Apple Knows When To Fold 'Em

There has been smoke around the notion of Apple doing a "foldable" product for years at this point. But this week Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu of The Information report that they've drilled down on some specifics:

Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that could be released as early as 2026 and in recent months reached out to suppliers in Asia to make components for the device, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The phone would fold widthwise like a clamshell, the people said. That would make it similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, which was released in 2020.

Though their report wasn't the first one, a few hours prior, DIGITIMES ran with the same general story, citing Hankooki and ET News out of South Korea – anyone up for a game of telephone? All of this is either behind a paywall or in Korean or both, so we'll rely on 9to5Mac to relay the news:

According to reports from Korean media outlets Hankooki and ET News, sources close to Apple indicate that the company has been conducting R&D on a top-down folding smartphone since 2024. The unfolded device is expected to have dimensions similar to existing iPhones.

In recent years, Apple has been securing patents related to foldable products. Rumors suggest that in 2024, Apple formally began R&D and signed a panel supply contract with Samsung Display (SDC). Given Apple’s typical two-year development cycle for new products, a 2026 launch is thus predicted.

So yeah, that's at least four different outlets reporting the same basic thing: that Apple is working on a folding phone, that the phone is going to fold from the top like an old school "flip-phone" (versus a true "foldable" that opens more like a book), and that 2026 is the likely launch year. Sadly, I believe Mark Gurman is on holiday from Bloomberg, otherwise I'm sure he'd confirm or deny the details here (he's reported on Apple's foldable ambitions plenty over the years).¹

Wayne Ma also previously reported on Apple working on such a phone back in February, but also cited former Apple employees thinking that an iPad was likely to be the first product to get such a design. Others have reported that a Mac may be the first such product given that it already, you know, folds. The latter never made a ton of sense to me – at least not anytime soon given the current state of foldable screen technology. But an iPad – in particular, an iPad mini that folded made a lot of sense. And actually, an iPhone that folded book-wise, like the Galaxy Fold or Pixel Fold could have been sort of a hybrid of the iPhone and iPad mini. But no, flip-iPhone, it will apparently be, per DIGITIMES:

Initially, it was speculated that Apple would first launch a foldable iPad to gauge market reaction and accumulate sales experience before introducing the technology to its primary product, the iPhone. However, due to challenges encountered in the Chinese smartphone market, Apple has reportedly adjusted its plans and may introduce the iPhone as its first foldable product.

Given that Samsung is a few generations into such devices now and Google is gearing up to unveil the second Pixel Fold shortly, not to mention all the Chinese players, it seemingly makes sense for Apple to target 2026 – which is still two iPhone generations from now. All of these players will be one or two generations further on their foldables by then. So while Apple doesn't seem particularly "late" to this market right now, they may be feeling more pressure by then.

I have a Pixel Fold (a secondary device to test Android apps). It's a little thick and heavy when folded and used as a regular phone, but overall I really like the form factor. A lot of apps still aren't tailored for the screen-size switching, but those that are, like YouTube (unsurprisingly), are fantastic.

But yes, the crease is pretty lame. It's not the worst thing I've ever seen, and it's not a total disaster like it was to start for Samsung, but it's noticeable depending on what you're doing and again, how tailored the apps are for the larger folded-out screen. In particular, it's weird to run your finger over it and feel the crease constantly. It just seems like one of those things that should fold completely flat – I'm still constantly checking to make sure I've unfolded it the whole way – but doesn't. Apple will undoubtedly want it to, but I highly doubt the tech will allow for that, even by 2026. We'll see, I guess.

But again, unlike the Folds, what we're talking about here is a Flip. I have not used one of those yet. Though the new Motorola Razrs look nice!² Presumably what Apple is thinking here is very similar-looking – that is, a device that is almost a square screen when closed, and flips open to look similar to what a current iPhone looks like. Back to Ma and Liu:

Apple’s designers also have struggled to come up with enough compelling features that would make consumers want one, especially given its high retail cost compared to nonfoldable phones, according to people with direct knowledge of its previous efforts.

Would the folded screen display iOS widgets or something else? Scaled up Apple Watch apps? Would better pocket-ability simply be compelling enough for some? Clearly, Apple has been worried about the thickness element:

Two problems may stand in the way of a foldable iPhone. Apple’s engineers have struggled for years to overcome the technical challenges of building such a device, such as eliminating the crease that forms in the middle of the display after repeated folds.

Apple designers have also previously mandated that a foldable iPhone should be half as thin as current iPhone models so it wouldn’t be too thick when shut, The Information reported in February.

The company may have resolved that issue. Next year, the company plans to release a significantly thinner iPhone, internally code-named D23, The Information reported in May.

Yes, but that "Thin iPhone" may also be the 'iPhone Ultra' and is undoubtedly going to be very expensive. As I wrote back in May around Ma's report then:

As for price, The Information doesn't say anything beyond the notion that it would be more expensive than the current $1,200 starting point (technically, $1,199) of the 'Pro Max' models. I tried to think through this last year, coming up with $1,499 as the logical (for Apple – not for you) starting point. But that was before the aforementioned $100 price-hike last year. Still, I think a $300 jump from 'Pro Max' to 'Ultra' makes sense (again, for Apple, not for you). And this would push the very top-of-the-line model, with maximum storage, likely past $2,000.

So can you just imagine how much a foldable iPhone using those same thin components would cost? I have to imagine we're talking a $2,000 entry-point, at least. Hardly a surprise given that Apple has been both pushing such pricing envelopes and benefitting from such trends.³ But yeah, this thing better be good.

¹ Worth noting that others, like Ming-Chi Kuo have been predicting that Apple would launch a foldable years ago at this point -- which always seemed unrealistic. Now it's starting to feel more realistic, but we're still talking two-plus years out!

² The last primary phone I had that wasn't an iPhone was an old school Motorola RAZR. Loved that flip-to-close mechanism.

³ Though the rest of the world remains a ongoing question...