

The iPhone Fold could diagnostic Apple's second-generation C2 modem for cellular connectivity, which volition beryllium a measurement up from its archetypal in-house C1 modem recovered wrong the iPhone 16e. The C2 cellular modem is claimed to person "capabilities approaching the latest from Qualcomm." The iPhone 18 Pro lineup is besides touted to usage the aforesaid modem.

The archetypal foldable iPhone is besides said to battalion high-density artillery cells, which are speculated to marque their mode onto the iPhone 17 Air successful a fewer weeks. This artillery exertion is what helped marque Oppo, Vivo, and Honor foldables truthful slim contempt packing a 5,000mAh+ artillery capacity.

Apple iPhone Fold terms and merchandise date

The archetypal Apple iPhone Fold is tipped to motorboat successful 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series. Apple is rumored to revamp its motorboat strategy starting adjacent year, erstwhile it'll denote the iPhone 18 Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold together, portion the iPhone 18 volition beryllium launched successful aboriginal 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e.

Also: I tested the champion iPhones: Here are the latest models that suit you most

According to erstwhile reports, the iPhone Fold could beryllium priced astir $2,000. This would marque it the astir costly iPhone ever, and enactment it connected par with the Samsung and Google rivals. It mightiness beryllium expensive, but the iPhone Fold could propel foldable telephone adoption among consumers.

Read Entire Article