Kuo: Apple's First Foldable iPhone to Feature Book-Style Design, Sell for Over $2,000

Apple's first foldable iPhone should arrive around the end of 2026 or early 2027 with a book-style design and a premium price tag of over $2,000, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a report today, Kuo outlines his expectations for the device, noting that it will have an approximately 7.8-inch "crease-free" inner display and a 5.5-inch outer display, matching a rumor from last month.

iPhone Fold Vertical Feature
Kuo says that the foldable ‌iPhone‌ will measure between 9 and 9.5 mm when folded, and around 4.5 to 4.8 mm when unfolded. It will feature a titanium alloy casing with a hinge made of stainless steel and titanium alloy, and it will have a dual-lens rear camera with a front-facing camera for both folded and unfolded states.

Notably, Kuo says that the phone will forgo Face ID authentication, instead using a Touch ID side button as a means to save precious internal space. It will also be positioned as a "true AI-driven phone," with the larger screens allowing for a better multi-tasking AI experience.

With premium pricing above $2,000 and perhaps even above $2,500, Kuo believes the foldable ‌iPhone‌ will tap into Apple's loyal fanbase, some of whom will view it as a "must-have device" if its quality meets expectations.

Kuo says Apple is aiming to finalize the specs of its first foldable ‌iPhone‌ during the second quarter of this year and officially kick off the project in the third quarter. Mass production is reportedly planned for the fourth quarter of 2026, so we could perhaps see a launch late next year or in early 2027. A second-generation model is said to be in the pipeline for a year later.

Popular Stories

ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

John Gruber Says 'Something is Rotten' at Apple

Wednesday March 12, 2025 7:39 pm PDT by
Daring Fireball's John Gruber today shared some strongly-worded comments about Apple's delayed personalized Siri features. Gruber is a well-known Apple pundit who has been writing about the company for more than two decades. In a blog post titled "Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino," Gruber said Apple's credibility has been "damaged" by the delay:Keynote by keynote, product by...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
Apple Maps vs Google Maps Feature

iOS 18.4 Adds a Highly-Requested Setting to iPhones — But Not in U.S.

Wednesday March 12, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
iPhones are finally getting a much-requested setting, but availability is limited. The upcoming iOS 18.4 update introduces an option to set a default navigation app, other than Apple Maps, but unfortunately this new setting is limited to users in the EU. There, you can now set an app like Google Maps or Waze as your default navigation app on the iPhone by opening the Settings app and tapping ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Machined Parts Leak Reflects Camera Redesign Rumors

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:07 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to feature a significant design overhaul, and a new image apparently taken on an assembly line for the unreleased devices appears to confirm the biggest rumored change. Render of an iPhone 17 Pro model shared by Jon Prosser The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to adopt a horizontal camera bar reminiscent of Google's Pixel...
Sad Siri Feature

Kuo: Apple Knows Apple Intelligence is 'Underwhelming' and Won't Drive iPhone Upgrades

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:32 am PDT by
The Apple Intelligence features that Apple introduced with iOS 18 are not pushing people to upgrade their iPhones, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated today. Apple's recent Siri failures are also going to have an impact on 2025 iPhone shipments, which the market is beginning to realize. As early as last July, Kuo said expectations that Apple Intelligence could drive iPhone upgrades were...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Allegedly Refer to 'iPhone 17 Ultra' Model

Friday March 14, 2025 7:56 am PDT by
If you've been following iPhone rumors over the last few years, you may remember reading reports that Apple flirted with the idea of introducing a super high-end "Ultra" model that would either replace its Pro Max device or sit above it in Apple's smartphone hirearchy. These reports appeared in the pre-launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumor cycles, but ultimately came to nothing. Now though, the...

Top Rated Comments

Insidious Avatar
1 week ago
At that price, the only clamshell device I need is a MacBook.
Score: 69 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nickawhite Avatar
1 week ago
Anyone else far more interested in a Razr style hamburger fold phone, as it were? Small phone with a large screen...
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shalev Lazarof Avatar
1 week ago
instant buy.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F23 Avatar
1 week ago
Introducing Apple Book, Siri can now disappoint you on 2 screens at once. Starting at $2999, we can't wait for you to start a 800 page forum on MacRumors complaining about it.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NeonNights Avatar
1 week ago
Those that actually own foldables and use them everyday will attest to the crease being the lowest priority. Apple should focus on:

Software
Thinness
Weight
Camera quality
IP rating for dust/sand
Apple Pencil support
Durability
Battery life

Nail down all those other design challenges before worrying about minimal crease.

People that complain about the crease typically lack any real-world experience with a foldable (as opposed to a flip phone). People imagine they'll feel the crease every time they swipe or scroll because they're used to how their thumb or finger slides across the middle of a narrow slab phone. What they fail to realize, due to lack of first-hand experience, is the wider inner screen of a foldable makes it difficult to reach the middle where the crease is. In reality, with two-handed use your thumbs are scrolling along the outer third of the large display and rarely encounters the crease. That is why so few foldable owners actually complain about the crease. And when watching content on the glorious, large display, the crease is literally invisible. The crease is there if people want to fixate on it but that's like going for a run and realizing your socks are mismatched -- it's not a big deal.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Col4bin Avatar
1 week ago
Apple is introducing a foldable iPhone in 2027, relying on a tired concept that has been widely available in the market since 2019. Now that’s innovative!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)