Rumors about Apple’s first foldable iPhone are growing now that the device has entered a new testing phase ahead of mass production. If you’ve been having trouble keeping up with the latest, we’ve recapped the latest iPhone Fold rumors that have surfaced over the past few weeks.
Composition
Another rumor is that Apple will call its foldable iPhone the “iPhone Ultra,” which seems out of the question. We’ve been referring to it as the iPhone Fold during the rumor mill, but it’s unlikely that Apple will use that name.
Samsung already has the Galaxy Fold, and that will be very similar to the likes of Apple. Apple already uses the Ultra name for the Apple Watch and a version of CarPlay that integrates deeply with the car’s systems.
Given the $2,000+ price tag for a foldable iPhone, the “Ultra” would make sense.
Design
We’ve heard a lot of rumors about the design of the iPhone Fold, but the first alleged mock-ups surfaced this week. We don’t know if these things show the actual design of the iPhone Fold, but it has all the rumored design features, and the right size.
The foldable iPhone will have a ~5.5-inch display when closed, making it Apple’s smallest current-generation iPhone. When it’s open, it’ll be about 7.8 inches, so about a half-inch smaller than the iPad mini. It will have a wide 4:3 aspect ratio like the iPad, which is a design that will set it apart from other foldable smartphones on the market. Most foldable smartphones are tall, but Apple is going in a different direction.
There’s a raised camera bump that doesn’t extend across the entire back of the device, which is expected. It has a dual-lens camera system, and a slim chassis. Rumors suggest that the iPhone Fold will be as thin as 4.5mm when unfolded, limiting the camera space. It’s so thin that Apple won’t be able to use the TrueDepth camera system, and it will have Touch ID instead of Face ID.
Time Out
We’ve heard a lot of rumors back and forth about the release date over the past two weeks. Some rumors suggested the iPhone Fold would be delayed last September due to late production issues, while others suggested it was timed for a September launch.
In March, a Barclays analyst suggested that the iPhone Fold could be launched in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, but it will be launched later, perhaps in late December.
A place in Japan Nikkei said this week that Apple is facing so many problems that the iPhone Fold may be pushed to 2027, but BloombergMark Gurman said the report was “baseless.” Gurman believes that the iPhone Fold will be available for sale “at the same time” or “soon” as the iPhone 18 Pro models.
If the iPhone Fold launches in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models, it’s likely to be in short supply. Reports agree that the device is complex and manufacturing is not going well. In December, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said production challenges could create a supply shortage by 2027.
The price
Apple’s foldable iPhone will “cross the $2,000 threshold,” according to Gurman. It’s unclear if $2,000 will be the starting price point, or if it will come with a lower price tag but a higher-end configuration that exceeds $2,000.
Most rumors have suggested that the iPhone Fold will start around $2,000, although there have been outsiders who put the starting price as high as $2,300.
Read more
There are many other rumors about the foldable iPhone, including details about Apple’s work on the hinge, the materials it will be made of, what camera technology it will use, and more. We have a complete roundup of the iPhone Fold with all the rumors we’ve heard so far.