iPhone Fold
Overview
The iPhone Fold is a foldable smartphone that Apple is known to be developing. As of 2025, Apple has not yet released a foldable product, but rumors about a foldable iPhone have persisted for years through patents and supply chain reports. This document summarizes known information about the iPhone Fold, industry outlook, and its significance in the smartphone market.
Main Content
Background of the Foldable Smartphone Market
Samsung Electronics has led the market with the Galaxy Fold, its first foldable smartphone released in 2019, and subsequently with the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series. Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo have also expanded the market with various foldable products. According to market research firms, foldable smartphone shipments reached approximately 25 million units in 2024, accounting for only about 2% of the overall smartphone market, but it is considered a high-growth segment expanding at over 30% annually.
Apple has adopted a strategy of waiting for the technology to mature before entering, given the iPhone's premium position in the overall market and its highly integrated ecosystem. Accordingly, the prevailing view is that the iPhone Fold will launch later than its competitors' products.
Rumors and Expectations for the iPhone Fold
To date, Apple has not officially confirmed any information. However, the following expectations have emerged from various sources, patents, and component supply chain indicators.
Design
The most likely designs are a book-style fold (folding like a book) that opens around a hinge while maintaining the existing iPhone design language, and a clamshell form factor that folds vertically like the Galaxy Z Flip. According to recent rumors, Apple is reviewing both forms, with observations suggesting it may release a book-style product as early as 2026, followed by a clamshell model in 2027.
Minimizing the crease in the folding area of the display is considered a key challenge. Apple's own patents have shown signs of research into self-healing materials and new hinge structures. Many forecasts suggest the external display will maintain a ratio similar to existing iPhones, while the internal display will be in the 7 to 8-inch range.
Hardware and Performance
The expected chip is likely the A19 or A20 Pro chip to be featured in future iPhones, and there is speculation that the device will include at least 12GB of RAM. Memory capacity is important for foldable phones because multitasking on the large screen is common. Additionally, L-shaped batteries or thinner battery technologies are expected to be applied to increase battery capacity.
Thanks to the folding structure, the camera is expected to accommodate a high-performance camera module while maintaining thickness. Some patents have also proposed new camera functions that utilize the folding mechanism (e.g., taking selfies while folded, flexible cameras).
Software Ecosystem
A key question is whether iOS will be optimized for foldable hardware. Apple is expected to strengthen integration with iPadOS and improve multitasking features that run multiple apps simultaneously on the large screen. Technologies that enable seamless app transitions as the screen folds and unfolds, particularly through app continuity (Adaptive UI), will become important. There is also interest in whether Apple Pencil support will be included.
Price and Release Timing
Experts predict the iPhone Fold will be priced at $2,000 to $2,500, higher than the Galaxy Z Fold series. This is due to the high cost of foldable displays and hinge components, as well as Apple's premium strategy. A release by 2026 to 2027 at the latest is considered most likely; some have suggested the possibility of a launch in the second half of 2025, but recent rumors point to a delay until 2026 or later.
Technical Challenges
The challenges the foldable iPhone must address are clear. The biggest issue is durability. Because of the folding nature, continuous stress is applied to the display and hinge, and the device is vulnerable to dust and foreign particles. Competitors such as Samsung are also strengthening dust-proof designs and durability tests to solve this problem. Given Apple's high internal durability standards, it is expected to demand industry-leading refinement in the hinge structure.
The second challenge is thickness and weight. The iPhone has always emphasized a slim and light design. A foldable product inevitably becomes thicker, and Apple is reportedly researching new battery technologies and motherboard designs to overcome this.
Finally, there is app compatibility. Developers will need to optimize apps for the large and foldable form factor, and Apple must provide robust software frameworks for its developer ecosystem. If this aspect is not handled smoothly, the appeal of the iPhone Fold could be diminished.
Latest Trends
From 2024 to 2025, news related to the iPhone Fold has become more concrete.
- Late 2024 reports: Several overseas media outlets reported that Apple placed orders for foldable display samples from Samsung Display and LG Display in 2024 and conducted quality tests.
- Early 2025 patents: Apple was confirmed to have filed numerous foldable-related patents, including structures that block dust inflow inside the hinge and devices that smooth out creases in the folding area, suggesting development has entered full swing.
- Supply chain news: Taiwanese component makers are preparing for mass production of hinges for the iPhone Fold, and reports have emerged that Apple is working with Corning to secure thinner cover glass compared to existing iPhones.
- Market outlook: Market research firm DSCC predicted that if Apple enters the foldable market in 2026, it will become the absolute leader in the foldable smartphone market by 2027.
- Competitive landscape: Samsung Electronics plans to introduce a thinner design and improved hinge in the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in 2025, while Chinese manufacturers are expanding the market with price competitiveness. Attention is being paid to whether Apple's late entry will still have a significant market impact.
The iPhone Fold is not yet an official product, so all information is based on rumors and speculation. However, it is firmly positioned as one of Apple's future growth drivers and is regarded as a candidate to lead a new paradigm in the smartphone market.
Related Topics
- [[Samsung Galaxy Z Fold]]
- [[Foldable smartphone]]
- [[Apple]]
- [[iPhone]]