Apple is among the top-tier smartphone manufacturers with a foldable device conspicuously missing in its portfolio. The company however is doing its best to remedy the situation. As the tipster Digital Chat Station revealed on Weibo, Apple has a foldable iPhone in the making that has an ‘unprecedented’ screen ratio for the outer and inner displays.
Specifically, the rumored foldable iPhone that opens like a book comes with a 5.49-inch display on the outside. Unfold the device and it will reveal a larger 7.74-inch display that users will be able to operate as a mini-iPad of sorts. The leak further reveals that the foldable iPhone will have a shorter but thicker build compared to foldable devices from rivals such as Samsung, Oppo, and Huawei. This way, the foldable iPhone will have a thicker form factor but will have compact dimensions.
Apple will also have to tweak the iOS platform to ensure the device can transform seamlessly from a smartphone into a tablet. Both the iPhone and the iPad dominate the respective segments they operate in and this is going to be the first time that Apple will be offering a hybrid device that can function both as a smartphone and a tablet. It’s going to be like having an iPhone and an iPad at the same time.
Apple however hasn’t confirmed the existence of a foldable iPhone. That said, the company has been granted several patents related to foldable display technology. Plus, there also are reports of the company actively exploring cooperation with ultra-thin glass suppliers, a key component of foldable devices given the unique quality of such glasses that has the ability to bend without breaking. All of this suggest a foldable device indeed being in the making at Apple.
The leak also suggests the foldable iPhone will be ready to hit markets by the end of 2026 or early 2027. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman too had earlier suggested Apple might have a foldable iPhone/ iPad device to offer by 2028.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.