Apple's 18.8-Inch Foldable Device to Enter Mass Production in Late 2026

Along with an iPhone "Fold," Apple is believed to be working on a larger foldable device that's somewhere around 19 inches, and one analyst suggests it could arrive as soon as late next year alongside Apple's rumored foldable iPhone.

iPhone Fold Vertical Feature
In a new research note covering likely post-tariff scenarios for Apple, investment firm GF Securities' lead analyst Jeff Pu says that both 18.8-inch and 7.8-inch foldable devices have seen development progress and are forecast to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Pu said as much last month, when he claimed that Apple's first two foldable devices had recently entered the New Product Introduction (NPI) phase at Foxconn. Depending on exactly when mass production begins in the second half of 2026, the devices could launch either later next year, or at some point in 2027.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that Apple is working on a foldable ‌iPad‌ with a 20-inch display that will come out in 2028, while analyst Ross Young has said that he expects a foldable tablet-like device in 2026 or 2027, so it's safe to say there's uncertainty about a launch date. There also appear to be conflicting reports about what kind of device the larger foldable will be.

Pu believes the foldable device that Apple is working on will be a MacBook-iPad hybrid with a touch-based screen and support for macOS. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also referred to Apple's larger foldable device as a MacBook, while Ross Young has also written about Apple's work on a notebook with an 18.8-inch display. The Wall Street Journal said in December that Apple is working on a 19-inch MacBook with a foldable screen.

However, Gurman has referred to Apple's large-screened foldable device as an ‌iPad‌, as has research firm Omdia. Whether the large-screened foldable is ultimately an ‌iPad‌ or a Mac will come down to the operating system that Apple is planning to use. If the device runs macOS, it'll be in the Mac family, and if it runs iPadOS, it'll be in the ‌iPad‌ family. Gurman has claimed that some of the design updates that Apple is making in iOS 19 and macOS 16 to unify the operating systems will pave the way for foldable devices and touchscreen Macs, so a hybrid is also a possibility.

All in all, the details of Apple's larger foldable device remain murky. That's in contrast to rumors about Apple's smaller book-style foldable iPhone, which have recently been converging on a 2026 release.

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Top Rated Comments

syklee26 Avatar
5 weeks ago
When is Apple going to fold Eddie Cue and Tim Cook's career?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechWhisperer Avatar
5 weeks ago
Which means that the actual release date will be pushed back to 2029, barring any further development challenges or strategic shifts in the company's timeline.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cyb3rdud3 Avatar
5 weeks ago

Due to tariff increase it will probably only cost 8000,- in Europe. ;)
And $25,000 US Dollar in the USA ?

But yes, notwithstanding that. I want it. I like foldables. The Oppo Find N5 is amazing. Just so dislike the operating system of Android. Google Pixel is bearable, as is Samsung UI7, but the specs on their foldables are just so bad that it's not worth it.

I would love both a foldable and a flip please :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McNoise Avatar
5 weeks ago

So what's the chance that it won't be called an iPhone...
And won't be called an iPad....

But it will be called... an iFold.

??
For German native speakers, that "I fold" sounds a bit like egg rots ("Ei fault"). ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
5 weeks ago

If they do it right, it will sell unbelievably well.
To me the success level will depend upon which OS it runs.

An even larger iPad Pro that folds down smaller isn't really solving any problem in a meaningful way.

This device needs to be capable of running macOS (or some new hybrid of macOS / iPadOS)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JapanApple Avatar
5 weeks ago
Well, people want it they buy it. But I don't want it or need it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)