After years of waiting, Apple is tipped to finally enter the foldable smartphone market later this year with the iPhone Fold. The iPhone Fold will likely be the biggest change since the original iPhone launched back in 2007. While the Cupertino giant remains tight-lipped on the foldable iPhone, rumours have been surfacing online for months now, giving us a clue on what to expect.
But before we begin, do note that Apple could launch the iPhone Fold with the iPhone “Ultra” branding, potentially as a way to signify the importance of the new device.
And the timing is not a coincidence either. Apple just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and its hardware chief, John Ternus, is about to take over as CEO from Tim Cook on September 1, 2026. The release of the iPhone Fold could be the start of a new era for the company.
iPhone Fold design
In recent weeks, dummy units and CAD renders of the iPhone Fold have surfaced online. These images hint towards a book-style aspect ratio for the foldable iPhone. This would make the device a bit wider than other foldables, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, the foldable iPhone is also expected to be a bit shorter, potentially giving it the proportions of a passport.
Apple will reportedly use a liquidmetal hinge for the iPhone Fold, which should make the device quite durable, an important part for any foldable smartphone. On the back, you can get a camera module, similar to what we saw on the iPhone Air last year, but with two cameras – more on that later.
The iPhone Fold is expected to launch in two colours – black and silver.
iPhone Fold display
When opened, the iPhone Fold is said to resemble an iPad Mini in overall footprint, though not in width. The device is expected to pack a 7.8-inch inner display with a 5.5-inch outer screen. Both panels will likely use Samsung’s M16 OLED technology. Leaks have also produced differing measurements. Reports suggest that the phone could measure about 9.23mm when folded, making it one of the slimmer foldables out there.
And the interesting part here is that the iPhone Fold is unlikely to come with Face ID. That is, you may not see the Dynamic Island on either of the screens. Instead, Apple will likely use punch-hole cameras on both screens, with support for a side-mounted Touch ID.
iPhone Fold cameras
On cameras, reports suggest Apple may go with a dual rear setup featuring a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, without a telephoto lens.
The inner display is tipped to include a 24-megapixel under-display camera. Though Apple may just stick with punch-hole cutouts for both sensors instead, likely using 18-megapixel selfie shooters on both screens.
iPhone Fold performance and battery
The foldable iPhone will likely run on Apple’s yet-to-be-announced A20 Pro chip, which is expected to be built on a 2nm process. Reports say this should bring gains in performance and efficiency over the A19 Pro expected in the iPhone 17 Pro series.
The handset is also tipped to offer 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. Taken together, that points to a device built for multitasking, which is important on a foldable where split-screen use is expected to do more than just look impressive in a demo.
You can expect the iPhone Fold to have the largest battery ever in an iPhone, somewhere between 5,400mAh and 5,800mAh. While battery figures have surfaced, there is little clarity on charging speeds in the current leaks. Another reported change is that the device may support only eSIM, with no physical SIM tray for all markets, just like the iPhone Air, allowing for more space for the battery.
The iPhone Fold may also come with more AI features thanks to a revamped Siri that is expected to be released in iOS 27.
iPhone Fold launch and expected price
The iPhone Fold is expected to be launched in September 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Do note that this will likely be the first Apple event led by John Ternus as CEO.
On the pricing front, the iPhone Fold is rumoured to come with a premium price tag. Rumours indicate that the device may cost around $2,400 (roughly Rs 2,25,000) in the US. To give you some context, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at Rs 1,74,999 in India.
