Representative image of an Apple iPhone.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
For the past few months, multiple reports indicated that Apple may bring its first-ever foldable iPhone in 2026. Last week, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook's statement--' will deliver innovations that have never been seen before' -- gave away the hint that the company may finally bring the long-rumoured iPhone Fold series this year.
The upcoming premium foldable iPhone is expected to come with a notebook-style design. It is said to feature a 5.3-inch cover display, and when unfurled, it will open up to a 7.6-inch screen, a tad smaller than the iPad mini. It is said to come with an advanced, flexible OLED panel with no noticeable crease in the middle.
Also, the foldable iPhone will be one of the thinnest in the market. It is said to feature 4.9mm thickness, thinner than the iPhone Air (5.6mm) and when folded, it will be around 9.8mm.
Due to design limitations, Apple may ditch the FaceID sensor and bring back the TouchID security feature.
Before the iPhone Fold could hit stores, a report has emerged that Apple is laying the groundwork for a new type of foldable iPhone.
Citing internal sources, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple is working on a clamshell design-based foldable iPhone, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Flip series.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7.
Credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit
However, the report notes that Apple is just exploring this design for the iPhone and will only go ahead with prototyping the device, only if the iPhone Fold finds good traction among customers later this year.
This type of clamshell-style is a perfect design for a phone. The device will feature a regular phone-like screen and can instantly fold in half its size. This is such a meaningful space-saving feature; it helps users put both the earphone case and the phone in the same pocket without any space constraint.
Many Apple fans will hope the company goes ahead with the plan to bring the iPhone Flip series, as it will bring more variety to the handset portfolio, which has become too boring with just a candybar design. The only differentiation we see in the current crop of iPhones is screen sizes, camera sensors, battery capacity and processors, which come with incremental upgrades with each new iteration.
It should be noted that 2027 marks the 20th anniversary of the iPhone (1st gen). We expect Apple, like the iPhone X (10) in 2017, to bring an all-new iPhone design.
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