Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will have a hole-punch camera on the outer display, claims a Chinese leaker in Apple's supply chain.
According to the Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station, the inner display on the book-style foldable is a 14.1:1 panel featuring an under-screen camera, while the outer screen is a 14.6:1 panel with a hole-punch camera.
The leaker claims that these specifications relate to a new engineering prototype from Apple that's "slightly smaller than the previous unit we handled, with the same resolution and aspect ratio," according to a machine translation. The leaker added that a Touch ID sensor is included on the side of the device.
Digital Chat Station has made accurate claims in the past. For example, in 2023 they revealed that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would feature a slightly smaller 48-megapixel sensor than the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as the display panel design of the iPhone 12 back in 2020.
The leaker's latest claim corroborates a previous rumor from the Korean news aggregator yeux1122, who said in April that Apple had opted for a hole-punch front-facing camera on the outer display. The Naver blog account claimed that the design is almost identical to current foldables on the market, such as Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
It remains unclear whether the hole-punch will be visible during active use or encased in a smaller Dynamic Island, but Face ID is not expected to be part of the equation.
Expected to launch next year, Apple's book-style foldable is rumored to feature a 7.8-inch crease-free internal display and a 5.5-inch external screen. According to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the device will include a dual-lens rear camera along with front-facing cameras usable in both folded and unfolded states, ensuring comprehensive camera functionality in any configuration.
Kuo has also said that Apple has integrated Touch ID into the side button, in order to conserve internal space for other components.
Kuo says final hardware specifications will be locked in during the second quarter of this year (April 1 - June 30), suggesting some elements are still subject to change. However, analyst Jeff Pu claims that the device has already entered the New Product Introduction (NPI) phase at Foxconn – a critical stage in Apple's product development cycle – indicating that key specs may already be finalized.
Mass production is reportedly scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026, with a release expected late next year. The first-generation foldable iPhone is expected to carry a price tag between $2,000 and $2,300.
