Home Tech Latest iPhone Fold leaks, rumors and renders: Everything we know

Latest iPhone Fold leaks, rumors and renders: Everything we know

Joseph K. Grasso
-
0
Latest iPhone Fold leaks, rumors and renders: Everything we know

Table of contents

The long-awaited foldable iPhone should will arrive in 2026. So far, Apple has kept a very tight lid on its first-ever foldable phone, but all signs point to a fall or winter 2026 release.

Early adopters already love foldables — and they have plenty of options — but Apple has been notably absent from the genre. However, don’t count out Apple. The company has a habit of arriving late to the party and then completely cornering the market, as it did with AirPods and iPhones.

So while we wait for official details, here’s everything we know about the first foldable iPhone, including the latest rumors, possible specs, release date, and pricing information.

When will the iPhone Fold be released?

We believe the iPhone Fold will arrive in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Many rumors have highlighted this over the last year. However, while Apple traditionally launches all of its new iPhones in September, the Fold might not be ready by then.

A tech analyst named Tim Long recently claimed that iPhone Fold shipments would begin in December of this year, not September, although Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman put a damper on that rumor. And Gurman seems to have a crystal ball staring directly into Apple headquarters these days.

Still, given the current global memory shortage, last-minute delays are still possible, so we’ll have to wait and see.

SEE ALSO:

Apple’s iPhone Fold is on the right track, but it might be more expensive than we thought

What will the iPhone Fold specs look like?

hypothetical rendering of the iPhone Fold on a stylized background

What would you like to see in a foldable iPhone design? Let us know in the comments.
Credit: Zain bin Awais / Mashable

The iPhone Fold of course remains a mystery to some extent, but we have a very rough idea of ​​what it could offer. Based on all the rumors and leaks, the iPhone Fold will have a wider design than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the upcoming Motorola Fold.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicts that the foldable iPhone will be a book-style foldable model with four cameras: two on the back, one on the inside, and a selfie camera on the front. Gurman also predicted that it would use Touch ID like the iPad Air and Pro, even though iPhones typically use Face ID. All recent leaks confirm Gurman’s information.

In fact, the smartphone market is already adjusting to the expected size of the iPhone Fold, and a Samsung Z Fold 8 Wide model was recently leaked. Huawei was the first to market with a large foldable, although the new Pura X Max is only available overseas.

The iPhone Fold specs might look like this:

  • Poster : 7.8-inch indoor OLED screen, 5.5-inch outdoor OLED screen

  • Thickness: 9.5 mm unfolded, 4.5 mm when folded

  • Security: Touch identification

  • Processor: A20 processor

  • Cameras: Dual rear cameras (48MP), dual front indoor/outdoor cameras

  • Price: $2,399

  • Battery: At least 5,088mAh

We’ve seen several reports claiming that Apple is committed to making the iPhone Fold’s screen the best it can be. It must be very resistant, very thin and without visible creases. Samsung Display would produce the OLED displays for the iPhone Fold because Samsung has the best flexible display technology in the game. There is a reason why Samsung launched the Galaxy TriFold while the world is still waiting for the first foldable iPhone.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported earlier this year that the iPhone Fold would have a 7.8-inch interior display, a 5.5-inch exterior display, and measure just 9-9.5mm thick. We heard another rumor in September 2025, that the iPhone Fold would look like two iPhone Airs put together, with a similar thickness of 5.6mm. Why this discrepancy between the two reports? This could be the difference between the thickness of the device when folded and unfolded.

There’s also talk of Apple using innovative technology to make the iPhone Fold lighter and more durable than most foldables. These rumors include a report that the company is using liquid metal for the phone’s hinge, which should improve durability.

What will the foldable iPhone be called?

Until now, most in the tech world have simply called this unannounced device the “iPhone Fold.” However, since this is not yet a confirmed product, it is very possible that the phone will have a different name at launch. Some outlets, such as 9to5mac, have recently started calling it “iPhone Ultra” or “iPhone Ultra Fold.”

While that would be a cool name (and might actually be the name when it comes out), we’re going to stick with “iPhone Fold” for now, just for the sake of simplicity.

How much will the iPhone Fold cost and will people buy it?

hypothetical representation of the iPhone Fold

A hypothetical rendering of the rumored iPhone Fold.
Credit: Zain bin Awais / Mashable

The iPhone Fold will likely be expensive. An early estimate from research analyst Arthur Liao suggested the price of the Fold – sip – could cost around $2,399. This is in line with expectations from a new report from International Data Corporation (IDC). Last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone Fold would likely cost between $2,000 and $2,500.

Despite the significant cost (the flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is priced at $1,999.99), sales expectations remain high. The IDC report estimates that Apple would siphon off a third of spending on the foldable market in 2026.

“But the real game-changer for the category comes at the end of the year, when Apple enters the foldable business, which is expected to capture over 22% unit share and a staggering 34% of foldable market value in its first year, thanks to an expected average price of $2,400,” the report read.

In March, Mark Gurman claimed that Apple could classify the iPhone Fold as an “Ultra” product, putting it at a higher price than other devices in its portfolio alongside other high-end machines like the Apple Watch Ultra. If the phone ends up costing at least $2,000 as expected, it would make sense.

The latest iPhone Fold leaks

In December 2025, we saw many alleged iPhone Fold renders circulating on social media, all of which share a similar design. We would take them with a grain of salt, of course.

In February, a leaker known as Instant Digital posted alleged renders of the iPhone on Chinese social media site Weibo. Like most leaks, especially those involving Apple, we cannot confirm their authenticity. However, they do line up with earlier reports about the phone’s overall appearance.

Most recently, Apple leaker Sonny Dickson shared another potential iPhone Fold render in March 2026.

Dickson shared more alleged iPhone Fold dummy units in April, giving these renders a bit more physicality than before.

The month of April was quite rich in terms of leaks on the iPhone Fold. Besides Dickson’s dummy units, YouTuber Vincent Zhong got his hands on the new Huawei Pura X Max Wide (in Asia). This Chinese phone is one of the first true “wide foldables” we’ve seen hit the market, and its screen dimensions are almost exactly the same as the iPhone Fold’s rumored dimensions.

While the iPhone Fold will almost certainly be different from Huawei’s device, Zhong’s hands-on video gives us a good idea of ​​what to expect from the iPhone Fold as a physical object in your hands.

We also got some interesting fake photos of tech leaker Majin Bu on X in April. In these photos, the dummy units look a lot like what we’ve seen in other recent leaks. In other words, it looks like a shorter, more book-like foldable than previous foldables. It looks like it will also support MagSafe cases.

What about cameras and battery?

Instant Digital makes some interesting claims. Most notably, the report states that the iPhone Fold will feature the largest iPhone battery ever. (For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is estimated to have a battery of around 5,088 mAh.)

“The volume buttons are not on the left side,” the post’s translation reads. “Instead, they are placed directly at the top of the right bezel (similar to the volume button layout on the top of the iPad mini). This may take some getting used to for typical users’ phone habits.”

The post also stated: “The dual rear camera + right microphone + flash are arranged horizontally. The camera module appears to be entirely black and does not match the body color. Currently, the only confirmed color is white, but Apple is expected to release two color options.

What else do we know about the iPhone Fold?

Beyond the physical design, another recent report suggests that you’ll be able to run multiple apps side-by-side when the phone is unfolded, much like multitasking on iPadOS 26. However, by all accounts, this device will run iOS, not iPadOS, so you won’t exactly get a full iPad experience with the iPhone Fold. (Apps designed to run natively on iPadOS, for example, would not be compatible.)

SEE ALSO:

Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold vs Apple foldable iPhone: specs and rumors

Finally, while the iPhone Fold is still in the realm of fantasy, there are already rumors of a clamshell-style foldable follow-up from Apple, potentially called the iPhone Flip. This one probably won’t arrive until next year.

Want to learn more about how to get the most out of your technology? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories and Deals newsletters Today.